What's the difference between citing a report and citing a government document?

Reports can be from any organization (government, non-profit, research institution, or corporation). Government documents are specifically from government agencies. Both follow similar formats but use the appropriate agency or organization name as the author.

Should I cite a report number if available?

Yes, if the report has an official number or report identifier, include it in parentheses after the title. For example: *Climate Study Report* (Report No. 2023-45). This helps with identification and retrieval.

What information must be included in a report citation?

Required elements include the author or organization, publication year, report title (italicized), report number if available, publisher or issuing organization, and URL or DOI. For print reports, include publication location if provided.

How to Cite a Report in APA 7th Edition

Reports are important sources of specialized information from research institutions, corporations, nonprofits, and government agencies. APA 7th edition provides clear formatting guidelines for various types of reports. This comprehensive guide covers research reports, white papers, technical reports, and institutional publications.

Basic Report Citation Format

The standard APA 7th edition format for citing a report includes:

Author/Organization. (Year). *Title of report* (Report No. ####). Publisher. URL or DOI

Example:

National Center for Education Research. (2023). *Student achievement trends in mathematics
and literacy* (Report No. NCER-2023-001). U.S. Department of Education Institute of
Education Sciences. https://ies.ed.gov/ncer/projects/reports

Step-by-Step Report Citation Instructions

Step 1: Identify the Author or Organization

Reports can be authored by individuals, departments, or organizations.

Individual Author:

Martinez, C. D.

Department/Organization:

National Institute of Health
Pew Research Center
McKinsey & Company

Step 2: Include the Publication Year

Place the year in parentheses.

Example: (2023)

If no publication date is available, use (n.d.).

Step 3: Write the Report Title

Italicize the complete title and use sentence case. Capitalize only the first word, proper nouns, and the first word after a colon.

Example: Student achievement trends in mathematics and literacy

Step 4: Add Report Number (if applicable)

If the report has an official number, include it in parentheses after the title.

Format: (Report No. ####)

Example: (Report No. NCER-2023-001)

Step 5: Include the Publisher/Organization

Identify the organization responsible for publishing the report.

Examples:

U.S. Department of Education
Pew Research Center
World Bank
American Cancer Society

Step 6: Add URL or DOI (if applicable)

For online reports, include a complete, functional URL or DOI.

Examples:

https://ies.ed.gov/ncer/projects/reports
https://www.pewresearch.org/reports/2023

Complete Citation Examples

Corporate Research Report

Goldman Sachs. (2023). *Global economic outlook 2023* (Report No. GS-2023-45).
Goldman Sachs Economic Research. https://www.goldmansachs.com/research/reports

Nonprofit Organization Report

Pew Research Center. (2023). *American attitudes toward social media*
(Report No. PRC-2023-089). Pew Research Center.
https://www.pewresearch.org/reports/social-media-2023

Government Agency Research Report

National Center for Education Research. (2023). *STEM education effectiveness study*
(Report No. NCER-2023-001). U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences.
https://ies.ed.gov/ncer

Academic Research Institute Report

Anderson, R. J., & Chen, L. (2023). *Machine learning applications in healthcare*
(Research Report No. AIHL-2023-12). Stanford Artificial Intelligence Institute.
https://ai.stanford.edu/research-reports

White Paper from Organization

World Economic Forum. (2023). *The future of work in an AI era* (White Paper No. WEF-2023-34).
World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/whitepapers

Technical Report from University

Thompson, L. K., & Martinez, C. D. (2023). *Advanced renewable energy technologies*
(Technical Report No. TR-2023-67). University of Michigan Energy Institute.
https://energyinstitute.umich.edu/reports

Industry Report

American Medical Association. (2023). *Healthcare workforce trends and projections*
(Report No. AMA-2023-28). American Medical Association.
https://www.ama-assn.org/reports

In-Text Citation Examples

When citing a report in your paper, use the author or organization name and year.

Paraphrase:

Recent research indicates that artificial intelligence applications in healthcare are increasing
rapidly (Anderson & Chen, 2023).

Direct Quote:

"Machine learning algorithms can significantly improve diagnostic accuracy and patient outcomes"
(Anderson & Chen, 2023, p. 34).

By Organization:

According to the Pew Research Center, social media usage among adults continues to rise
(Pew Research Center, 2023).

With Report Number (optional):

A comprehensive study found significant improvements in student achievement
(National Center for Education Research, 2023).

