How to cite an anonymous author or anonymous source?

Louise is an undergraduate student in economics and management. At the end of the school year, she must complete an internship and submit an internship report to one of her teachers in order to graduate. While rereading her bibliography, Louise realises that she forgot to reference the anonymous sources she used when writing her report. As a result, Louise questions whether she needs to cite these anonymous sources and how she might do so if necessary.

So do you need to reference an anonymous author? Are you supposed to quote an anonymous source in your assignment?

Summary:

1. What is an anonymous source?
2. What is an anonymous author?
3. Why do some authors choose to remain anonymous?
4. Examples of anonymous sources
5. Why reference sources without an author?
6. How do I cite anonymous sources?
7. How do I cite an anonymous author?

1. What is an anonymous source?

According to the National Centre for Textual and Lexical Resources, "A source is anonymous if the author's name is unknown." As such, the origin of the source cannot be identified.

On its "Anonymous Books" page, Espace Français quotes Antoine-Alexandre Barbier and adds that "books that lack an editor's name and translations whose translator is unknown should also be considered anonymous works".

Nevertheless, an anonymous source is just as important as a known source. A referencing methodology must be respected when citing an anonymous source.

Examples of anonymous quotes: 

"For a colander, having holes is not a defect." Anonymous.

"If failure teaches you something, you're not a loser." Anonymous.

Quotations from the website West France on the Quote of the Day page

2. What is an anonymous author?

According to the Larousse dictionary, an anonymous author is one who conceals his or her identity while retaining pecuniary and moral rights to his or her work.

An anonymous author is therefore a writer whose identity is unknown. He may publish his work anonymously, under a pseudonym or a false name. However, the anonymous author retains authorship of his or her work, and therefore copyright, despite the fact that he or she is unknown. 

Anonymous authors must be cited in order to respect copyright.

Two examples of anonymous authors who never revealed their identities:

1. "Primary Colors" by Anonymous (1996): the author later revealed to be Joe Klein, but originally published anonymously.
2. "The Diary of an American Exorcist" by Anonymous (2021): the author is still unknown until today. He remains completely unidentified. 

4. Examples of anonymous sources

In the preceding paragraphs, we've looked at some examples of anonymous quotations and anonymous authors. 

To help you understand this concept better, here are examples of widely used anonymous sources in various domains: 

Examples of anonymous sources in literature
 

• "Beowulf" (circa 700–1000 AD): an old english epic poem about the hero Beowulf, who battles the monster Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and a dragon. The author remains unknown, the poem was passed down through oral tradition before being transcribed by scribes.
• "Gawain and the Green Knight" (Late 14th century): a medieval chivalric romance about Sir Gawain, a knight of King Arthur’s court, who accepts a supernatural challenge. The poet is referred to as the "Gawain Poet" or "Pearl Poet" because of their other attributed works, but their identity is unknown.

Examples of anonymous sources in art
 

• "The Master of Flemalle" (15th century): a name given to an unknown Flemish painter credited with groundbreaking oil paintings, including the "Mérode Altarpiece". Art historians believe the artist could be Robert Campin, but there is no definitive proof.
• Banksy (Active since the 1990s–Present): a contemporary street artist known for politically charged graffiti and satirical art pieces like Girl with a Balloon and Balloon Dog. 

Examples of anonymous sources in art
 

• "The Federalist Papers" (1787–1788, initially anonymous): series of 85 essays advocating for the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. Originally published under the pseudonym "Publius." The authors were later revealed as Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay.
• The "Deep Throat" Source in the Watergate Scandal (1972–2005): a secret informant who provided key information to journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, leading to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. The identity remained unknown for over 30 years until former FBI official Mark Felt revealed himself in 2005.

5. Why reference sources without an author?

It is essential to cite authors in a research assignment, dissertation, internship report or PhD thesis, so as not to be accused of plagiarism. For this reason, a student attests to their integrity and quality of work by citing all their sources. In addition, citing anonymous sources promotes original work and contributes to research.

6. How do I cite anonymous sources?

When the author is known (an identified source), you should put the quotation in quotation marks and follow the quotation rules and bibliography format chosen or required by the school.

"Better to lose your watch than waste your time" Jean Brassard

Quotation from the website West France on the Quote of the Day page.

When the source is unknown (anonymous source), you should generally do the same thing and replace the author's name with "anonymous". There are, however, a few exceptions, such as referencing an anonymous source from an interview or a quote.

Example of anonymous source from an interview according to APA format: 

• In-text citation: (Anonymous, personal communication, March 10, 2025)
• Bilbiography: in APA format, personal communications (interviews, e-mails, private discussions) are not included in the list of references.

 

Example of anonymous source from a citation in an article according to APA format: 

If a quotation comes from a report or article that mentions an anonymous author, the information must be referenced with the title of the document instead of the author's name.

• In-text citation: ("Government Report on Cybersecurity," 2023, p. 15)
• Bibliography: Government Report on Cybersecurity. (2023). National Security Agency. https://www.nsa.gov/

7. How do I cite an anonymous author?

When the author of a piece of content is unknown, APA standards recommend using “Anonymous” as the author only if the work is officially attributed to “Anonymous”. Otherwise, start with the title of the document.

Example of anonymous author of a book published under the name “Anonymous": 

• In-text citation: (Anonymous, 2021)
• Bilbiography: Anonymous. (2021). The Diary of an American Exorcist. Sophia Institute Press.

 

Example of anonymous author of a blog post with no identifiable author: 

• In-text citation: ("What types of plagiarsim exist", 2025)
• Bilbiography: What types of plagiarsim exist. (2025). Compilatio Blog. https://www.compilatio.net/en/blog/types-plagiarism

By following this approach, there is no risk of making mistakes in referencing sources for your research and writing assignments. Here's a reminder of the main citation standards to help you better cite your sources, whether anonymous or not.

Known or unknown authors must appear in the body of the text and in the bibliography of Louise's internship report. She must not lose sight of the fact that plagiarism is forbidden and punishable. Finally, citing your sources, whether from a known author or anonymous, must be a habit for everyone. This reflects respectful and honest behaviour towards the work of others.

Sources:

• National Centre for Textual and Lexical Resources.

• "Anonymous Books", Espace Français.

• Quotation from the website West France on the Quote of the Day page

• Compilatio blog post, "Why is plagiarism prohibited? What are my incentives to respect copyright?".

• Compilatio blog post, "Quotation rules to avoid plagiarism".

 

To go further:

• APA Standards : everything you need to know to cite sources correctly

• All about the MLA format to cite your sources correctly

• What types of plagiarism exist?

• The anti-plagiarism checklist