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Citing Government Documents in APA | Format & Examples

Published on February 11, 2021 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on December 27, 2023.

APA Style doesn’t provide a special format for citing government documents. Instead, you should determine what kind of source you’re dealing with—usually a report or a web page—and use the appropriate format.

To cite a government web page that doesn’t list an individual author , use the following format, listing the name of the government organization in the author position . If the name listed in the author position is the same as the website name (as in the example here), only list it once.

You can also use our free APA Citation Generator to automatically create accurate citations.

Table of contents

Citing government websites with individual authors, citing a government report in apa style, frequently asked questions about apa style citations.

When a government webpage does list an individual author or authors, list them in the author position, and always include the site name.

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If the document you are trying to cite is a report (usually labeled as such and often found in PDF form online), the format again differs slightly based on whether individual authors are listed.

Individual authors

To cite a report with one or more named authors, use the format below.

If there is no report number, leave that part out. The publisher should be identified clearly; list the specific organization and any department they are a part of if needed to identify them unambiguously.

Group authors

When a report doesn’t list a specific author, list the organization in the author position .

Any parent agencies necessary to identify the organization clearly can be listed in the publisher position. Otherwise, just omit this part; don’t repeat the same name in the author and publisher positions.

When no individual author name is listed, but the source can clearly be attributed to a specific organization—e.g., a press release by a charity, a report by an agency, or a page from a company’s website—use the organization’s name as the author in the reference entry and APA in-text citations .

When no author at all can be determined—e.g. a collaboratively edited wiki or an online article published anonymously—use the title in place of the author. In the in-text citation, put the title in quotation marks if it appears in plain text in the reference list, and in italics if it appears in italics in the reference list. Shorten it if necessary.

When you quote or paraphrase a specific passage from a source, you need to indicate the location of the passage in your APA in-text citation . If there are no page numbers (e.g. when citing a website ) but the text is long, you can instead use section headings, paragraph numbers, or a combination of the two:

(Caulfield, 2019, Linking section, para. 1).

Section headings can be shortened if necessary. Kindle location numbers should not be used in ebook citations , as they are unreliable.

If you are referring to the source as a whole, it’s not necessary to include a page number or other marker.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Caulfield, J. (2023, December 27). Citing Government Documents in APA | Format & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved June 24, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/apa-examples/goverment-document/

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Report by a Government Agency References

This page contains a reference example for a report by a government agency.

National Cancer Institute. (2019). Taking time: Support for people with cancer (NIH Publication No. 18-2059). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health. https://www.cancer.gov/publications/patient-education/takingtime.pdf

• Parenthetical citation : (National Cancer Institute, 2019)
• Narrative citation : National Cancer Institute (2019)
• The specific agency responsible for the report appears as the author. The names of parent agencies not present in the group author name appear in the source element as the publisher. This creates concise in-text citations and complete reference list entries.

Government report references are covered in the seventh edition APA Style manuals in the Publication Manual Section 10.4 and the Concise Guide Section 10.4

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APA Citation Style, 7th Edition: Government Websites & Publications, & Gray Literature

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Government Websites, Government Publications, & Gray Literature

Tips on citing APA 7th edition references for Government reports and Gray (or Grey) Literature (p. 329-331): 

• Gray literature (or grey literature: either spelling is correct), is generally unpublished research that can include government reports, research reports, theses, dissertations, poster sessions, conference sessions or proceedings, etc... While gray literature is not considered scholarly (or technically peer-reviewed) it is still an important source of information because it is produced by researchers and practitioners in the field. It is often data, summaries, facts, statistics, or other information from current and ongoing research (Weintraub, 2000). (Paraphrased from Weintraub, I. (2000). The role of grey literature in the sciences .  https://web.archive.org/web/20080212130534/https://library.brooklyn.cuny.edu/access/greyliter.htm ) 
• Government reports often contain a publication number or report number. Make sure to add this information after the title of the document in parenthesis.
•  As in all other APA 7th edition citations, if the publisher is the same as the author (which can often be the case for government reports and gray literature), you do not include the publisher in the source area of the reference. 
• If an agency or corporation is the author, the names can be abbreviated after the first in-text citation. For example, a first citation from the National Institute of Mental Health would be (National Institute of Mental Health, 2018), and all remaining citations would be (NIMH, 2018). 

Reference Example 1:

National Heart, Lung, & Blood Institute. (2016).  The heart truth for African American women: Take action to protect your heart fact sheet (NIH Publication No. 16-5066). US Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health .  https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/all-publications-and-resources/heart-truth-african-american-women-take-action-protect

In-text Citation (Paraphrase):

(National Heart, Lung, & Blood Institute [NHLBI], 2016) - first citation

(NHLBI, 2016) - all subsequent citations

In-text Citation (Direct Quote):

(National Heart, Lung, & Blood Institute [NHLBI], 2016, p.8) - first citation

(NHLBI, 2016, p. 8) - all subsequent citations

Reference Example 2:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017, June 16). Clinical growth charts .  https://www.cdc.gov/growthcharts/clinical_charts.htm

(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2017) - first citation

(CDC, 2017) - all subsequent citations

(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2016, para.3) - first citation

(CDC, 2016, para.3)  - all subsequent citations

• APA 7 Government Website Examples A PDF with three examples of different types of government websites and how to correctly add reference entries for them in your paper.

Carrie Forbes, MLS

Page References

Citation information has been adapted from the APA Manual (7th Edition). Please refer to Chapter 10: Reference Examples, pp. 329-331 for more information. 

Helpful Tips

If you are citing a report, issue brief, or any other type of document issued with a number, include the type of document and number of publication in parenthesis directly after the title.

Example from page 329 of APA Manual:

National Cancer Institute. (2018).  Facing forward: Life after cancer treatment  [NIH Publication No. 18-2424]. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health. https://www.cancer.gov/publications/patient-education/life-after-treatment.pdf

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APA Style (7th Edition) Citation Guide: Government & Legal Documents

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Table of Contents

Government document from a website, government document in print, court decision.

Statute (Legislation)

Unenacted Bill or Resolution

Note: All citations should be double spaced and have a hanging indent in a Reference List.

A "hanging indent" means that each subsequent line after the first line of your citation should be indented by 0.5 inches.

This Microsoft support page contains instructions about how to format a hanging indent in a paper.

Government Documents often have a group/corporate author listed instead of a specific person's name. The author may be the name of a department, commitee or agency.

When the government department, agency or committee that created the document is also the publisher, omit the publisher name to avoid repetition. The names of parent agencies, if applicable, may be used as the publisher.

Capitalize the first letter of the first word of the title. If there is a colon (:) in the title, also capitalize the first letter of the first word after the colon.

Capitalize the first letter of proper names in titles, such as names of places or people.

Place of Publication

Omit the publisher location in the reference unless they are works associated with specific locations (e.g. a conference presentation). For cities in the US and Canada list the city name and the province or state code. For other countries, list the city name and the country. Examples: Toronto, ON ; Tokyo, Japan

Electronic Government Documents

Many government documents are now published electronically as well as in print. Provide the publisher name and the url.

Name of Government Department, Agency or Committee. (Year of Publication, Month Day).  Title of document: Subtitle if given  (edition if given and is not first edition). Publisher Name. URL

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. (2022, October 13). Speech and language developmental milestones. United States Department of Health & Human Services. https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/speech-and-language

In-Text Paraphrase:

(Name of Government Department, Agency or Committee, Year)

Example: (National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, 2022)

In-Text Quote:

(Name of Government Department, Agency or Committee, Year, Section Name section, para. Paragraph Number if more than one paragraph in section)

(National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, 2010, 4 to 6 Months section, line 3)

Note: When there are no visible page numbers or paragraph numbers, you may cite the section heading and the number of the paragraph in that section to identify where your quote came from.

Abbreviating Corporation/Group Author Name in In-Text citations:

Author names for corporations/groups can often be abbreviated. The first time you refer to the author, provide the full name, along with the abbreviation.

If the group name appears in the text of your paper, include the abbreviation in the in-text parenthetical citation:

Example: The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA, 2019) assisted in the rescue of 40 dogs.

