How to Cite Government Documents in APA

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methods

1Making an In-Text Citation

2Creating a Reference for a Bibliography

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In the APA citation system, government documents are treated as books, reports, or brochures for citation purposes. However, citing a government document is not entirely the same as citing a book. You need to pay attention to particular information (like government agency names) when citing government documents in APA. This is the case whether you’re making an in-text citation or a reference item for a bibliography.

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Making an In-Text Citation

1. 
   1
   Put a left parenthesis at the end of the clause. When including a citation at the end of a sentence or sentence clause, you need to begin the citation with a left parenthesis symbol. Put the parenthesis after the last word in the clause but before any punctuation that follows.

   • For example, if you wanted to cite a government document while discussing foreign aid spending, you would write: Foreign aid spending makes up a tiny fraction of the U.S. budget (
2. 
   2
   Add the author’s last name or the agency that published the document. If the document’s author is named on the title page, write that person’s last name after the parenthesis. If the document doesn’t name an author, use the government agency, department, or branch as the author instead. Add the name of the government as well.

   • For example, if the author of your document was named William Jesper, you would write: Foreign aid spending makes up a tiny fraction of the U.S. budget (Jesper
   • Conversely, if the document doesn’t name an author but was published by the Department of State, you would write: Foreign aid spending makes up a tiny fraction of the U.S. budget (U.S. Department of State
   • If the document has more than 1 author, list both author’s surnames in alphabetical order, separated by an ampersand. For example, if the authors of your document were William Jasper and Walter Kinsington, the beginning of your citation would look like this: (Jesper & Kinsington
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3. 
   3
   Place a comma after the author or agency name and write the publication year. If the document is a report with a specific month or day of publication, include this as well. Place the month and day after the year, with a comma separating the year and month.

   • For instance, if the example document you’re citing was published in May 2012, your sentence thus far would read: Foreign aid spending makes up a tiny fraction of the U.S. budget (U.S. Department of State, 2012, May
   • If the document doesn’t give a date of publication, use “n.d.” instead.
4. 
   4
   Add a page number if you’re directly quoting from the document. If your sentence includes a direct quotation from the document, or if you’re referencing information that comes from a specific page, then you need to include the number for that page in your citation. Add a comma after the publication date, followed by “p.” and the number for the page.

   • If your example sentence was directly quoting a Department of State document, it would thus read: Foreign aid spending makes up “a tiny fraction of the U.S. budget” (U.S. Department of State, 2012, May, p. 7
5. 
   5
   Close the parenthesis and add punctuation to complete the citation. Add a right parenthesis after the page number. If the citation is at the end of a sentence, add a period after the parenthesis. If it's at the end of a sentence clause and you intend to write an additional clause, add a comma after the parenthesis.

   • Your completed citation should read: Foreign aid spending makes up a tiny fraction of the U.S. budget (U.S. Department of State, 2012, May, p. 7).
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Creating a Reference for a Bibliography

1. 
   1
   Write the author’s name or the name of the government and agency. If the document has a named author, write that author’s last name, followed by a comma and their initials. If the document doesn’t have a named author, write the name of the government and that of the agency responsible for publishing the document, followed by a period.

   • For example, if the document was written by William Jesper, you would start your reference: Jesper, W.
   • If the document was published without an author by the Department of State, you would write: U.S. Department of State
   • If there are multiple authors, place a comma after the first author’s initials, then write an ampersand, then write the second author’s last name and initials, also separated by a comma.
2. 
   2
   Add the publication year in parentheses. After the author’s initials or the name of the agency, write a left parenthesis, the publication year, and a right parenthesis. Place a period after the right parenthesis. If your document has a publication month, write this as well.

   • For example, if your document was published in May, 2012, you would write: Jesper, W. (2012, May).
   • If there’s no publication year for your reference or it’s unavailable, use “n.d.” instead.
3. 
   3
   Place the title and subtitle of your document after the year in italics. Use sentence case when capitalizing the title, meaning you should only capitalize the first word of the title and any proper nouns. You should also capitalize the first word in the subtitle, if applicable.

   • Your reference should now read: Jesper, W. (2012, May). Report on the U.S. budget: spending levels by priority.
4. 
   4
   Include a series or report number, if available. If your government document is part of a series or is a report with a number attached to it, you should include this information in your reference. Write the series or report number in parentheses after the title. Place a period after the right parenthesis.

   • For example, if your document were labeled “Report 877,” your reference would read: Jesper, W. (2012, May). Report on the U.S. budget: spending levels by priority (Report No. 877).
   • If your document doesn’t have a series or report number, place the period after the title.
5. 
   5
   Add the publication place and publisher name if the document is printed. If your document is a print document, you need to include the name of the publisher and where the document was published in your reference. Place this information after the title (and report number, if applicable). Write the place of publication, followed by a colon, followed by the publisher name.

   • Your reference should now read: Jesper, W. (2012, May). Report on the U.S. budget: spending levels by priority (Report No. 877). Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.
6. 
   6
   List the URL where the document was retrieved, if it’s electronic. If your document is electronic and you retrieved it from a website, you need to include this URL in your reference. After the publication title, write “Retrieved from” and the URL where you retrieved the document.

   • Your final reference should read: Jesper, W. (2012, May). Report on the U.S. budget: spending levels by priority (Report No. 877). Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. Retrieved from https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/278401.pdf
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