Citing Hospital Websites: A Quick Guide

Citing a hospital website depends on the citation style. For example, in APA style, the citation would include the author, date, title of the webpage, website name, and URL. If there is no author listed, the organization's name can be used instead. The date should be the date the content was last updated, or if that is not available, the copyright or original publication date. If no date is provided, use the abbreviation n.d. in place of the date. For MLA style, the citation would depend on the location of the medical record. If the record is located at an institution, such as a hospital, the citation would include the author, date range, and the name of the hospital.

Citing a specific document on a hospital website

Citing a source from a hospital website can be challenging because they are not standardised in the same way as journal articles or books. The style of citation depends on the format of the document you are citing, so it is important to identify this first. For example, is it a journal article, a newspaper article, an eBook, or something else?

If you are citing a specific document on a hospital website, the general format is as follows:

Author, A. (date). Title of document [Format description]. Retrieved from http://URL.

If there is no known author, you can start the citation with the title of the document. If there is no date, use the abbreviation 'n.d.' in place of the date.

For example:

Cubanski, J., Neuman, T., True, S., & Damico, A. (2019). How much does Medicare spend on insulin? [Web page]. Retrieved from https://www.kff.org/medicare/issue-brief/how-much-does-medicare-spend-on-insulin/

Or, if there is no author:

How much does Medicare spend on insulin? (n.d.) [Web page]. Retrieved from https://www.kff.org/medicare/issue-brief/how-much-do-medicare-spend-on-insulin/

Note that the date used should be the date the content was last updated, or, if this is not available, the copyright or original publication date.

Citing a hospital website with no author

Firstly, it is important to determine the type of source you are citing. Websites are considered by APA guidelines to be sources that do not fit into other categories, such as journal articles or books. The APA format for citing a website with no author typically includes the title, date, publisher, and URL. The title of a webpage should be italicized, while the title of a blog post or article should be placed in quotation marks.

For example, if the hospital website has no author but includes a date, the citation structure would be as follows:

If there is no author and no date, you would use "n.d." to indicate that there is "no date":

In some cases, you may need to cite a specific page or section within the hospital website. In such cases, you would include the page title or section title in your citation:

Hospital name. (Date or n.d.). Page or section title. URL

It is worth noting that APA guidelines recommend using reputable sources, and hospital websites are generally considered reliable. However, it is always a good idea to verify the information and consult other sources whenever possible.

With these guidelines, you should now have a better understanding of how to cite a hospital website with no author in APA format.

Citing a hospital webpage

APA Style

The APA style is commonly used in the social sciences. When citing a hospital webpage in APA style, the following format can be used:

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of webpage. Website Name. URL

For example:

Smith, J. (2023, July 15). Heart Disease: Prevention and Treatment. City Hospital. https://cityhospital.org/heart-health

If there is no known author, the hospital name can be used as the author:

City Hospital. (2023, July 15). Heart Disease: Prevention and Treatment. https://cityhospital.org/heart-health

If the webpage is continuously updated, it is helpful to include a retrieval date:

Smith, J. (2023, July 15). Heart Disease: Prevention and Treatment. City Hospital. https://cityhospital.org/heart-health (retrieved 2023, August 10)

MLA Style

MLA style is commonly used in the humanities. When citing a hospital webpage in MLA style, the following format can be used:

Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Webpage." Title of Source, Date, URL

For example:

Smith, John. "Heart Disease: Prevention and Treatment." City Hospital, 15 July 2023, https://cityhospital.org/heart-health

If there is no known author, the author element can be omitted:

"Heart Disease: Prevention and Treatment." City Hospital, 15 July 2023, https://cityhospital.org/heart-health

Other Considerations

When citing a hospital webpage, it is important to use a credible and reliable source. The webpage should have clear and accurate information, preferably written by medical professionals or experts in the field. Additionally, it is good practice to check the date of publication or last modification to ensure the information is up-to-date.

Citing a hospital blog

For in-text citations, if you are citing an entire website, you can simply cite the website in the text and do not need to add it to the reference list. For example: "The Royal Hospital has a helpful blog (https://www.royalhospital.com/blog)."

However, if you are paraphrasing, quoting, or citing a particular blog post on a hospital website, you should include a reference that is specific to that source. Here is an example of how to cite a blog post from a hospital website in APA style:

Last name, F. M. (Year, Month Day). Title of blog post. Blog name. URL

For example, if you are referencing a blog post titled "The Benefits of Yoga" from the Royal Hospital's blog, the citation would look like this:

Smith, J. (2023, August 11). The Benefits of Yoga. Royal Hospital Blog. https://www.royalhospital.com/blog/yoga

Note that the URL in the example above is fictional and used only for illustrative purposes. Always use the actual URL of the blog post you are citing.

If the blog post does not have an individual author listed, use the name of the hospital as the author in your citation, like so:

Royal Hospital. (2023, August 11). The Benefits of Yoga. Royal Hospital Blog. https://www.royalhospital.com/blog/yoga

Also, note that the date format in APA style is Year, Month Day. If the date is unknown, use the abbreviation "n.d." in place of the date. For example:

Smith, J. (n.d.). The Benefits of Yoga. Royal Hospital Blog. https://www.royalhospital.com/blog/yoga

These guidelines should help you properly cite a hospital blog post in APA style, ensuring that you give credit to your sources and allowing readers to locate the original information.

Citing a hospital website with no date

Firstly, it is important to determine what exactly you are citing. Are you citing an entire website, or just a specific page or piece of content on the site? If you are citing an entire website, you can simply cite the website in the text and do not need to add it to the reference list. For example: "The Mayo Clinic's website offers a comprehensive overview of cardiovascular health." (https://www.mayoclinic.org). However, if you are paraphrasing, quoting, or citing specific information from a particular document or page on the website, you will need to include a reference specific to that source.

When citing a specific page or piece of content from a hospital website, you will need to follow a certain format. This format can vary depending on the citation style you are using, such as APA or MLA. For example, in APA style, the general format for citing a webpage is as follows: Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Website name. URL. If there is no author listed, you can use the name of the organization as the author. For example: Cleveland Clinic. (n.d.). Understanding Heart Disease. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17399-heart-disease.

If the website has no date, use the abbreviation "n.d." in place of the date. It is important to try to find the date of publication or, if the page has been updated, the date of the latest update. This information may be available at the bottom of the page or in the page's URL. If you cannot find a complete date, use as much information as you can, such as the year or month.

Additionally, when citing a hospital website, be sure to only include charts, figures, and other illustrative material that are specific to that website. If this content has been reproduced from other sources, consult the original publication and cite the particular item from there.

Frequently asked questions