First: Make Sure There Really Isn't an Author

Before treating a source as authorless, dig deeper. Authors are often hidden in unexpected places.

Check these locations: The end of the article (some publications put bylines at the bottom), the "About" page or masthead, PDF metadata (right-click, check properties), the page footer or header, linked author profiles, and press releases or "Contact" sections.

Consider who published it. For organizational publications, the organization itself is often the author. The World Health Organization, the American Psychological Association, or your university's registrar—these count as authors, not authorless sources.

Many sources that seem authorless actually have a corporate or organizational author. Use the organization name as the author when that's the case.

When a Source Is Truly Authorless

If you've checked everywhere and there's genuinely no individual or organizational author, different styles handle this differently:

APA (7th Edition): Move the title to the author position. Use the first few words of the title for in-text citations.

Reference list:

Title of Work. (Year). Publisher. URL

In-text:

("Title of Work," Year)

For articles, use quotes around the title. For standalone works (books, reports), use italics.

MLA (9th Edition): Start with the title. Use a shortened version in-text.

Works Cited:

"Title of Article." Publication, Day Month Year, URL.

In-text:

("Title")

Chicago (Notes-Bibliography): Start with the title in notes and bibliography.

Note:

"Title of Article," Publication (Month Day, Year), URL.

Chicago (Author-Date): Similar to APA—title moves to author position.

The "Anonymous" Option

What if the work actually lists "Anonymous" as the author? This is different from no author being listed.

If a source explicitly credits "Anonymous" (rare in modern publishing, more common historically), cite Anonymous as the author:

Anonymous. (Year). Title. Publisher.

In-text: (Anonymous, Year)

Don't use "Anonymous" when an author simply isn't listed. That's misleading—it implies intentional anonymity rather than missing information.

Government and Organizational Documents

These are usually not authorless—they have corporate authors.

Government agencies: Use the agency as author.

U.S. Census Bureau. (2024). Report title. https://census.gov/...

NGOs and nonprofits: Use the organization.

World Health Organization. (2024). Report title. https://who.int/...

Universities and institutions: Use the specific office or department if relevant, or the institution itself.

Office of the Registrar, University of Michigan. (2024). Enrollment report.

When the publisher and author are the same organization, some styles let you avoid repetition. APA, for example, omits the publisher when it's identical to the author.

Websites and Web Pages

Corporate websites are a common source of "no author" frustration. Usually, the organization running the website is the author.

American Red Cross. (2024, March 15). Blood donation FAQ. https://redcross.org/...

If you're citing a user-generated wiki (like Wikipedia), the entry has no single author:

Wikipedia contributors. (2024, January 3). Article title. In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/...

For genuinely authorless web pages with no organizational attribution, use the page title.

News Articles Without Bylines

Some news articles, especially brief items, lack bylines. Use the newspaper or wire service as author if no byline exists.

Associated Press. (2024, January 15). Headline of article. New York Times, A12.

Or use title-first if you're citing a truly anonymous piece:

"Headline of Article." New York Times, 15 Jan. 2024, p. A12.

Dictionary and Encyclopedia Entries

Reference works often have authorless entries—that's normal. The citation style reflects this:

APA:

Entry title. (Year). In Dictionary name (edition). Publisher.

MLA:

"Entry Title." Encyclopedia Name, Publisher, Year, pp. xx–xx.

For online versions, include URLs or DOIs.

Historical and Archival Documents

Older documents frequently lack clear authorship. For historical sources:

Include as much identifying information as possible. Note the archive or collection where it's held. Describe the document type if relevant. Use approximate dates when exact dates are unknown.

[Unsigned report on trade conditions]. (ca. 1820). Box 3, Folder 7, Smith Family Papers, Historical Society Archive.

Your discipline may have specific conventions for archival citation. Check with your advisor or a disciplinary style guide.

What If Part of Your Citation Is Missing?

Different elements might be missing beyond just the author:

No date: Use "n.d." (no date) in APA; in MLA, simply omit the date.

No page numbers: For online sources, this is normal. For PDFs, use PDF page numbers or section titles.

No title: Describe the content in brackets: [Untitled photograph of market scene].

Multiple missing elements: At some point, consider whether this source is sufficiently identifiable and credible to cite. If you can't tell what it is, when it was created, or who made it, think carefully about whether it belongs in your references.

In-Text Citation for Authorless Sources

The mechanics differ slightly by style but follow the same principle: use the title (or a shortened version) where you'd normally use the author's name.

APA: First few words of title + year: ("Climate Change Impacts," 2024)

MLA: Shortened title: ("Climate Change")

Chicago (Author-Date): Same as APA: ("Climate Change Impacts" 2024)

Keep shortened titles recognizable. Use the first noun phrase or key words—readers should be able to find it in your bibliography.

The exact formatting for authorless citations depends on your required citation style. Check the specific guide for your discipline below.