How to Cite a Report in APA

When writing a research paper or presentation, you may want to reference reports written for governments, businesses, or other organizations. If you're using the American Psychological Association (APA) citation style, you'll generally use the same format for a report that you would for a book. However, the information included in your citation will vary somewhat depending on whether you read a printed or online version of the report.[1]

Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

Citing a Print Report

  1. Image titled Cite a Report in APA Step 1
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    List the name of the author first. Some reports credit an individual person as the author, while others are credited solely to the organization or governmental agency that produced it. For your reference list citation, copy the author exactly as listed on the report. Individual names should be listed last name first, then a comma, then the person's initial. Place a period after the name of the author.[2]
    • Individual author example: Sunshine, S.
    • Group author example: Ontario Ministry of Health.
    • If there are multiple writers, separate their names with commas. Use an ampersand before the last writer's name. For example: Sunshine, S., Moon, T., Lutz, S., & Beakman, J.
    • Include the name of the higher governmental department if the specific agency isn't well known (Example: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research). Use your best judgment on this, or ask your instructor or supervisor. When in doubt, err on the side of too much rather than too little information.
  2. Image titled Cite a Report in APA Step 2
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    Add the year of publication in parentheses. Even if a more specific date is given, APA style only requires you to include the year a report was published. Type a space after the period following the author's name, then type the year in parentheses. Place a period after the closing parentheses.[3]
    • Individual author example: Sunshine, S. (2018).
    • Group author example: Ontario Ministry of Health. (1994).
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  3. Image titled Cite a Report in APA Step 3
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    Provide the title of the report in italics and add the report number, if applicable. After the year of publication, type a space. Then type the full title of the report. Use sentence-case, capitalizing only the first word of the title and any proper nouns. If there is a subtitle, place a colon at the end of the title and then add the subtitle. Capitalize the first word of the subtitle and any proper nouns. Place a period at the end.[4]
    • If there is a report number given for the report, include it in parentheses after the title but don't italicize it. Place your period after the closing parentheses rather than at the end of the title.[5] For example: World Health Organization. (2003). Diet, nutrition and the prevention of chronic diseases (WHO Technical Report series 916).
    • Individual author example without report number: Sunshine, S. (2018). Flirting with disaster: Skills for professionals working with post-traumatic stress.
    • Group author example without report number: Ontario Ministry of Health. (1994). Selected findings from the mental health supplement of the Ontario Health Survey.
  4. Image titled Cite a Report in APA Step 4
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    Indicate the location and name of the publisher. Provide the city and state for US locations. For all other locations, provide the city and country. Write out the name of the country rather than using an abbreviation. Place a colon after the location, then type the name of the publisher. If the report has a group author that was also the publisher, type the word "Author" in place of the publisher. Place a period after the publisher's name to close out your citation.[6]
    • Individual author example: Sunshine, S. (2018). Flirting with disaster: Skills for professionals working with post-traumatic stress. Wellington, New Zealand: Ministry of Health.
    • Group author example: Ontario Ministry of Health. (1994). Selected findings from the mental health supplement of the Ontario Health Survey. Ottawa, Canada: Author.
  5. Image titled Cite a Report in APA Step 5
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    Indicate if the report was prepared for a specific organization. Particularly if the report has a named author, it may have been prepared by that person (typically an expert in their field) for a particular organization or government agency. If this is the case, introduce the publisher information with the phrase "Report prepared for."[7]
    • Example: Sunshine, S., Moon, T., Lutz, S., & Beakman, J. Treatment for addiction during pregnancy. Report prepared for Health Canada at the Community Health Research Unit, University of Ottawa, Canada.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

Citing an Online Report

  1. Image titled Cite a Report in APA Step 6
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    Start your reference with the name of the author. If the report names an individual author, list their last name first followed by a comma and their first initial. If no individual author is named, list the organization or government agency as the author. For online databases that provide no author's name, use the name of the database as the author.[8]
    • Individual author example: Brennan, A.
    • Group author example: U.S. Census Bureau.
  2. Image titled Cite a Report in APA Step 7
    2
    Provide the year the report was published in parentheses. While the report may include a more specific date, APA style only requires you to include the year of publication in the citation in your reference list. Place a period after the closing parentheses.[9]
    • Individual author example: Brennan, A. (2014).
    • Group author example: U.S. Census Bureau. (2015).
  3. Image titled Cite a Report in APA Step 8
    3
    Type the title of the report in italics, then add the report number if there is one. Use sentence-case for the full title in the citation in your reference list, capitalizing only the first word and any proper nouns. If the report also has a subtitle, place a colon after the title, then include the subtitle (also in sentence-case). If the report has a report number, include that in parentheses after the title, then place a period after the closing parentheses. If there isn't a report number, place the period at the end of the title.[10]
    • Individual author example with report number: Brennan, A. (2014). Single location full-service restaurants in the US (Industry Report 72211b).
    • Group author example without report number: U.S. Census Bureau. (2015). State & county quick facts: Berks County, Pennsylvania.
  4. Image titled Cite a Report in APA Step 10
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    Copy the URL or database name where the report can be found. The final portion of your citation tells your readers exactly where they can find the report you used in your research. Write "Retrieved from" first. If the report is freely available online, provide the URL. Since most databases do not provide a direct permalink and require a subscription to access, simply identify the database by name. Place a period at the end to close your citation.[11]
    • Individual author example: Brennan, A. (2014). Single location full-service restaurants in the US (Industry Report 72211b). Retrieved from IBISWorld database.
    • Group author example: U.S. Census Bureau. (2015). State & county quick facts: Berks County, Pennsylvania. Retrieved from http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/42/42011.html.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

