Many sources—like webpages, blogs, and some ebooks—do not include page numbers. To cite direct quotations from these sources, the APA Publication Manual recommends providing section or heading names, and/or paragraph numbers. The writer should use their judgement to determine the easiest way to direct readers toward locating the quotation.
If quoting from a short piece, referencing the paragraph number is ideal. Most writing on the web does not include paragraph numbers, so they will need to be counted manually.
According to Williams (2019), “gravity is actually the bending of space” (para. 5).
For longer works, a section title should be used. This can, optionally, be combined with the paragraph number.
As new competitors emerged and after an unsuccessful foray into collectible card games, “TSR announced it had accumulated over $30 million in debt” (Fiori, 2025, The TSR Years section, para. 7).
If the section title is too long, put it in quotes to indicate that it has been shortened.
One doctor explains that they avoid prescribing opiods “except in post-op pain or acute injury” (Migala, 2025, “Opiods” section).
If quoting material accessed through a Kindle or other device, do not use the location number. These location numbers can vary between devices and settings. Most Kindles should display the page numbers for books, especially if they originally appeared in print. If, for some reason, page numbers aren’t available, follow the steps above to create your in-text citation.