If the group name first appears within a parenthetical citation, include the full group name as well as the abbreviation in square brackets:

Example: Forty dogs were rescued in Bendena, Kansas (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals [ASPCA], 2019).

Provide the full group name (without an abbreviation) in the reference list entry: 

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. (2019, November 21).  Justice served: Case closed for over 40 dogfighting victims . https://www.aspca.org/news/justice-served-case-closed-over-40-dogfighting-victims

Name of Government Department, Agency or Committee. (Year of Publication).  Title of document: Subtitle if given  (edition if given and is not first edition). Publisher Name.

National Health Council. (2007).  Americans' experience with chronic illness care in 2007 .

Note: When the government department, agency or committee that created the document is also the publisher, omit the publisher name in the reference.

Example: (National Health Council, 2007)

(Name of Government Department, Agency or Committee, Year, p. Page Number)

Example: (National Health Council, 2007, p. 4)

Name v. Name, Volume Source Page (Court Date).

Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954).

(Brown v. Board of Education, 1954).

(Brown v. Board of Education, 1954, Syllabus (d)).

Italicize the case name if you include it in the text of your paper.

Name of Act, public law number, (year).

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Pub. L. No. 104-191, § 264, 110 Stat.1936.

(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act [HIPAA] of 1996, Pub. L. No. 104-191)

(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, Pub. L. No. 104-191, S. 264)

Title [if there is one], bill or resolution number, xxx Cong. (year).

Example (Senate):

Anti-Phishing Act, S. 472, 109th Cong. (2005).

Example: (House):

Anti-Phishing Act, H.R. 1099, 109th Cong. (2005).

(Anti-Phishing Act, 2005)

(Anti-Phishing Act, 2005, S. 1351 "Internet Fraud")

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APA (7th ed.) Citation Style Guide: Government Documents

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Government Documents and Grey Literature

Government document citations include:

• Author or authors.  The Author may be a government or corporate entity.
• Title of report.  Provide the report number in brackets if given.
• Publisher.  Omit the publisher information if the author and the publisher are the same 
• DOI or URL is hyperlinked. "Retrieved from" is omitted.

"There are many kinds of reports, including government reports, technical reports, and research reports...They are part of a body of literature sometimes referred to as grey literature.  The category of grey literature includes press releases, codes of ethics, grants, policy briefs, issue briefs, and so forth.  It is optional-but often helpful-to describe these less common types of grey literature in square brackets after the title....When the publisher is the same as the author, which is often the case for group authors, omit the publisher from the source element." ( Publication manual of the American Psychological Association , 7th ed., 2020, p. 329)

For a government agency, use the most  specific agency .

Report by a Government Agency or Other Organisation

Author, A.A. (Year of report). Title of report (report number if given). URL

British Columbia Centre for Disease Control. (2005). British Columbia pandemic influenza preparedness plan: Guidelines for planning, response and recovery . http://www.pep.bc.ca/hazard_plans/BC_PI_Plan_Fina1_PAB_REVISED-AUG.pdf

Parenthetical citation: (British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, 2005)

Narrative citation: British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (2005)

Use the specific agency as the author for government documents. APA says that it may look complicated with a lot of different levels and agencies and that we can simplify by using just the specific agency. The rest of the information is not lost as it will come up later in the citation. For further information on citing government agencies as the author, please refer to the Publication manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th ed., 2020, p. 288

Report by Individual Authors at a Government Agency or Other Organization

Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of report (report number if given). Publisher. URL

Pearson, C. (2015). The impact of mental health problems on family members . Statistics Canada. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/82-624-x/2015001/article/14214-eng.pdf

Parenthetical citation: (Pearson, 2015)

Narrative citation: Pearson (2015)

Government Document - Print

Statistics Canada. (2006). Women in Canada, 2005: A gender-based statistical report (Catalogue no. 89-503-XIE). 

Parenthetical citation: (Statistics Canada, 2006)

Narrative citation: Statistics Canada (2006)

"When the author and publisher are the same, omit the publisher from the source element." (Publication manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th ed., 2020, p. 324)

Statistics Canada - CANSIM data

Statistics Canada. (2021). Canadian economic dashboard and COVID-19 [Data visualization tool]. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/71-607-x/71-607-x2020009-eng.htm

Parenthetical citation: (Statistics Canada, 2021)

Narrative citation: Statistics Canada (2021)

Parliamentary Document

House of Commons Canada. (2013, February). Tax incentives for charitable giving in Canada. Report of the Standing Committee on Finance, 41st Parliament, 1st Session.  https://www.ourcommons.ca/DocumentViewer/en/41-1/FINA/report-15

Parenthetical citation: (House of Commons Canada, 2013)

Narrative citation: House of Commons Canada (2013)

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• Research guides

A Guide to APA Style 7th Edition

Citing government documents, example legal references and citations in apa.

• Bill Digest or Bill Summary
• Federal Legislation and Laws
• Hearings and Testimonies
• House and Senate Reports
• Congressional Debates
• Codes/Regulations
• CQ Databases
• Unnumbered Federal/Committee Documents
• State Legislation and Laws
• Executive Documents
• Congressional Research Service Reports
• European Union Directives and Proposals
• Govtrack.us
• Court Rules
• UN Convention/Treaty
• Symbols and Abbreviations

Bill summary from a database

Congressional Research Service. (1993, September 10). Violence Against Women Act of 1993: S. 11, 103rd Cong. Proquest Congressional.

(Congressional Research Service [CRS], 1993), successive citations as (CRS, 1993)

Congressional Research Service (1993)

Bill summary from Congress.gov

Congressional Research Service. (1993, September 10). Summary: S.11 - Violence Against Women Act of 1993. https://www.congress.gov/bill/103rd-congress/senate-bill/11

Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, P.L. 103-322, 108 Stat. 1796. (1994).

Violence Against Women Act of 1994, P.L. 103-322, 108 Stat. 1902.

Violence Against Women Act, 42 U.S.C. § 13701 (1994).

(Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act [VCCLEA], 1994), successive citations as (VCCLEA, 1994)

Unenacted Bill

Violence Against Women Act, H.R. 1502, 102nd Cong. (1991).

H.R. 1502, 102nd Cong. (1991).

(Violence Against Women Act [VAWA], 1991), successive citations as (VAWA, 1991)

(H.R 1502, 1991)

Enacted Bill

Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, H.R. 3355, 103rd Cong. (1994) (enacted).

(Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, 1994)

Entire Hearing

Violence against women: Victims of the system: Hearings before the Committee on the Judiciary, Senate , 102nd Cong. 1 (1991).

( Violence Against Women , 1991)

Testimony during the Hearing:

Violence against women: Victims of the system: Hearings before the Committee on the Judiciary, Senate , 102nd Cong. 131 (1991) (testimony of Amy Kaylor).

( Violence Against Women , 1991, p. 131)

State Hearing

An Act Relative to Work and Family Mobility H.3012 & S.2061: A Public Hearing before the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Transportation , 191st Gen. Crt. (Mass. 2019, September 4). https://malegislature.gov/Events/Hearings/Detail/3261

( An Act Relative to Work , 2019)

Senate Report

S. Rep. No. 103-138 (1993).

Senate Report No. 103-138 (1993)

(S. Rep. No. 103-138, 1993)

House Report

H. Rep. No. 103-395 (1993).

House Report No. 103-395 (1993)

(H. Rep. No. 103-395, 1993)

Congressional Record Daily

140 Cong. Rec. E1,449 (daily ed. July 13, 1994) (statement of Rep. Schroeder).

(140 Cong. Rec. E1,449, 1994)

In her statements to Congress, Rep. Schroeder stated that, "VAWA would send an unequivocal message that police, prosecutors, and judges, the public can no longer cast aside domestic violence and stalking as personal problems" (140 Cong. Rec. E1449, 1994).

