If you are browsing this page, the chances are high that you must cite a report for your academic task. This helpful guide will teach you how to cite a report in APA citation style and avoid formatting mistakes and plagiarism issues. Please note that we are dealing with the APA 7th edition with all the relevant rules outlined in the APA manual. Regardless of citing a governmental report or something published by an organization, the same set of conventions applies.
Let’s start with the basic rules and things you must know:
- Last Name of the Author(s), Initial(s).
- The title is placed in italics.
- The number goes in parentheses.
- Publishing organization or the government.
- URL (if it can be accessed online).
Here is the template format:
Last Name, First Name. (Year). Report title: Subtitle (Report No. number). Publisher name. URL.
Croft, J. (2019). Prevention of Natural Disasters: Dealing with the wildfires in Australia (Report No. MU-ND 734.1) Melbourne State University Department of Natural Disasters Prevention. https://www.unimelb.edu.au/cdmps
In-text APA report citation: (Croft, 2019, p. 11).
Where to find the report number?
The majority of reports that you can find online or in print will have a corresponding report number. It is listed in the database where you locate the piece itself. Look for the publication date and the authors, as the Publication Number is listed there. This is especially useful when you are citing a conference paper in APA format.
Report with multiple authors
When your record has multiple authors, the APA manual recommends using up to 20 authors that should be listed in your citation. Here is how to cite a report in APA in this case:
Bridges, N., Caldres, R., Downes, G., Erwing, L. King, P., Normann, A., Normann, S., Timmens, E. (2021). The safety of woodwork and the operational machines during the creation of musical instruments (Report No. AU-PA 22121.34). Amsterdam University Department of Applied Science. https://www.amsterdamuas.com/
If you have more than one author for your APA citation: (Bridges & Caldres, 2021).
If there are more than three authors, use the Latin "et al." phrase: (Bridges et al., 2021).
Now, if your report has either 21 or more authors, you have to use only the first 19 individuals. Then, place an ellipsis by continuing with the last listed author:
Banks, C., Calbridge, J., Hannes, N., Tramp, C.,... Zandberg, R. (2019)....
Report with an organization or government agency as the author
Citing a report APA for your assignment may not include single or multiple authors per se, as organizations often publish these. Thus, it's necessary to list the organization instead. Here is how it's done in practice:
Meta Inc. (2023). Metamarketing and the use of VR technologies for Metadata Analysis processing. Meta. https://developers.facebook.com/docs/marketing-api/reporting/
APA in-text citation:
(Meta Inc, 2023).
Sometimes, you may locate the situation when the name of the report's author and publisher are identical. You will have to skip the second mention in your citation. See below:
Walmart Company. (2022). 2022 investor relations annual report. https://stock.walmart.com/financials/annual-reports/default.aspx
Here is how to cite for your in-text quotation: (Walmart Company, 2022).
When you have to provide a report citation from a government agency, learning how to cite a report APA 7th edition goes like this:
U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation (2023). Future of Data in K-12 Education: A Comprehensive Analysis. (USCCF-2023.03-28). https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/sites/default/files/Report.pdf
In-text report citation APA example:
(U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, 2023)
When browsing governmental databases, you must also learn how to cite a press release in APA format. It will help you understand the reports and determine all the necessary information.
Cite a report representing a part of series
Author's Last Name, First Initial(s). Middle initial., & Last Name of a second author, First initial(s). (Year published). Title of report in italics (Series Name, Series Number). Publisher Name. DOI or URL
Richards, N.R., Smith, L.V. (2004). Speech of the dolphins and the speech recognition in humans, Boca Raton, Florida (Oceanology Journal, 34). https://doi.org/xx.xxxx/code
In-text citation: (Richards et al., 2004).
How to cite an annual report APA
You have to provide the organization or company name with the report title and the URL (if available). The publisher's name (being the same as the company's one) should be omitted to avoid duplicates.
Name of Organization or Company. (Year of Publication). Title of report in italics. URL.
Van Gogh Museum. (2021). Annual Report of 2021. https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/about/organisation/annual-report
In-text citation: (Van Gogh Museum, 2021).
FAQ
When to implement "et al." when citing in-text in APA?
It's a Latin phrase that means "and others", which is used to narrow down your APA citations. When you have three or more authors, it should be used. For example: (Martins et al., 2023).
Where can I locate the report number?
It is usually located in the database information, where it speaks about publishing and the information related to the report. If you cannot find it, DOI, the URL, or any relevant information is used.
How can I cite a source that has no title in APA style?
When your source has no title, describe it in brackets instead. For example: [Article about APA format]
How to place a citation for the government report in APA?
You have to use the name of the governmental agency, add the publication year in parentheses, continue with the title in italics, and add the URL or DOI link.
