APA PDF Citations | Format & Examples
Many scholarly sources that are available online and relevant to APA writing come in PDFs. This file format is common for journal articles, government reports, and other sources because the formatting and layout stay consistent on different devices.
Source formats like PDFs don’t affect APA reference page guidelines. Instead, the source type (e.g., book or journal article) determines the reference entry content. For some source types, the reference entry ends with a URL for the PDF.
PDFs do impact APA in-text citations when you’re quoting online sources. For example, if you use an exact quotation from a journal article in a PDF, the in-text citation should include the author, year, and page number. (Page numbers aren’t required when you’re paraphrasing.)
| In-text citation | Reference list entry |
|---|---|
| The Alzheimer’s Association (2024) explained, “To support people living with dementia in their homes and communities, as well as their caregivers, greater dementia-related knowledge, skills, and competencies are needed in the workforce beyond health care” (p. 67). |
Alzheimer’s Association. (2024). 2024 Alzheimer’s disease facts and figures. https://www.alz.org/media/documents/alzheimers-facts-and-figures.pdf
(When an organization is both the author and publisher, omit the publisher slot of the reference entry.) |
The examples below show the APA citation guidelines for source types that you’re most likely to access via PDF. You can also try QuillBot’s free Citation Generator to create clear and accurate APA citations. Additionally, QuillBot’s Notepad can help you take online notes to keep track of the sources you consult.
APA citations for organization and government PDFs
Publications from professional organizations and government agencies are often available in PDFs. These include reports, policy briefs, brochures, and press releases. The citation format depends on whether the author is one or more people or an organization. These differences are covered in detail below.
Regardless of the author, APA citations for these publications should follow these guidelines.
- Sentences that quote PDFs need in-text citations that include the author, year of publication, and page number(s).
- If the quotation appears on more than one page, include the page range with “pp.” and an en dash.
- In APA references, format the titles for these stand-alone works in italics and sentence case.
- For any source besides a report, label the type of source in square brackets after the title. Use sentence case for the source label, like these examples—[White paper], [Brochure], [Press release], [Policy brief].
- At the end of the reference entry, include a link to the online PDF.
Individual author(s)
For publications with one or more human authors, begin the reference list entry with the name(s). Each in-text citation should include the name(s) as well.
| APA format |
Name, F. M. (year). Publication title in italics and sentence case [Type of publication if not a report]. Organization. URL
|
| APA reference |
Thomas, P. (2022). The science of reading movement: The never-ending debate and the need for a different approach to reading instruction [Policy brief]. National Education Policy Center. https://nepc.colorado.edu/sites/default/files/publications/PB%20Thomas_0.pdf
|
| APA in-text citation, quotation | Thomas (2022) explained, “Just as debates about reading are enduring, efforts to create and implement reading instruction based on research is an ongoing challenge for policymakers, teacher educators, school and district administrators, and classroom teachers” (p. 16). |
| APA in-text citation, paraphrase | There is no consensus about whether proficient readers develop phonics skills through direct instruction, reading practice, or both (Thomas, 2022). |
Organizational author
If a person isn’t listed as the author, the organization or government agency is the author. Begin the reference entry with the organization name and include it in each in-text citation. A few more APA guidelines affect reference entries for PDFs by organizational authors:
- If the organization and the publisher are the same, omit the organization from the publisher slot of the reference entry.
- If the publication is by a division of the organization, the division is the author, and the larger organization is the publisher.
| APA formats |
Organization. (year). Publication title in italics and sentence case [Type of publication if not a report]. URL
|
|
Division. (year). Publication title in italics and sentence case [Type of publication if not a report]. Organization. URL
|
|
| APA references |
International Literacy Association. (2019). Engagement and adolescent literacy [Position statement and research brief]. https://www.literacyworldwide.org/docs/default-source/where-we-stand/ila-engagement-and-adolescent-literacy-pdf
|
|
Office of Educational Technology. (2024). A call to action for closing the digital access, design, and use divides: 2024 national educational technology plan. U.S. Department of Education. https://tech.ed.gov/files/2024/01/NETP24.pdf
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| APA in-text citation, quotation | The International Literacy Association (2019) explained, “Valuing students’ voices and identities is a hallmark of supporting adolescent literacy development” (p. 2). |
| APA in-text citation, paraphrase | Narrative citation: The Office of Educational Technology (2024) explained that the vast majority of school children have school-issued devices, but there are disparities in how effectively schools use those devices to teach higher-order thinking. |
| Parenthetical citation: The report urged school districts to rigorously evaluate the implementation costs of educational technologies (Office of Educational Technology, 2024). |
APA PDF citations for journal articles
When a journal article is a PDF, use the format for APA journal article citations on the reference list. Reference entries for journal articles should usually end in a DOI rather than a URL or link to a PDF. If you quote exact words from the journal article, include a page number in the in-text citation.
| APA format |
Name, F. M. (year). Article title in sentence case. Journal Title In Italics and Title Case, Volume(Issue), page range. DOI |
| APA reference |
Kelly, W. E., & Mathe, J. R. (2024). Revisiting trait and state predictors of nightmare frequency and nightmare distress. Dreaming, 34(3), 242–256. https://doi.org/10.1037/drm0000266
|
| APA in-text citation, quotation | Kelly and White (2024) explained, “Quotation …” (pp. 243–244). |
| APA in-text citation, paraphrase | Narrative: Kelly and White (2024) found that … |
| Parenthetical: (Kelly & White, 2024) |
APA PDF citations for books
If you access a book in PDF format, follow the APA book citation guidelines for the reference list entry. If the book has a DOI, end the entry with the DOI even if there’s also a permalink or a URL for the PDF. If there’s no DOI, you can include a permalink or URL in that order of preference. Do not include the name of the database or archive, though.