Permanent Bound Edition of Congressional Record

140 Cong. Rec. 16,496 (1994) (statement of Rep. Schroeder).

(140 Cong. Rec. 16,496, 1994)

State Journals or Records

H. 166-1, 2nd Sess., at 89 (Nh. 2020). http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/caljourns/journals/2020/HJ_1.pdf

(H. 166-1, 2020)

Code of Federal Regulations

8 C.F.R. § 101.1 (2018). https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/CFR-2018-title8-vol1/CFR-2018-title8-vol1-sec101-1

Presumption of Lawful Admission, 8 C.F.R. § 101.1 (2018). https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/CFR-2018-title8-vol1/CFR-2018-title8-vol1-sec101-1

8 C.F.R. § 101.1 (2018).

Presumption of Lawful Admission, 8 C.F.R. § 101.1 (2018).

Federal Register

Presumption of Lawful Admission, 68 Fed. Reg. 9832 (Feb. 28, 2003) (to be codified at 8 C.F.R. pt. 101). https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2003/02/28/03-4935/aliens-and-nationality-homeland-security-reorganization-of-regulations

Presumption of Lawful Admission, 68 Fed. Reg. 9832 (2003)

State Codes

603 C.M.R. § 28.00 (2018). http://www.doe.mass.edu/lawsregs/603cmr28.html

Special Education, 603 C.M.R. § 28.00 (2018). http://www.doe.mass.edu/lawsregs/603cmr28.html

Massachusetts

603 C.M.R. § 28.00 (2018)

Special Education, 603 C.M.R. § 28.00 (2018)

Greenbook (Print/PDF)

Committee on Ways and Means, U.S. House of Representatives. (2004). 2004 green book: Background material and data on the programs within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Ways and Means (18th ed.). U.S. Government Printing Office.

Committee on Ways and Means (2004) reported that enrollment in the AFDC soared in 1994, covering more than a fifth of children in the country (p. 7-2).

(Committee on Ways and Means, 2004, p. 7-2)

Greenbook (Web Version)

Committee on Ways and Means, U.S. House of Representatives. (2014). 2014 green book: Background material and data on the programs within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Ways and Means (22nd ed.). http://greenbook.waysandmeans.house.gov/2014-green-book

According to the Committee on Ways and Means (2014) 50% of the Employee Benefits program is covered federally and the other half is covered by the state (chapter 4, Introduction section, para. 3).

(Committee on Ways and Means, 2014, chapter 4, Introduction section, para. 3)

Landmark education bill signed. (2002). CQ almanac 2001 (57th ed.). Congressional Quarterly.

"Landmark Education Bill" (2002)

("Landmark Education Bill," 2002, Highlights section)

Unnumbered Federal/ Committee Documents

Senate Committee on the Judiciary, 104th Cong., Rep. on Violence Against Women Act in action (Comm. Print 1995).

(Senate Committee on the Judiciary, 1995)

Senate Committee on the Judiciary (1995)

Unenacted State Bill

H. 199, 189 th Gen. Ct., Sess. (Mass. 2015). https://malegislature.gov/Bills/189/House/H199

(H. 199, 2015) or H. 199 (2015)

Enacted State Bill

H. 199, 189 th Gen. Ct., Sess. (Mass. 2015) (enacted). https://malegislature.gov/Bills/189/House/H199

State General Law

Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 106, § 1-101 (2017). https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXV/Chapter106/Article1/Section1-101

Subscription Database

Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 106, § 1-101 (LexisNexis 2013)

(Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 106, § 1-101, 2013)

Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 106, § 1-101 (2013)

Association of Social Work Boards. (2012). Return of organization exempt from income tax [Form 990] . http://990s.foundationcenter.org/990_pdf_archive/222/222414510/222414510_201212_990.pdf

(Association of Social Work Boards, 2012)

Executive Order from Whitehouse.gov

Trump, D. (2017, February 9). Presidential executive order on enforcing federal law with respect to transnational criminal organizations and preventing international trafficking. White House Press Office. https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/02/09/presidential-executive-order-enforcing-federal-law-respect-transnational

Trump (2017)

(Trump, 2017, section 2(a))

Executive Orders in the Federal Register

Exec. Order. No. 13,515, 74 F.R. 53635 (2009). https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2009/10/19/E9-25268/increasing- participation-of-asian-americans-and-pacific-islanders-in-federal-programs

Exec. Order No. 13,515 (2009)

(Exec. Order No. 13,515, 2009, p. 53,637)

Memorandum From Other Departments or Agencies

Napolitano, J. (2012, June 15). Exercising prosecutorial discretion with respect to individuals who came to the United States as children [Memorandum]. United States Department of Homeland Security Digital Library. https://www.hsdl.org/?abstract&did=712428

Napolitano (2012)

(Napolitano, 2012, para. 5)

Letter From One Department to Another

Letter from Jessica Shahin, Assoc. Admin., Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, to Elizabeth Berlin, Exec. Deputy Comm., New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (Aug. 18, 2011). https://www.foodpolitics.com/wp-content/uploads/SNAP-Waiver-Request-Decision.pdf

"Letter from Jessica Shahin" (2011)

("Letter from Jessica Shahin," 2011, para. 5)

Presidential Papers from the Public Papers of the Presidents

Remarks on a Parental Leave Initiative and an Exchange With Reporters, 2 Pub. Papers 2163 (Nov. 30, 1999). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PPP-1999-book2/pdf/PPP-1999-book2-doc-pg2163.pdf

"Remarks on a Parental Leave" (1999)

("Remarks on a Parental Leave," 1999, p. 2165)

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents

Presidential Statement on Signing S. 643 Into Law, 16 Weekly Comp. Pres. Doc. 503 (Mar. 18, 1980). Hein Online.

"Presidential Statement" (1980)

("Presidential Statement",1980)

Congressional Research Services Reports

Sacco, L. (2014, March 6). Violence Against Women Act: Overview, legislation, and federal funding (CRS Report No. R42499). Hein Online.

Without author:

Congressional Research Services. (2015, May 26). Violence Against Women Act: Overview, legislation, and federal funding (CRS Report No. R42499). https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R42499

With author:

(Sacco, 2014)

Sacco (2014) stated that ... (p. 18)

(Congressional Research Services, 2014)

Congressional Research Services (2014) stated that... (p. 18)

Directive 2013/32 of the European Parliament and the Council of 26 June 2013 on Common Procedures for Granting and Withdrawing International Protection (recast), 2013 O.J. (L 108) 60.  http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=OJ:L:2013:180:TOC

(Directive 2013/32, 2013)

Proposal of the European Parliament and of the Council Establishing a Common Procedure for International Protection in the Unionand Repealing Directive 2013/32/EU , COM (2016) 467 final (July 13, 2016). http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52016PC0467  

(Proposal of the European Parliament, 2016)  

Govtrack.us Comparing Bill Versions

Reference both bills that are being compared and indicate their stage in parenthesis with the date.

Improving Access to Maternity Care Act, H.R. 315, 115th Cong. (as passed by House, January 9, 2017). Civic Impulse. https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/hr315/text/eh#compare=350473:is

Improving Access to Maternity Care Act, S. 783, 115th Cong. (as introduced by Senate, March 30, 2017). Civic Impulse. https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/hr315/text/eh#compare=350473:is

(Improving Access to Maternity Care Act, H.R. 315, 2017)

(Improving Access to Maternity Care Act, S. 783, 2017)

Govtrack.us as a Website Tool

Govtrack.us [Web tool]. (n.d.). https://www.govtrack.us/

Govtrack.us (n.d.)

State Court Rule

Mass. Sup. Ct. R. 3:30. (2012). https://www.mass.gov/supreme-judicial-court-rules/supreme-judicial-court-rule-303-legal-assistance-to-the-commonwealth

Mass. Sup. Ct. R. 3:30. (2012)

United Nations Convention or Treaty

United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Optional Protocol, December, 13, 2006, http://www.un.org/disabilities/documents/convention/convoptprot-e.pdf

United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Optional Protocol (2006)

Common Symbols and Abbreviations

§ = section, refers to a particular part of a document, usually in legal materials

• To create the § use the Character Map on a PC or go to Edit then Emoji and Symbols and search for "section" on Mac.

ch. = Chapter

Cong. = Congress, usually refers to a specific session of congress, i.e. 101st Cong.

