3 Ways to Cite Manuals

Add manual citations to your next paper in APA, MLA, or Chicago Format

When writing a research paper, especially in a technical field, you might want to use a manual as a source. However, most citation methods don't have a format specifically for manuals, so you have to think about who produced it and what it's for. Since manuals are typically produced by corporations to describe how to use their products, cite the manual as a report from the company.^{[1]XTrustworthy SourcePurdue Online Writing LabTrusted resource for writing and citation guidelinesGo to source} Your format will differ depending on whether you're using the Modern Language Association, American Psychological Association, or Chicago citation style.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

MLA

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1
Start your Works Cited entry with the title of the manual in italics. Ordinarily, you would start any Works Cited entry with the name of the author. However, manuals typically don't have a named author, so you would start with the title of the manual instead. Use title case, capitalizing the first word as well as all nouns, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, and verbs. Place a period at the end of the title.^{[2]XResearch source}
- Example: iPad User Guide.
2
Provide publication information for the manual. After the title, include the name of the company or organization that produced the manual. Place a comma after the company or organization's name, then list the year the manual was published. If you accessed a print copy of the manual, place a period after the year. Use a comma instead of a period if you accessed the manual online.^{[3]XResearch source}
- Example: iPad User Guide. Apple Inc., 2019,
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3
Even if the manual is available in print, if you accessed it online, your readers should be directed to the same copy that you looked at. Don't include the "http://" portion of the URL. Place a period at the end of the URL to close out your Works Cited entry.^{[4]XResearch source}
- Example: iPad User Guide. Apple Inc., 2019, support.apple.com/guide/ipad/welcome/ipados.
MLA Works Cited Format
Title of Manual in Title Case. Name of Corporate Entity, Year, URL.
4
Use the title for in-text citations. Your in-text citation should point your reader to the Works Cited entry. Since you started your Works Cited entry with the title, use the title in a parenthetical citation at the end of any sentence in which you paraphrase or quote information from the manual. If the manual is paginated, include the page number where the referenced material can be found.^{[5]XResearch source}
- For example, you might write: "Apple iPads have the capacity to replace a laptop for most basic uses (iPad User Guide)."
- If you use the title of the manual in the text of your sentence and the manual isn't paginated, you don't need a citation at all. For example, you could write: "According to the iPad User Guide, Apple iPads have the capacity to replace a laptop for most basic uses."

