How to Cite a Report in APA Style | Format & Examples
Reports may be published by governments, task groups, or other organizations. To reference a report with an individual author, include the author’s name and initials, the report title (italicized), the report number, the organization that published it, and the URL (if accessed online, e.g. as a PDF).
| APA format | Author last name, Initials. (Year). Report title: Subtitle (Report No. number). Publisher name. URL |
|---|---|
| APA reference entry | Bedford, D. A. D. (2017). Enterprise information architecture: An overview (Report No. WA-RD 896.4). Washington State Department of Transportation. https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/research/reports/fullreports/896-4.pdf |
| APA in-text citation | (Bedford, 2017, p. 12) |
Note that brochures are cited in a similar format. You can easily create accurate APA citations using our free Citation Generator.
Report with multiple authors
When a report has multiple authors, up to 20 should be listed in the reference.
If the report has 21 or more authors, list the first 19, then an ellipsis, then the last listed author:
With in-text citations, list up to two authors. For three or more, list the first followed by “et al.”
| 2 authors | (Bedford & Caulfield, 2012) |
|---|---|
| 3+ authors | (Davis et al., 2015) |
Report with organization as author
Sometimes, reports do not list individual authors, only the organization responsible. In these cases, list the organization in the author position.
| APA reference entry | Europeana Task Force on Metadata Quality. (2015). Report and recommendations from the Task Force on Metadata Quality. Europeana. https://pro.europeana.eu/files/Europeana_Professional/Europeana_Network/metadata-quality-report.pdf |
|---|---|
| APA in-text citation | (Europeana Task Force on Metadata Quality, 2015) |
This sometimes results in the name of the author and publisher being identical. Omit the second mention of the organization in this case.
| APA reference entry | Kellogg Company. (2019). 2019 annual report. https://www.annualreports.com/HostedData/AnnualReports/PDF/NYSE_K_2019.pdf |
|---|---|
| APA in-text citation | (Kellogg Company, 2019) |
Where to find the report number
Many reports are associated with a specific number. If a report has a number, it will typically be listed in the database where you found the report.
It will also generally appear on the cover or title page of the report itself.
A report number should always be included when available, but if a report doesn’t have one, you can just leave this part out.
Frequently asked questions about APA Style citations
- When should I use “et al.” in APA in-text citations?
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The abbreviation “et al.” (meaning “and others”) is used to shorten APA in-text citations with three or more authors. Here’s how it works:
Only include the first author’s last name, followed by “et al.”, a comma and the year of publication, for example (Taylor et al., 2018).
4 comments
Reginah Nalunga
January 14, 2022 at 2:32 PMHow do i cite a book review?
Jack Caulfield (Scribbr Team)
January 17, 2022 at 2:44 PMHi Reginah,
You can cite a book review in the same way as you would cite another article published in the same format (e.g., a magazine article for a review published in a magazine). You just need to add some information about the book being reviewed in brackets after the title of the review. For example:
Santos, F. (2019, January 11). Reframing refuge children's stories [Review of the book We are displaced: My journey and stories from refugee girls around the world, by M. Yousafzai]. The New York Times. https://nyti.ms/2Hlgjk3
Laura
February 16, 2021 at 3:29 PMWhat should I do when a report is confidential and thus not published or available via an URL?
Jack Caulfield (Scribbr Team)
February 17, 2021 at 3:24 PMHi Laura,
Sources that your readers won't be able to access, such as a confidential report like what you describe, are cited as personal communications. They should just be described in parentheses in the text, not included in the reference list.