CRS = Congressional Research Service, an arm of the Library Congress that conducts research on policy for the US Congress

Gen. Ct. = General Court, usually refers to a state level congressional session

H.R. or H. = House of Representatives

P.L. = Public Law

Rep. or Rep. No. = Report or report number

S. or Sen. = Senate

Sess. = Session

Stat. = Statute, usually refers to session laws, a chronological compilation of laws organized by volume and page number

U.S.C. = United States Code

Citation Resources

The APA Publication Manual gives guidelines for referencing some legal resources on page 216, Appendix 7.1. For anything not represented in the Manual, APA recommends using The Bluebook.

We include as many citation examples as possible in this guide. If you don't find what you are looking for in this guide, ask a librarian for assistance.

Quick Links to Example Legal Citations in APA:

• Basic Legal Citation - Cornell University
• Citing Government Documents in APA - Cornell University
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APA Citation Guide (APA 7th Edition): Government Documents

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Government Documents

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APA Citation Style 7th Edition: Government Documents

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On This Page: Government Documents

Government document from a website, government document in print.

Note : All citations should be double spaced and have a hanging indent in a Reference List.

A "hanging indent" means that each subsequent line after the first line of your citation should be indented by 0.5 inches.

Government Documents often have a group/corporate author listed instead of a specific person's name. The author may be the name of a department, commitee or agency.

When the government department, agency or committee that created the document is also the publisher, omit the publisher name.

Capitalize the first letter of the first word of the title. If there is a colon (:) in the title, also capitalize the first letter of the first word after the colon.

Capitalize the first letter of proper names in titles, such as names of places or people. Example: Canada

Name of Government Department, Agency or Committee. (Year of Publication, Month Day). Title of document: Subtitle if given (edition if given and is not first edition). Publisher Name. URL

Name of Government Department, Agency or Committee. (Year of Publication). Title of document: Subtitle if given (edition if given and is not first edition). Publisher Name.

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APA Citation Guide (7th Edition): Government Documents

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Report by a Government Agency or Other Organization

Organization name. (Year).  Title of report (Report No. xxx [if applicable]). Publisher .  URL

World Health Organization. (2014). WHO guidance to protect health from climate change through health adaptation planning . https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/who-guidance-to-protect-health-from-climate-change-through-health-adaptation-planning

Note : When the publisher is the same as the author, which is often the case for group authors, omit the publisher.

Report by Individual Authors at a Government Agency or Other Organization

Author, A. A. (Year).  Title of report  (Report No. xxx [if applicable]). Organization Name. URL

Copeland, M. E. (2005).  Recovering your mental health: A self-help guide . U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://permanent.fdlp.gov/lps80208/SMA-3504.pdf 

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APA Citation Guide (7th edition) : Government Documents

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• No Author, No Date etc.
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On This Page

Government document from a website, government document in print.

Note : All citations should be double spaced and have a hanging indent in a Reference List.

A "hanging indent" means that each subsequent line after the first line of your citation should be indented by 0.5 inches.

Government Documents often have a group/corporate author listed instead of a specific person's name. The author may be the name of a department, commitee or agency.

When the government department, agency or committee that created the document is also the publisher, omit the publisher name.

Capitalize the first letter of the first word of the title. If there is a colon (:) in the title, also capitalize the first letter of the first word after the colon.

Capitalize the first letter of proper names in titles, such as names of places or people. Example: Canada

Name of Government Department, Agency or Committee. (Year of Publication, Month Day). Title of document: Subtitle if given (edition if given and is not first edition). Publisher Name. URL

Name of Government Department, Agency or Committee. (Year of Publication). Title of document: Subtitle if given (edition if given and is not first edition). Publisher Name.

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APA Citation Style, 7th edition: Government Publication

• General Style Guidelines
• One Author or Editor
• Two Authors or Editors
• Three to Five Authors or Editors
• Article or Chapter in an Edited Book
• Article in a Reference Book
• Edition other than the First
• Translation

Government Publication

• Journal Article with 1 Author
• Journal Article with 2 Authors
• Journal Article with 3–20 Authors
• Journal Article 21 or more Authors
• Magazine Article
• Newspaper Article
• Basic Web Page
• Web page from a University site
• Web Page with No Author
• Entry in a Reference Work
• Government Document
• Film and Television
• Youtube Video
• Audio Podcast
• Electronic Image
• Twitter/Instagram
• Lecture/PPT
• Conferences
• Secondary Sources
• Citation Support
• Avoiding Plagiarism
• Formatting Your Paper

About Citing Books

For each type of source in this guide, both the general form and an example will be provided.

The following format will be used:

In-Text Citation (Paraphrase) - entry that appears in the body of your paper when you express the ideas of a researcher or author using your own words.  For more tips on paraphrasing check out The OWL at Purdue .

In-Text Citation (Quotation) - entry that appears in the body of your paper after a direct quote.

References - entry that appears at the end of your paper.

Information on citing and several of the examples were drawn from the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.).

APA Citation Style does not have a separate category for government publications. According to APA, government documents can be considered Books, Technical/Research Reports or Brochures.

Helpful Tips:

• Treat a government document as a book, report, or brochure.
• If a person is named on the title page, use her or him as author.
• If no person is named, use the government agency, department, or branch as a group author.
• Give the name of the group author exactly as it appears on the title page. If the branch or agency is not well known, include its higher department first.
• If the group author is also the publisher, just use the word Author after the location.
• If there is a series or report number, include it after the title.
• The manual refers to the GPO (U.S. Gov. Printing Office). Canadian equivalents may be: Queen’s Printer, Ministry of Supply and Services, Canadian Government Publishing, etc.

General Format

In-Text Citation (Paraphrase):

(Author Surname OR Name of Government Organization, Year)

In-Text Citation (Quotation):

(Author Surname OR Name of Government Organization, Year, page number)

References:

Author Surname, First Initial. Second Initial. OR Government Name. Name of Government Agency. (Year). Title: Subtitle (Report No. xxx [if available]). Publisher.

(Gilmore et al., 1999)

(Gilmore et al., 1999, p. 5)

Gilmore, J., Woollam, P., Campbell, T., McLean, B., Roch, J., & Stephens, T. (1999). Statistical report on the health of Canadians: Prepared by the Federal, Provincial and Territorial Advisory Committee on Population Health . Health Canada, Statistics Canada, Canadian Institute for Health Information.

(Edwards, et al., 1997)

(Edwards, et al., 1997, p. 2)

Edwards, N., Sims-Jones, N., Hotz, S., & Cushman, R. (1997). Development and testing components of a multifaceted intervention program to reduce the incidence of smoking relapse during pregnancy and post-partum of both women and their partners . Report prepared for Health Canada at the Community Health Research Unit, University of Ottawa, Canada.

(Ontario Ministry of Health, 1994)

(Ontario Ministry of Health, 1994, p. 7)

Ontario Ministry of Health. (1994). Selected findings from the mental health supplement of the Ontario Health Survey . Queen's Printer for Ontario.

(U. S. Food and Drug Administration, 2004)

(U. S. Food and Drug Administration, 2004, p. 8)

U. S. Food and Drug Administration/Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. (2004). Worsening depression and suicidality in patients being treated with antidepressant medications: FDA public health advisory . Author.

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How to Cite U.S. Government Documents in APA Citation Style: APA citation style, 7th edition

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Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Reference List: Electronic Sources

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

Note:  This page reflects the latest version of the APA Publication Manual (i.e., APA 7), which released in October 2019. The equivalent resource for the older APA 6 style  can be found here .

Important Note: Some electronic citations necessitate the use of brackets. APA style dictates that brackets should directly surround their content without spaces (e.g., [bracketed content] should look like this). When possible, include the year, month, and date in references. If the month and date are not available, use the year of publication. Additionally, APA 7 th  edition no longer requires the use of “Retrieved from” before URLs or DOIs; special exceptions, however, are made for resources that are unarchived. Including the retrieval date for these sources indicates to readers that the version of the work they retrieve may be different than what was originally used. 

Please note: the following contains a list of the most commonly cited electronic sources. For a complete list of how to cite electronic sources, please refer to the 7 th edition of the APA Publication Manual.