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

APA

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1
Start your Reference List entry with the name of the corporate entity. In APA style, the corporate entity that produced the manual is considered the author of the manual, so that name is the first element of your Reference List entry. Place a period after the name of the corporate entity.^{[6]XTrustworthy SourcePurdue Online Writing LabTrusted resource for writing and citation guidelinesGo to source}
- Example: Life Fitness.
2
Provide the year the manual was published. Type a single space after the period following the name of the corporate entity, then type the year the manual was published in parentheses. Place a period after the closing parenthesis.^{[7]XTrustworthy SourcePurdue Online Writing LabTrusted resource for writing and citation guidelinesGo to source}
- Example: Life Fitness. (2006).
3
Include the title of the manual in italics. Type the title of the manual in sentence case, capitalizing only the first word of the title and any proper nouns. Place a period at the end of the title unless the manual has a subtitle. For subtitles, place a colon after the title and then type the subtitle in sentence case with a period at the end.^{[8]XTrustworthy SourcePurdue Online Writing LabTrusted resource for writing and citation guidelinesGo to source}
- Example: Life Fitness. (2006). C1/C3 Lifecycle exercise bikes: Base user manual.
4
Close with the URL if you accessed the manual online. Include the full URL for the manual that you accessed. With the 7th edition, released in October of 2019, you no longer need to start with the phrase "retrieved from," you can simply list the URL after the title. Do not place a period at the end of the URL.^{[9]XTrustworthy SourcePurdue Online Writing LabTrusted resource for writing and citation guidelinesGo to source}
- Example: Life Fitness. (2006). C1/C3 Lifecycle exercise bikes: Base user manual. https://shop.lifefitness.com/UserFiles/Documents/Product/C1_3_OperationsManual.pdf
APA Reference List Format
Name of Corporate Entity. (Year). Title of manual in sentence case: Subtitle in sentence case. URL
5
Use the name of the corporate entity for in-text citations. Whenever you paraphrase information from the manual in your paper, place a parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence with the name of the corporate entity and the year the manual was published. If you use the name of the corporate entity in your text, you only need to provide the year.^{[10]XResearch source}
- For example, you might write: "It is unsafe to ride an exercise bike in bare feet (Life Fitness, 2006)."
- If you use the name of the corporate entity in your text, place the parenthetical with the year of publication directly after the name. For example, you might write: "Life Fitness (2006) recommends using a water bottle or other container with a lid if you keep your water on the bike itself while riding."
6
Provide readers a way to locate direct quotations from the manual. When you include a direct quotation, your readers need to be able to find it in the original source. If the manual is paginated, this is simple — just provide the page number. However, if it's not paginated, you need to find another way to help your readers find the quote quickly.^{[11]XResearch source}
- For a paginated manual, place a comma after the year of publication, then add "p." and the page number. For example: (Life Fitness, 2006, p. 13).
- If the manual isn't paginated. Use a heading or section name instead to direct your readers to the area of the manual where the quoted material can be found. For example, if the Life Fitness manual wasn't paginated, you might use this parenthetical: (Life Fitness, 2006, Specifications section).
- You can also count the paragraphs in the manual and use a paragraph number (after the abbreviation "para."). Typically, this works better for manuals that are only a page or two long. Keep in mind that if you have to count the paragraphs, your readers will too. For example: (Life Fitness, 2006, para. 4).

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Chicago

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1
Start your Bibliography entry with the name of the corporate entity. Chicago style considers the corporate entity that produced the manual to be its author, so list that name first. Place a period at the end of the name.^{[12]XResearch source}
- Example: Remington Rand.
2
Add the title of the manual in italics. Type the title using title case, capitalizing all nouns, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, and verbs. If the manual has a subtitle, type a colon after the title and then add the subtitle in title case. Place a period at the end.^{[13]XResearch source}
- Example: Remington Rand. Remington Monarch Portable Instruction Manual.
3
Include publication information for the manual. Typically, the corporate entity that produced the manual will also be the publisher. Type the location of the company, then a colon, then the name of the company. Place a comma after the name of the company, then add the year the manual was published. Place a period at the end of the year.^{[14]XResearch source}
- Example: Remington Rand. Remington Monarch Portable Instruction Manual. New York City: Remington Rand, 1960.
4
Close with the URL if you accessed the manual online. Include the direct URL to the manual itself. You don't have to include any additional information, such as when you accessed the page. However, include that information if your instructor or supervisor specifically asks for it. Place a period at the end of the URL.^{[15]XResearch source}
- Example: Remington Rand. Remington Monarch Portable Instruction Manual. New York City: Remington Rand, 1960. https://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/RemingtonMonarchPortable_1960.pdf.
Chicago Bibliography Format
Name of Corporate Entity. Title of Manual in Title Case. City: Corporate Entity, Year. URL.
5
Change the punctuation and add a page number for footnotes. A footnote is punctuated as though it is one long sentence, so the only period is at the end. Swap commas for the other periods and put the publication information in parentheses. After the URL, add the page number or page range where the material you paraphrased or quoted can be found.^{[16]XResearch source}
- Example: Remington Rand, Remington Monarch Portable Instruction Manual, (New York City: Remington Rand, 1960), https://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/RemingtonMonarchPortable_1960.pdf, 27.
Chicago Footnote Format
Name of Corporate Entity, Title of the Manual in Title Case, (City: Corporate Entity, Year), URL, Page#.

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Tips

If you're having a hard time figuring out when the manual was published, look for the copyright page. Use the copyright year as the year of publication.
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Warnings

If your instructor or supervisor provides a different method for citing a manual, follow their guidelines, even if they vary from the stylebook you're using.
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