Here’s the deal: when there’s no author, you must move the title to the front of your citation. Think of it as giving the article itself the spotlight. It gets to be the main character now. No “John Doe”? No problem. The title says, “I’m in charge here.”
So instead of Doe, John. “Title.” you get “Title of Article.” Website Name, followed by all the usual suspects. It’s that simple. Seriously, put down the anxiety donut.
What About In-Text Citations? The Shortcut
Great question! You can’t write (Author, 42) because there’s no author to name. So what do you do in the middle of your sentence? You use a shortened version of the title. No, you don’t have to write out “The Complete History of Squirrels and Their Secret Coffee Stashes” every time.
Just use the first word or two. For example: (“History” 42). Or if the title is “How to Bake a Cake Without Crying,” just do (“Bake” 15). Make sure the shortened title matches the first word in your full citation. Consistency is your best friend here. Otherwise, you’re playing hide-and-seek with your reader. And nobody wins that game.