Webpage or Piece of Online Content

If the page names an individual author, cite their name first:

Lastname, F. M. (Year, Month Date). Title of page . Site name. URL

Price, D. (2018, March 23). Laziness does not exist . Medium. https://humanparts.medium.com/laziness-does-not-exist-3af27e312d01

If the resource was written by a group or organization, use the name of the group/organization as the author. Additionally, if the author and site name are the same, omit the site name from the citation.

Group name. (Year, Month Date). Title of page . Site name. URL

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. (2019, November 21). Justice served: Case closed for over 40 dogfighting victims . https://www.aspca.org/news/justice-served-case-closed-over-40-dogfighting-victims

If the page's author is not listed, start with the title instead. Additionally, include a retrieval date when the page's content is likely to change over time (like, for instance, if you're citing a wiki that is publicly edited).

Title of page . (Year, Month Date). Site name. Retrieved Month Date, Year, from URL

Tuscan white bean pasta.  (2018, February 25). Budgetbytes. Retrieved March 18, 2020, from  https://www.budgetbytes.com/tuscan-white-bean-pasta/

If the date of publication is not listed, use the abbreviation (n.d.). 

Author or Group name. (n.d.).  Title of page . Site name (if applicable). URL

National Alliance on Mental Illness. (n.d.). Mental health conditions . https://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-Health-Conditions

Wikipedia Article

APA 7 treats Wikipedia articles as special instances of entries in reference works. Thus, there are a few differences between reference entries for pages on Wikipedia and those for generic webpages.

Title of article. (Year, Month Date). In  Wikipedia.  URL of archived version of page

Quantum mechanics. (2019, November 19). In Wikipedia . https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Quantum_mechanics&oldid=948476810

Wikipedia articles often update frequently. For this reason, the date refers to the date that the cited version of the page was published. Note also that the manual recommends linking to the archived version of the page, rather than the current version of the page on the site, since the latter can change over time. Access the archived version by clicking "View History," then clicking the date/timestamp of the version you'd like to cite.

Online Scholarly Journal Article: Citing DOIs

Please note: Because online materials can potentially change URLs, APA recommends providing a Digital Object Identifier (DOI), when it is available, as opposed to the URL. DOIs are an attempt to provide stable, long-lasting links for online articles. They are unique to their documents and consist of a long alphanumeric code. Many—but not all—publishers will provide an article's DOI on the first page of the document.

Note also that some online bibliographies provide an article's DOI but may "hide" the code under a button which may read "Article" or may be an abbreviation of a vendor's name like "CrossRef" or "PubMed." This button will usually lead the user to the full article which will include the DOI. Find DOIs from print publications or ones that go to dead links with doi.org's "Resolve a DOI" function, available on the site's home page .

APA 7 also advises writers to include a DOI (if available), even when using the print source.

Article from an Online Periodical with DOI Assigned

Lastname, F. M., & Lastname, F. M. (Year). Title of article. Title of Periodical, Vol.( Issue), page numbers. DOI

Drollinger, T., Comer, L. B., & Warrington, P. T. (2006). Development and validation of the active empathetic listening scale. Psychology & Marketing, 23 (2), 161-180. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.20105

Article from an Online Periodical with no DOI Assigned

If an online scholarly journal article has no DOI and is published on a website, include the URL. If an online scholarly article has no DOI and is published on a database, do not include a URL or any database information. The only exception is for databases that publish articles that are in limited circulation (like ERIC) or that are only available on that particular database (like UpToDate). Note that retrieval dates are required for unarchived sources that are likely, or intended, to change over time. 

Perreault, L. (2019). Obesity in adults: Role of physical activity and exercise. UpToDate . Retrieved January 12, 2020, from https://www.uptodate.com/contents/obesity-in-adults-role-of-physical-activity-and-exercise

APA 7 th edition does not provide guidance on how to cite abstracts. However, if you only use information from the abstract but the full text of the article is also available, we advise you to add "[Abstract]" after the article or source name. If the full text is not available, you may use an abstract that is available through an abstracts database as a secondary source.

Online News Article

Note:  The format for this type of source depends on whether your source comes from a site with an associated newspaper.

If the source  does  come from a site with an associated newspaper, leave the title of the article unformatted, but italicize the title of the newspaper.

Lastname, F. M. (Year, Month Date). Title of article. Title of Publication . URL

Richards, C. (2019, December 9). Best music of 2019: Lana Del Rey sings lullabies about the end of America. Washington Post . https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/best-music-of-2019-lana-del-rey-sings-lullabies-about-the-end-of-america/2019/12/06/6e82c5ec-15d8-11ea-a659-7d69641c6ff7_story.html

On the other hand, if the source  doesn't  come from a site with an associated newspaper, italicize the title of the article, but leave the name of the site unformatted.

Lastname, F. M. (Year, Month Date). Title of article . Name of publishing website. URL

Jones, J. (2020, May 10). Why flats dominate Spain's housing market . BBC. https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200506-why-do-flats-dominate-spains-housing-market

Electronic or Kindle Books

It is not necessary to note that you have used an eBook or audiobook when the content is the same as a physical book. However, you should distinguish between the eBook or audiobook and the print version if the content is different or abridged, or if you would like to cite the narrator of an audiobook.

Lastname, F. M. (Year).  Title of book . Publisher. URL

Lastname, F. M. (Year).  Title of book [eBook edition]. Publisher. URL

Lastname, F. M. (Year). Title of book (N. Narrator, Narr.) [Audiobook]. Publisher. URL (if applicable)

Dissertation/Thesis from a Database

Lastname, F. M. (Year). Title of dissertation or thesis (Publication No.) [Doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis, Name of Institution Awarding Degree]. Database Name.

Duis, J. M. (2008). Acid/base chemistry and related organic chemistry conceptions of undergraduate organic chemistry students  (Publication No. 3348786) [Doctoral dissertation, University of Northern Colorado]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.

Entry in an Online Dictionary, Thesaurus, or Encyclopedia with a Group Author

Note:  An online dictionary, thesaurus, or encyclopedia may be continuously updated and therefore not include a publication date (like in the example below). If that’s the case, use “n.d.” for the date and include the retrieval date in the citation.

Institution or organization name. (Year). Title of entry. In Title of reference work . URL

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Braggadocio. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary . Retrieved January 13, 2020, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/braggadocio

Entry in an Online Dictionary, Thesaurus, or Encyclopedia with an Individual Author

Lastname, F. M. (Year). Title of entry. In F. M. Lastname (Ed.), Title of reference work (edition). Publisher. URL or DOI

Martin, M. (2018). Animals. In L. A. Schintler & C. L. McNeely (Eds.), Encyclopedia of big data . SpringerLink. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32001-4_7-1

Note: If the dictionary, thesaurus, or encyclopedia does not include an edition, simply skip that step.

Lastname, F. M. or Name of Group (Year). Title of dataset (Version No.) [Data set]. Publisher. DOI or URL

Grantmakers in the Arts. (2019). Arts funding trends, United States, 1994-present (ICPSR 37337) [Data set]. National Archive of Data on Arts & Culture. https://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/NADAC/studies/37337

Graphic Data (e.g. Interactive Maps, Infographics, and Other Graphic Representations of Data)

Give the name of the organization or individual followed by the date and the title. If there is no title, in brackets, you should provide a brief explanation of what type of data is there and in what form it appears. Include the URL and the retrieval date if there is no publication date.

HatchMed. (2017). 8 ways to improve patient satisfaction [Infographic]. HatchMed.com. https://www.hatchmed.com/blog/2017/1/30/8-ways-to-improve-patient-satisfaction

Google. (n.d.). [Google Map of Purdue University]. Retrieved January 12, 2020, from https://www.google.com/maps/@40.4237095,-86.9233886,17z

Qualitative Data and Online Interviews

If an interview is not retrievable in audio or print form, cite the interview only in the text (not in the reference list) and provide the month, day, and year in the text. If the interview transcript is published in an online periodical, like a magazine, cite the interview the same way you would cite the medium where it is published, as shown below:

Schulman, M. (2019, December 8). Peter Dinklage is still punk rock. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-interview/peter-dinklage-is-still-punk-rock

If it is an audio file or transcript published in a database, credit the interviewee as the author and use the following model:

Paynter, W. (1970, September 17). Interview with Will Paynter [Interview]. Studs Terkel Radio Archive; The Chicago History Museum. https://studsterkel.wfmt.com/programs/interview-will-paynter

Online Lecture Notes and Presentation Slides

When citing online lecture notes, be sure to provide the file format in brackets after the lecture title (e.g. PowerPoint slides, Word document).