Referencing Reports in Your Text

  1. Image titled Cite a Report in APA Step 11
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    Write titles in title-case if mentioning them in your paper. You used sentence-case for titles of reports included in your reference list. However, if you repeat them in the body of your work, use title case. Capitalize all nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs, as well as any other words that are 4 letters long or greater. Titles mentioned in the text should also be italicized.[12]
    • Example: "Use of non-psychoactive drugs is discussed in Treatment for Addiction During Pregnancy, a report prepared for Health Canada.
  2. Image titled Cite a Report in APA Step 12
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    Use author-year format for in-text citations. When you paraphrase or quote the report in the body of your paper, place a parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence with the last name of the author and the year the report was published.[13]
    • Example: (Brennan, 2014).
  3. Image titled Cite a Report in APA Step 13
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    Place the year in parentheses when mentioning the author in text. If you mention the author of the report in your sentence, there's no need to repeat the author's name in your parenthetical citation. Instead, place the year of publication in parentheses immediately after the author's name.[14]
    • Example: Brennan (2014) compiled a report of all full-service restaurants in the United States.
  4. Image titled Cite a Report in APA Step 14
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    Add the page number when quoting directly from the source. For direct quotes in your text, place a comma after the year in your parenthetical citation. Use the abbreviation "p." and type the page number where the quote can be found. If the quote crosses 2 pages, use the abbreviation "pp." followed by the page numbers, separated by a hyphen.[15]
    • Example: (Brennan, 2014, p. 17)
  5. Image titled Cite a Report in APA Step 15
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    Separate multiple works in the same parenthetical with semi-colons. Some sentences in your paper may include paraphrases of facts or information that come from more than one source. In the parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence, include the author and year for each source, separated by a semi-colon.[16]
    • Example: (Brennan, 2014; U.S. Census Bureau, 2015)
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References

  1. ↑ http://libguides.gwumc.edu/c.php?g=27779&p=170369
  2. ↑ http://libguides.gwumc.edu/c.php?g=27779&p=170369
  3. ↑ http://libguides.unitec.ac.nz/apareferencing/reports
  4. ↑ http://libguides.unitec.ac.nz/apareferencing/reports
  5. ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/reference_list_other_print_sources.html
  6. ↑ http://libguides.unitec.ac.nz/apareferencing/reports
  7. ↑ http://libguides.gwumc.edu/c.php?g=27779&p=170369
  8. ↑ https://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/electronic-references/
  9. ↑ https://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/electronic-references/
  1. ↑ https://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/electronic-references/
  2. ↑ https://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/electronic-references/
  3. ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/in_text_citations_the_basics.html
  4. ↑ http://libguides.gwumc.edu/c.php?g=27779&p=170369
  5. ↑ http://guides.libraries.psu.edu/apaquickguide/intext
  6. ↑ http://guides.libraries.psu.edu/apaquickguide/intext
  7. ↑ http://guides.libraries.psu.edu/apaquickguide/intext

About This Article

Cara Barker, MA
Co-authored by:
Cara Barker, MA
Research & Instruction Librarian
This article was co-authored by Cara Barker, MA and by wikiHow staff writer, Jennifer Mueller, JD. Cara Barker is an Assistant Professor and Research and Instruction Librarian at Hunter Library at Western Carolina University. She received her Masters in Library and Information Sciences from the University of Washington in 2014. She has over 16 years of experience working with libraries across the United States. This article has been viewed 23,947 times.
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Co-authors: 3
Updated: August 7, 2019
Views: 23,947
Categories: APA Style
Article SummaryX

To cite a print report in APA style, start by writing the author’s name, whether it’s an individual or an organization. Follow this with the year of publication in parentheses, and the report’s title in italics. Once you've entered the title, write the location and name of the publisher, separating both pieces of information with a colon. If the report was published online, simply include the URL or name of the database where you found it in place of the publisher’s information. For tips on how to cite a report using in-text referencing, keep reading!

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