How to cite a blog post (APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago, Harvard)
Blog posts sit between websites and articles. They usually have a byline and date, but they may live on a personal site, company site, Substack, Medium, or institutional blog. The citation needs the author, post title, blog or site title, date, and URL.
When to use this source type
Use this source type for posts from personal blogs, company blogs, institutional blogs, Medium posts, Substack posts, and essay-style web posts that are not news articles, journal articles, or reports. Paul Graham's essays, a museum blog post, and a research lab blog update can all fit when the page is a dated post.
Do not use this format for a static web page with no post structure, a newspaper article, a PDF report, or an academic journal article. If the blog post has been updated, cite the date shown by the page and mention the update date in prose if it matters to your argument.
A blog can still be a serious source, but the citation should make its status clear. If you rely on expert commentary from an institutional blog, keep the author, blog name, organization, and date visible so the reader can judge the authority of the post.
Quick reference table
The same source facts appear in each style, but they move around. Check the author role, date detail, title formatting, container, locator, and the one style-specific rule before you paste a citation into your reference list.
| Style | Author | Date | Title | Container | URL or locator | Style note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| APA 7 | Post author surname and initials. | Full post date. | Post title in sentence case. | Blog name italicized. | URL to the post. | Access date only for changing posts. |
| MLA 9 | Author full name. | Date as day month year. | Post title in quotation marks. | Blog name italicized. | URL and access date. | Publisher if separate and useful. |
| Chicago | Author in reference-list order. | Year after author. | Post title in quotation marks. | Blog title and date. | URL to post. | Notes may be enough. |
| Harvard | Author surname and initials. | Year in parentheses. | Post title in single quotation marks. | Blog name italicized. | [Blog] label if required. | Available at URL and accessed date. |
APA 7 walkthrough
APA 7 starts with the same basic question: who is responsible for this blog post? For a blog post, use the named post author, not the blog owner, when a byline exists. The date element uses the full date shown on the post. The title element uses sentence case for the post title. The source element is the blog or site title, italicized when the formatter treats it as a container. Finally, the locator element is the direct post URL. Work through those fields in order and the punctuation becomes much easier to control.
APA blog citations are close to webpage citations, but the dated post structure and blog title make the source more specific. In text, use (Graham, 2023). If you quote directly, add the page, paragraph, timestamp, or legal pin cite required by the style. If your source is online, prefer a stable URL or DOI over a search-result link, and remove tracking parameters before you submit the reference.
Graham, P. (2023, May 1). How to read a paper. *Paul Graham's Essays*. https://paulgraham.com/read.html
MLA 9 walkthrough
MLA 9 starts with the same basic question: who is responsible for this blog post? For a blog post, starts with the post author in works-cited order. The date element uses the publication date for the post. The title element puts the post title in quotation marks. The source element uses the blog name as the italicized container. Finally, the locator element adds the URL and access date when needed. Work through those fields in order and the punctuation becomes much easier to control.
MLA treats the blog name as the larger container. If the post appears on Medium or Substack, the platform may be a second container only when it helps retrieval. In text, use (Graham). If you quote directly, add the page, paragraph, timestamp, or legal pin cite required by the style. If your source is online, prefer a stable URL or DOI over a search-result link, and remove tracking parameters before you submit the reference.
Graham, Paul "How to read a paper." *Paul Graham's Essays*, 1 May. 2023, paulgraham.com/read.html. Accessed 15 Jan. 2025.
Chicago walkthrough
Chicago starts with the same basic question: who is responsible for this blog post? For a blog post, uses the post author in reference-list order. The date element places the year after the author. The title element puts the post title in quotation marks. The source element names the blog and full date. Finally, the locator element uses the direct URL. Work through those fields in order and the punctuation becomes much easier to control.
Chicago may cite blog posts in notes only. For a source that does real evidence work in your paper, include a bibliography or reference-list entry. In text, use (Graham 2023). If you quote directly, add the page, paragraph, timestamp, or legal pin cite required by the style. If your source is online, prefer a stable URL or DOI over a search-result link, and remove tracking parameters before you submit the reference.
Graham, Paul. 2023. "How to read a paper." Paul Graham's Essays. accessed January 15, 2025. https://paulgraham.com/read.html.
Harvard walkthrough
Harvard starts with the same basic question: who is responsible for this blog post? For a blog post, uses the byline surname and initials. The date element puts the year after the author. The title element uses single quotation marks for the post title. The source element names the blog and may add a blog label. Finally, the locator element uses Available at plus URL and Accessed date. Work through those fields in order and the punctuation becomes much easier to control.
Harvard blog entries need the access date because posts can be edited without a clear version history. Keep the direct URL, not the author's homepage. In text, use (Graham, 2023). If you quote directly, add the page, paragraph, timestamp, or legal pin cite required by the style. If your source is online, prefer a stable URL or DOI over a search-result link, and remove tracking parameters before you submit the reference.
Graham, Paul (2023) How to read a paper. [Online] Paul Graham's Essays. Available at: https://paulgraham.com/read.html (accessed January 15, 2025).
Common mistakes for this source type
Most errors come from forcing a blog post into the wrong template. Before submitting, check these details against the source itself, not against a database preview or a copied citation.
- Using the blog name as author when a byline is present.
- Citing the author's homepage instead of the post.
- Treating a company blog post as a PDF report.
- Dropping the full publication date.
- Leaving out the blog name when the post title alone is too generic.