In-text citations for PDF books work the same as print books.
| APA format |
Name, F. (year). Title in sentence case. Publisher. DOI, Permalink, or URL if applicable
|
| APA reference |
Jaikumar, P. (2006). Cinema at the end of empire: A politics of transition in Britain and India. Duke UP. https://lccn.loc.gov/2019667750
(This entry ends with a permalink. Even though this book was accessed from the Library of Congress database, no database is included per APA guidelines.) |
| APA in-text citation, quotation | Jaikumar (2006) explained, “Quotation …” (p. 27). |
| APA in-text citation, paraphrase | Narrative: Jaikumar (2024) found that … |
| Parenthetical: (Jaikumar, 2024) |
APA PDF citations for a dissertation or thesis
A reference list entry for a dissertation or thesis is similar to an entry for a book but with these additional requirements:
- In square brackets after the title, include one of these descriptions—[Doctoral dissertation, University/Name] or [Master’s thesis, University Name].
- After the title and description, include the name of the online archive where you accessed the PDF and a DOI, permalink, or URL. (APA prefers DOIs anytime they’ve been assigned to sources.)
If you quote exact words in the main text, cite the author, year, and page. Otherwise, cite the author and year.
| APA format |
Name, F. (year). Title in sentence case [Doctoral dissertation, Institution Name]. Archive Name. DOI, Permalink, or URL
|
| APA reference |
Adkins, S. (2024). Challenging the pedagogy of poverty with free-choice learning: A multiple case study [Doctoral dissertation, William & Mary]. William & Mary Digital Archive. https://dx.doi.org/10.25774/w4-zt41-fp13
|
| APA in-text citation, quotation | Adkins (2024) explained, “Quotation …” (p. 10). |
| APA in-text citation, paraphrase | Narrative: Adkins (2024) found that … |
| Parenthetical: (Adkins, 2024) |
Frequently asked questions about APA PDF citations
- How do you cite a government report in APA?
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To cite a government report in APA, start by looking for the author, which can be one or more people, a division of a larger government agency, or the government agency at large. Then, you’ll need the following details for an APA reference page entry:
- Year of publication
- Title of the report (which goes in italics and sentence case)
- Name of the government agency that published the report (If the at-large organization is the author, omit the publisher slot. If the author is a division, the larger agency is the publisher.)
- URL for the report
APA government report references examples Author type Reference entry Individual(s) Eaves, S. (2024, October 28). Lead in private well water and its impacts on children’s health. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/perspectives/lead-private-well-water-and-its-impacts-childrens-healthDivision of a government agency Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2024). Highlight of women’s earnings in 2023. U.S. Department of Labor. https://www.bls.gov/opub/reports/womens-earnings/2023/home.htmGovernment agency at large Canada Council for the Arts. (2024). 2023–24 annual report. https://canadacouncil.ca/-/media/Files/CCA/Corporate/Annual-Reports/en/2023-24_Annual-Report.pdfEach time you paraphrase an idea from a government report, an APA in-text citation should include the author (whether it’s a person or the government organization) and the year of publication. Citations for quotations need page numbers as well.
QuillBot’s free Citation Generator can help you create APA PDF citations and other types of citations. Additionally, our Notepad can help you take online notes to keep track of the sources you consult.
- When should I include a page number in an APA in-text citation?
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Page numbers are only necessary in APA in-text citations when material is directly quoted. Include the page number after the publication date (Author, date, p. 1).
To cite a page range, include “pp.” and use an en dash (Author, date, pp. 1–10).
- What is the APA page number format for in-text citations?
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The APA page number format for in-text citations is (author, date, p. xx) or (p. xx) depending on whether you’re using a parenthetical or a narrative in-text citation.
APA only requires page numbers for direct quotations. Page numbers are optional for paraphrasing and summarizing.
When you quote and cite a book in APA style (or any other paginated source), the page number or page range (if the quotation spans two pages) should look like these examples.
APA book citation Bradshaw and Ellis (2016) explained, “First impressions are crucial—if either the dog or cat is spooked during their first actual physical encounter, later meetings are less likely to go well” (p. 150).Bradshaw and Ellis (2016) explained, “Cats instinctively like to go into small spaces because they feel secure there, and their exceptional agility means that they know that if they have to, they can quickly make their escape” (pp. 179–180).
QuillBot’s free APA Citation Generator can help you quote and cite page numbers correctly in APA format.
- What are the guidelines for APA title capitalization?
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APA title capitalization can be sentence case or title case depending on the type of source and where you’re using the title in the document.
Title case means that you capitalize the first word, major words (e.g., “job” or “parents”), and all minor words that are four letters or longer (e.g., “with”), but not minor words like “at” or “the.”
Sentence case means that you only capitalize the words that you’d capitalize in a sentence—the first word, proper nouns, and the first word after a colon.
When you mention a title within the prose of your document, always use title case (e.g., “The Paradox of Stay-at-Home Parents” in The Atlantic).
In reference list entries, use sentence case for any work that’s contained within a larger source (such as a journal article) as well as self-contained works (e.g., books or websites). The following is an example of a reference entry for a book in APA style.
APA book reference entry example Bradshaw, J., & Ellis, S. (2016). The trainable cat: A practical guide to making life happier for you and your cat. Basic Books.Use title case for the titles of periodicals (e.g., journals) in reference list entries, such as this example for a journal article in APA.
APA journal article reference entry example Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370–396. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0054346QuillBot’s free APA Citation Generator can help you follow APA guidelines for title capitalization in your own writing.