Lastname, F. M. (Year, Month Date). Title of presentation [Lecture notes, PowerPoint slides, etc]. Publisher. URL

Smith, C. (2017, October 13). AI and machine learning demystified [PowerPoint slides]. SlideShare. https://www.slideshare.net/carologic/ai-and-machine-learning-demystified-by-carol-smith-at-midwest-ux-2017

Computer Software/Downloaded Software

Do not cite standard office software (e.g. Word, Excel) or programming languages. Provide references only for specialized software.

Lastname, F. M. or Name of Group. (Year). Title of software (Version No.). Publisher. URL

Maplesoft. (2019). Maple companion (Version 2.1.0). Cybernet Systems Co. https://www.maplesoft.com/products/MapleCompanion/

E-mails are not included in the list of references, though you should parenthetically cite them in your main text:

(E. Robbins, personal communication, January 4, 2001).

Online Forum or Discussion Posting

Lastname, F. M. or Name of Group [username]. (Year, Month Date). Title of post [Online forum post]. Publisher. URL

Stine, R. L. [RL__Stine]. (2013, October 23). I’m R.L. Stine and it’s my job to terrify kids. Ask me anything! [Online forum post]. Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1p32dl/

Lastname, F. M. or Name of Group [@username]. (Year, Month Date). Content of the post up to the first 20 words [Tweet]. Site Name. URL

Note : If the tweet includes images, videos, or links to other sources, indicate that information in brackets after the content description. Also attempt to replicate emojis if possible.

National Geographic [@NatGeo]. (2020, January 12). Scientists knew African grays are clever, but now they’ve been documented assisting other members of their species—even strangers [Tweet; thumbnail link to article]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/NatGeo/status/1216346352063537154

Twitter Profile

Lastname, F. M. or Name of Group [@username]. (n.d.). Tweets [Twitter profile]. Retrieved Month Date, Year, from URL

MLA Style [@mlastyle]. (n.d.). Tweets [Twitter profile]. Retrieved January 12, 2020, from https://twitter.com/mlastyle

Facebook Post

Lastname, F. M. or Name of Group. (Year, Month Date). Content of the post up to the first 20 words [Type of post]. Site Name. URL

Note: If the Facebook post includes images, videos, or links to other sources, indicate that information in brackets after the content description. Also attempt to replicate emojis if possible.

U.S. Department of the Interior. (2020, January 10). Like frosting on a cake, snow coats and clings to the hoodoos at Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah [Image attached] [Status update]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/USInterior/photos/a.155163054537384/2586475451406120/?type=3&theater

Facebook Page

Lastname, F. M. or Name of Group. (n.d.). Home [Facebook page]. Site name. Retrieved Month Date, Year, from URL

Little River Canyon National Preserve (n.d.). Home [Facebook page]. Facebook. Retrieved January 12, 2020 from https://www.facebook.com/lirinps/

Instagram Photo or Video

Lastname, F. M. or Name of Group [@username]. (Year, Month Date). Content of the post up to the first 20 words [Type of post]. Site Name. URL

BBC [@bbc]. (2020, January 12). Skywatchers have been treated to the first full moon of 2020-known as a “wolf moon”-at the same time as a [Photograph]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/B7OkWqbBwcf/

Blog Post  

Lastname, F. M. (Year, Month Date). Title of post. Publisher . URL

Axelrod, A. (2019, August 11). A century later: The Treaty of Versailles and its rejection of racial equality. Code Switch, NPR . https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2019/08/11/742293305/a-century-later-the-treaty-of-versailles-and-its-rejection-of-racial-equality

YouTube or other Streaming Video

Last Name, F. M. [Username]. (Year, Month Date). Title of video [Video]. Streaming Service. URL

Lushi, K. [Korab Lushi]. (2016, July 3). Albatross culture 1 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AMrJRQDPjk&t=148s

Note : The person or group who uploaded the video is considered the author. If the author’s name is the same as the username, you can omit the [Username].

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Date). Title of talk [Video]. TED. URL

Al-Mutawa, N. (2010, July). Superheroes inspired by Islam [Video]. TED. https://www.ted.com/talks/naif_al_mutawa_superheroes_inspired_by_islam#t-4909

Or (if on YouTube)

Username. (Year, Month Date). Title of talk [Video]. YouTube. URL

Tedx Talks. (2011, Nov. 15). TEDxHampshireCollege - Jay Smooth - How I learned to stop worrying and love discussing race [Video]. YouTube.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbdxeFcQtaU

Podcast Episode

Host, A. A. (Host). (Year, Month Date). Title of episode (No. if provided) [Audio podcast episode]. In Name of podcast . Publisher. URL

Prime, K. (Host). (2019, March 29). For whom the cowbell tolls [Audio podcast episode]. In Radiolab . WNYC Studios. https://www.wnycstudios.org/story/whom-cowbell-tolls

APA Citation Guide (7th edition) CGS

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Government Documents often have a group/corporate author listed instead of a specific person's name. The author may be the name of a department, commitee or agency.

When the government department, agency or committee that created the document is also the publisher, omit the publisher name.

Capitalize the first letter of the first word of the title. If there is a colon (:) in the title, also capitalize the first letter of the first word after the colon.

Capitalize the first letter of proper names in titles, such as names of places or people. Example: Canada

If you are citing a page or article from a government website, see  Citation examples for websites with individual or group author .

Government Document From a Website

Name of Government Department, Agency, or Committee. (Year of Publication).  Title of document: Subtitle if given  (Report No. Number, if given). Publisher Name if different from author.  http://DocumentURL

Government Document In Print

Name of Government Department, Agency or Committee. (Year of Publication).  Title of document: Subtitle if given  (edition if given and is not first edition). Publisher Name.

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Citation guides

All you need to know about citations

How to cite a government website in APA

Generally, it is not necessary to cite a website in a reference entry in APA style. According to the APA guidelines , one can simply add the URL of the website as an in-text citation, e.g.:

The website USA gov (https://www.usa.gov/) claims to be an online guide to government information and services.

To cite a government website in a reference entry in APA style 6th edition include the following elements:

• Author(s) of government website: Give the last name and initials (e. g. Watson, J. D.) of up to seven authors with the last name preceded by an ampersand (&). For eight or more authors include the first six names followed by an ellipsis (…) and add the last author's name.
• Date of publication: Give the year, month and day in brackets followed by a full stop, e.g. (2019, June 13).
• Title of government website: Only the first letter of the first word and proper nouns are capitalized.
• Format: Describe any specific item found on the website, e.g. Brochure, Image, Video file, etc.
• URL: Give the full URL of the web page including the protocol (http:// or https://).

Here is the basic format for a reference list entry of a government website in APA style 6th edition:

Author(s) of government website . ( Date of publication ). Title of government website [ Format ]. Retrieved from URL

To cite a government website in a reference entry in APA style 7th edition include the following elements:

• Author(s) of government website: Give the last name and initials (e. g. Watson, J. D.) of up to 20 authors with the last name preceded by an ampersand (&). For 21 or more authors include the first 19 names followed by an ellipsis (…) and add the last author's name.
• Title of the webpage: Give the title of the specific webpage an italicize.
• Title of the website: Give the official title of the website.

