On this page
Updated . Example details checked against the APA Style example for a Wikipedia entry (Publication Manual, 7th ed.): the Oil painting article as archived on December 11, 2019.
The APA format
Pattern
Title of article. (Year, Month Day). In Wikipedia. Permanent URL
- Title in sentence case, in the author position, since Wikipedia articles have no named author (APA 7, 9.12).
- Date of the archived version you used, from the page’s View history.
- “In” and the encyclopedia: In Wikipedia, with the encyclopedia’s name in italics.
- Permanent link: under Tools, Permanent link. APA asks for the archived version so readers see the same text you did (APA 7, 10.3).
- In the text, the title goes in quotation marks, shortened if long. APA writes it there in title case, (“Oil Painting,” 2019); Format keeps the capitals you typed, so capitalize the in-text title by hand if your instructor checks.
Retrieval date or permanent link?
A retrieval date is for pages that change and have no fixed version. A Wikipedia permanent link is a fixed version, dated, so it replaces the retrieval date. If you only have the ordinary article URL, you are citing a page that changes, and APA would then want the retrieval date. Saving the permanent link is simpler and more exact.
A real example
Reference entry
Oil painting. (2019, December 8). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Oil_painting&oldid=929802398
In-text citation
(“Oil painting,” 2019)
When details are missing
- No permanent link saved: open View history, find the version from the day you read the article, and copy its link and date.
- Narrative citation: name the article in your sentence: The Wikipedia article “Oil Painting” (2019) describes...
The rules for a missing author, date or page in every style are in no author, date or page.
Common mistakes
- (Wikipedia, 2019) in the text. The title stands in for the author: (“Oil Painting,” 2019).
- The live article URL with no date. Use the permanent link and the date of that version.
- Italic article title. Only Wikipedia is italic.
Or let Format do it.
Choose Encyclopedia or dictionary entry, type Wikipedia as the encyclopedia, and paste the article’s permanent link with the date of that version. Format writes the References entry and the in-text citation in APA 7, exactly as shown above, and builds the References page when you export to Word or PDF. MLA and APA are free.
Questions
Does APA allow Wikipedia?
APA gives a format for it, but your instructor decides what counts as a source. Many prefer the sources the article cites.
Why “In”?
An entry is part of a larger reference work, and “In” introduces that work, as it does for a dictionary or a chapter in an edited book.
Which date: created or edited?
The date of the version you cite, which is the date shown with its permanent link.
More citation guides
The same source in other styles
Similar sources in APA
Every source kind is on the APA page, and every style is on How to cite.