Special Report Citation Scenarios

Report with Multiple Authors

Smith, J. A., Johnson, R. B., & Williams, K. T. (2023). *Comprehensive analysis of
environmental policies* (Report No. EPA-2023-156). Environmental Protection Agency.
https://www.epa.gov/reports

Annual Report from Organization

Microsoft Corporation. (2023). *Annual sustainability report 2023*. Microsoft.
https://www.microsoft.com/sustainability-report

Press Release or Brief Report

National Institute of Health. (2023). *COVID-19 research update and findings*
(Report No. NIH-2023-89). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
https://www.nih.gov/covid-research

Grant Report or Funded Research

Thompson, L. K. (2023). *Final report on climate adaptation strategies*
(Grant No. NOAA-2021-45). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
https://www.noaa.gov/grants/reports

Institutional Report (University)

Harvard University. (2023). *Diversity and inclusion annual report 2023*.
Harvard University. https://www.harvard.edu/diversity-report

Report Published in Journal or Collection

If the report appears in a journal or edited collection, cite it using the appropriate format for that source type.

Confidential or Limited Distribution Report

For reports with restricted access:

Anderson, R. J. (2023). *Internal audit findings and recommendations* (Report No. AUDIT-2023-12).
[Report available from author upon request].

Include a note that the report is available from the author upon request.

Different Types of Reports

Corporate Annual Report

Apple Inc. (2023). *2023 annual report and 10-K filing*. Apple Inc.
https://investor.apple.com/investors/sec-filings

Market Research Report

Gartner Inc. (2023). *Enterprise software market analysis 2023* (Report No. G-2023-445).
Gartner. https://www.gartner.com/reports

Nonprofit Program Report

American Red Cross. (2023). *Disaster relief operations annual report*.
American Red Cross. https://www.redcross.org/annual-reports

Policy Report

Brookings Institution. (2023). *Healthcare policy recommendations for 2023*
(Report No. BI-2023-67). Brookings Institution.
https://www.brookings.edu/policy-reports

Evaluation Report

Johnson, R. B. (2023). *Program evaluation report: Youth mentorship initiative*
(Report No. EVAL-2023-34). Education Research Institute.
https://edresearch.org/evaluation-reports

Audit Report

Government Accountability Office. (2023). *Federal spending audit findings*
(Report No. GAO-23-456). U.S. Government Accountability Office.
https://www.gao.gov/reports

Report Numbers and Identifiers

Including Report Numbers

Always include the report number if available, as it helps readers locate the specific report:

Martinez, C. D. (2023). *Climate change mitigation strategies* (Report No. CCMS-2023-89).
National Climate Institute. https://www.climate.org/reports

Without Report Number

If no report number exists, proceed with the standard format:

Thompson, L. K. (2023). *Educational technology implementation guide*.
National Education Association. https://www.nea.org/guides

Common Report Citation Errors

Missing the report number - Include if available for better identification
Forgetting to italicize the title - Report titles must be italicized
Using incorrect capitalization - Use sentence case, not title case
Not including the publisher/organization - Always specify who published the report
Missing or incomplete URL - Verify URLs are complete and functional
Incorrect date - Use publication date, not retrieval date
Forgetting the author/organization - Always identify the report creator
Improper alphabetization - Alphabetize by author or organization name
Not distinguishing report from book - Reports include report numbers; books do not
Including too much publication information - Keep to essential details

Citing Report Sections or Chapters

If citing a specific section of a longer report:

Anderson, R. J. (2023). *Climate adaptation for agriculture* (pp. 145-178).
In *Global climate strategies* (Report No. GCS-2023-001). United Nations Environment Programme.
https://www.unep.org/climate-reports

Using GenText to Generate Report Citations

Properly formatting report citations requires managing author/organization information, titles, report numbers, publishers, and URLs. GenText’s citation generator simplifies this process. Input the organization or author, report title, report number, year, publisher, and URL, and GenText generates a complete, accurately formatted citation.

Visit /tools/citation-generator/apa/ to generate report citations in seconds.

Verification Checklist

Before including a report citation in your reference list, verify:

✓ Author or organization is correctly identified
✓ Publication year is included in parentheses
✓ Report title is italicized and uses sentence case
✓ Report number is included (if available)
✓ Publisher/organization is identified
✓ URL or DOI is complete and functional
✓ Entry is alphabetically ordered in reference list
✓ Hanging indent is properly applied
✓ No page range included unless citing specific section
✓ All organizational names are accurate

Reports provide specialized, authoritative information from organizations worldwide. By properly citing reports using APA 7th edition guidelines, you acknowledge these sources and help readers access the same information.