Here is the basic format for a reference list entry of a government website in APA style 7th edition:

Author(s) of government website . ( Date of publication ). Title of the webpage . Title of the website . URL

APA reference list examples

Take a look at our reference list examples that demonstrate the APA style guidelines for a government website citation in action:

A brochure found on a website by a government agency

Office for Human Research Protections . ( n.d. ). Becoming a research volunteer: It's your decision [ Brochure ]. Retrieved from https://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/sites/default/files/ohrp/education/ brochures/3panelfinal.pdf

A website by a government agency

Office for Human Research Protections . ( n.d. ). Becoming a research volunteer: It's your decision . U.S. Department of Health & Human Services . https://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/sites/default/files/ohrp/education/ brochures/3panelfinal.pdf

A video found on a website by a government agency

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau . ( 2018, Oct 19 ). Managing someone else's money: Guidebooks for financial caregivers [ Video file ]. Retrieved from https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/managing-someone-elses-money/

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau . ( 2018, Oct 19 ). Managing someone else's money: Guidebooks for financial caregivers . https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/managing-someone-elses-money/

Note: When the author and website name are the same, omit the website name from the citation.

This citation style guide is based on the official Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association ( 6 th edition).

More useful guides

• APA Citation for Government Documents
• How to Cite a Government Site Without an Author in APA Format
• APA blog: How to Cite Something You Found on a Website in APA Style

More great BibGuru guides

• Harvard: how to cite an online magazine article
• Chicago: how to cite an honors thesis
• MLA: how to cite a website

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APA Format & Citation Style, 7th edition

• Government Document
• General Style Guidelines
• One Author or Editor
• Two Authors or Editors
• Three or More Authors or Editors
• Article or Chapter in an Edited Book
• Article in a Reference Book
• Edition other than the First
• Translation
• Government Publication
• Journal Article with One Author
• Journal Article with 2 Authors
• Journal Article with 3 or More Authors
• Magazine Article
• Newspaper Article
• Basic Web Page
• Web page from a University site
• Web Page with No Author
• Entry in a Reference Work
• Film and Television
• Youtube Video
• Audio Podcast
• Electronic Image
• Lecture/PPT
• Conferences
• Secondary Sources
• Formatting Your Paper
• APA Handouts & Guides This link opens in a new window

Online Government Document

For more tips on citing government sources, check out the Government Publication section under the Books tab.

General Format

In-Text Citation (Paraphrase):

(Government Author, Year)

In-Text Citation (Quotation):

(Government Author, Year, page or paragraph number [if available])

References:

Government Name. Name of Government Agency. (Year). Title of document: Subtitle (Report No. xxx [if available]). URL of specific document

(Environment Canada, 2004)

Environment Canada. Canadian Wildlife Service. (2004). The 1995 peregrine falcon survey in Canada. U. Banasch & G. Holroyd (Eds). (Occasional Paper no. 110). http://www.cws-scf.ec.gc.ca/publications/AbstractTemplate.cfm?lang=e&id=1067

TIP: To abbreviate or not abbreviate?

QUESTION: If I am citing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the in-text citation, do I need to use the full name or can I just use CDC?

ANSWER: If the corporate author names (corporations, organizations, and government agencies) are readily identified by an abbreviation, you should include the full name in the first citation along with the abbreviation in brackets and then use the abbreviation in all other subsequent in-text citations.

Example: First in-text citation

• (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2014)

Example: Subsequent in-text citations

• (CDC, 2014)
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APA 7th Referencing Guide

• Organizational reports, government reports & documents

Abbreviating groups as authors

• Group authors can be an organisation, professional association, company, government department
• Include the full name of the group the first time it is used. The abbreviation is included in square brackets.
• If the abbreviation is well known, it can be included for subsequent uses.

In-text Example:

United nations international children's emergency fund ([unicef], 2018), (united nations international children's emergency fund [unicef], 2018).

• The full group name should be used in the reference list.

Report - group author

When a government agency, department, or branch is the (group) author, use the most specific agency as the author, if more than one layer of government agency is displayed.

Elements of the reference

Group author(s) - use & for multiple authors. (year). title of report - italicised   (report number - if available). publisher - include if different to author. url, in-text citation, (world health organization, 2014) or the world health organization (2014) presents ..., reference list, world health organization. (2014).  comprehensive implementation plan on maternal, infant and young child nutrition . https://www.who.int/nutrition/publications/cip_document/en/, endnote reference type, report - individual author.

• Check the title or cover page for the author; if a person is named on the title page, use them as the author. If applicable, include the name of the group as part of the source element.

Author(s) - last name, initial(s) - use & for multiple authors. (Year). Title of report - italicised   (Report number - if available). Publisher - include if different to author. URL

(curnock & marshall, 2019) or curnock and marshall (2019) show that ..., curnock, m., & marshall, n. (2019).  changes in the state of great barrier reef tourism from 2013 to 2017 . csiro.  https://doi.org/10.25919/5d029d3964301, report - print.

• The  author and publisher must be recorded as they appeared when the document was published.

Group author(s) or Individual author(s) - last name, initial(s) - use & for multiple authors. (Year). Title of report - italicised   (Report number - if available). Publisher - include if different to author.

In-text citations, (department of finance and administration, 2006) or the department of finance and administration (2006) indicates ..., (shannon et al., 2003) or according to shannon et al. (2003) ....

Government department as author and publisher

Department of Finance and Administration. (2006).  Delivering Australian Government services: Managing multiple channels : A guide for the strategic assessment and development of service delivery channels.

[Note this publication has 6 authors: treat as per a book with multiple authors.]

Shannon, C., Wakerman, J., Hill, P., Barnes, T., Griew, R., & Ritchie, A. (2003).  Achievements in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health: Summary report . Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal and Tropical Health.

Technical report - print or online, group author or individual author(s) - last name, initial(s) - use & for multiple authors. (year). title of report - italicised  (report number - if available). publisher - include if different to author. url - if available, (murray-darling basin authority, 2005) or according to the murray-darling basin authority (2005) ..., (queensland health, 2014) or queensland health (2014) mentions ....

Print example

Murray-Darling Basin Authority. (2005).  Lower Darling reach report  (MDBA No. 5).

Online example

Queensland Health. (2014).  Lyssavirus in bats prompts reminder not to touch the animal  (QH No. 235).  http://www.health.qld.gov.au/news/stories/140313-lyssavirus.asp

Industry or corporate report, group author or individual author(s) - last name, initial(s) - use & for multiple authors. (year).  title of report - italicised  (report number - if available) .  publisher - include if different to author .  url, (the coca-cola company, 2017) or the coca-cola company (2017) has found that ...., the coca-cola company. (2017).  2016 sustainability report.  http://www.coca-colacompany.com/content/dam/journey/us/en/private/fileassets/pdf/2017/2016-sustainability/2016-sustainability-report-the-coca-cola-company.pdf, report - coroner, the inquest found that ... (queensland courts, 2011), queensland courts. (2011). inquest into the death of ross philip schumacher (2006/16).  https://www.courts.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/110259/schumacher-findings.pdf, brochure/pamphlet.

Treat brochures, pamphlets, fact sheets etc. like report references. Indicate the type of publication in square brackets after the title, unless the publication type is included in the title. Do not add the Publisher if it is the same as the author.

Group author or Individual author(s) - last name, Initial(s). (Year). Title of brochure - italicised   [Type of publication, e.g. Brochure or Pamphlet]. Publisher - include if different to author. URL - if available

(my aged care services, 2019) or ... as indicated by my aged care services (2019)., (southern cross university, 2008) or southern cross university (2008) provides ..., my aged care services. (2019). your pathway to accessing a home care package [brochure]. australian government. https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/sites/default/files/2019-07/your-pathway-to-accessing-a-home-care-package.pdf, southern cross university. (2008). copyright and you: a guide for staff [brochure]..

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Southern Cross University acknowledges and pays respect to the ancestors, Elders and descendants of the Lands upon which we meet and study. We are mindful that within and without the buildings, these Lands always were and always will be Aboriginal Land.

APA (7th ed.) referencing guide (Online): Government reports

• Paraphrasing
• Direct quotes
• Secondary Referencing
• More than one work cited
• Author with two or more works cited in the same year
• Personal Communication
• In-text citations

Reference list

• Referencing Tools
• Books with one author
• Books with two authors
• Books with three or more authors
• Edited book
• Chapter in an edited book
• Anthologies and Collected Works
• Critical Editions
• Multivolume work
• Religious and classical Works
• Thesis / Dissertation
• Translation
• Work within an Anthology
• Conference Paper
• Journal article with one author
• Journal article with two authors
• Journal articles with three or more authors
• Journal article with no identified author/anonymous author
• Newspaper articles
• Magazine articles
• Book review in a journal or newspaper
• Act of Parliament
• Law report (case law)
• Business Reports
• Statistics & Datasets
• Government reports
• YouTube/online videos
• Episode of a TV Show
• Radio Broadcast

In text citations

1st citation: Department of Health (DoH, 1998) state that...... OR ...(Department of Health (DoH), 1998).

Subsequent citations:

DoH (1998) acknowledge that.... OR ...(DoH, 1998). 

Note: A good tip if you are going to use the same citation a few times in your assignment is to use acronyms.  You must explain the acronym in full the first time you use it, followed by the acronym so it is clear to your lecturer what the abbreviation stands for.

In print: Group Author (Year). Title (Report number). Source.

Online: Group Author. (Year). Title (Report number). Source. URL

For example:

Department for Education. (2017). Unlocking talent, fulfilling potential: A plan for improving social mobility through education (Cm 9541). https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/667690/Social_Mobility_Action _Plan_-_for_printing.pdf

Department of Health. (1998). Our healthier nation: A contract for health (Cm 3852). The Stationery Office .

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• Subject guides
• Citing and referencing

Government and other reports

Citing and referencing: government and other reports.

• In-text citations
• Reference list
• Books and book chapters
• Journals/Periodicals
• Newspapers/Magazines
• Legal sources
• Websites and social media
• Audio, music and visual media
• Conferences
• Dictionaries/Encyclopedias/Guides
• Theses/Dissertations
• University course materials
• Company and Industry reports
• Patents and Standards
• Tables and Figures
• Abbreviations used in referencing
• Medicine and Health sources
• Foreign language sources
• Music scores
• Journals and periodicals
• Government sources
• News sources
• Web and social media
• Games and apps
• Ancient and sacred sources
• Primary sources
• Audiovisual media and music scores
• Images and captions
• University lectures, theses and dissertations
• Interviews and personal communication
• Archival material
• In-Text Citations: Further Information
• Reference List: Standard Abbreviations
• Data Sheets (inc. Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS))
• Figures & Tables (inc. Images)
• Lecture Materials (inc. PowerPoint Presentations)
• Reports & Technical Reports
• Theses and Dissertations
• Reference list guidelines
• Journal articles
• Government and industry publications
• Websites, newspaper and social media
• Conference papers, theses and university material
• Video and audio
• Images, graphs, tables, data sets
• Personal communications
• In-text Citations
• Journals / Periodicals
• Encyclopedias and Dictionaries
• Interviews and lectures
• Music Scores / Recordings
• Film / Video Recording
• Television / Radio Broadcast
• Online Communication / Social Media
• Live Performances
• Government and Organisation Publications
• Medicine & health sources
• Government/organisational/technical reports
• Images, graphs, tables, figures & data sets
• Websites newspaper & magazine articles, socia media
• Conferences, theses & university materials
• Personal communication & confidential unpublished material
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APA Contents

• Introduction to APA style
• In-Text Citations
• Abbreviations
• Audio and Visual media
• Journals/periodicals
• Tables and figures
• Sample reference list
• The names of groups that serve as authors (corporate authors) are usually written out each time they appear in a text reference.
• When appropriate, the names of some corporate authors are spelled out in the first reference and abbreviated in all subsequent citations. The general rule for abbreviating in this manner is to supply enough information in the text citation for a reader to locate its source in the reference list without difficulty.

For example: First intext citation: (Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS], 2008) Each subsequent citation: (ABS, 2008)

• If the issuing organization assigned a number (e.g. report number, contract number, monograph number) to the report, give that number in parentheses immediately after the title. Do not italicise the report number.
• In most cases the author will be a corporate author.
• Where the report has one or more personal authors, see the example under Research report/Discussion paper , below.

Australian Bureau of Statistics - item on ABS website

Census Information

Government Reports

Research Report/Discussion Paper (personal authors)

Press Release

APA 7th referencing style

• About APA 7th
• Printing this guide
• In-text references
• Direct quotations
• Reference list
• Author information
• Additional referencing information
• Using headings
• Book chapter
• Brochure and pamphlets
• ChatGPT and other generative AI tools
• Conferences
• Dictionary or encyclopaedia
• Government legislation
• Journal article
• Lecture notes and slides
• Legal sources
• Newspaper or magazine article
• Other web sources
• Patents and standards
• Personal communication
• Press (media) release
• Secondary source (indirect citation)
• Social media
• Software and mobile apps
• Specialised health information
• Television program

Referencing webpages

Webpage within website - individual author, webpage within website - group author, webpage within website - no date.

• Works in non-English languages
• Works in non-English scripts, such as Arabic or Chinese

• If you use multiple pages from within the same website, reference each page individually.
• If referring to a website in general, do not include it in the in-text reference or in the reference list. Include website name within the text and add the web address in parentheses. For example - The survey was developed using Checkbox (http://www.checkbox.com) 
• Leave out the name of the website if the author and site name are the same.
• If a part of the date is not available eg. not specific date eg. March 16 or no month, just include the year.

The University of Queensland. (2020).

The University of Queensland. (2020, October).

The University of Queensland. (2020, October 15).

• If there is no date at all, include n.d.
• If there are references with the same author(s) and year , list them in alphabetically by title in the reference list. For he first of these references, add "a" after the year , b after the year for the second reference and so on. Use the relevant letter after the year in the in-text reference.

If there is no date or no month , these can be left out eg. Shapiro, R. E., & Cowan, R. (2017) or Shapiro, R. E., & Cowan, R. (2017, January).

If there is no date or no month , these can be left out eg. Mayo Clinic. (2017) or Mayo Clinic. (2017, March).

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• For educators

Citing a government website in APA style

Create a new citation.

• Film/Online Video
• Online Database
• Advertisement
• Digital File
• Digital Image
• Dissertation
• Government Publication
• Introduction
• Miscellaneous
• Musical Recording
• Press Release
• Scholarly Project

Published February 2, 2021. Updated August 20, 2021.

To cite a government website in APA style, it is helpful to know basic information including the government department name, the publication year, the title, and the URL.

The templates and examples below are based on the 7th edition of the  Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association  and the main  APA style website .

If you’re trying to cite a government website, the  Chegg Writing APA citation generator  could help.

Help protect your paper against accidental plagiarism with the Chegg Writing  plagiarism checker  and  citation generator .

In-text citation template and example:

Government Department Name (Publication Year)

Social Security Advisory Board (2020)

Parenthetical:

(Government Department Name, Publication Year)

(Social Security Advisory Board, 2020)

Read this  APA format  guide for more style basics.

Reference list entry template and example:

Government Department Name. (Year, Month Day Published).  Title in sentence case.  Government Agency or Publishing Entity Name. URL

Social Security Advisory Board. (2020, September 9).  In memory of Stanford G. Ross . U.S. Social Security Administration. https://www.ssab.gov/announcements/in-memory-of-stanford-g-ross/

For more information on citing sources in APA, also read these guides on  APA in-text citations  and  APA reference page examples .

APA Style: Learn More

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Chegg Writing  »  APA Citation Generator  » Citing a government website in APA style

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Cite a Government Publication

Don't let plagiarism errors spoil your paper

Consider your source's credibility. ask these questions:, contributor/author.

• Has the author written several articles on the topic, and do they have the credentials to be an expert in their field?
• Can you contact them? Do they have social media profiles?
• Have other credible individuals referenced this source or author?
• Book: What have reviews said about it?
• What do you know about the publisher/sponsor? Are they well-respected?
• Do they take responsibility for the content? Are they selective about what they publish?
• Take a look at their other content. Do these other articles generally appear credible?
• Does the author or the organization have a bias? Does bias make sense in relation to your argument?
• Is the purpose of the content to inform, entertain, or to spread an agenda? Is there commercial intent?
• Are there ads?
• When was the source published or updated? Is there a date shown?
• Does the publication date make sense in relation to the information presented to your argument?
• Does the source even have a date?
• Was it reproduced? If so, from where?
• If it was reproduced, was it done so with permission? Copyright/disclaimer included?
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