APA 7th Edition Citation Guide
Government Documents, Statutes, and Court Cases

When a government agency is considered to be the author of the report and has a well-known abbreviation, you do not need to type out the full name in each in-text citation. In the first in-text citation of your paper, type out the full name of the agency followed by the abbreviation in parentheses or brackets. After that, you can use the abbreviated title.

Reference Page Format:

Agency Name, (Year of Publication). Title of report. Department Name. URL

Reference Page Example:

Bureau of the Comptroller and Global Financial Services (CGFS). (2023). Modern Diplomacy. U.S. Department of State. https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DOS-FY2023-Agency-Financial-Report-508.pdf

In-text Citation Examples:

First in-text citation:

... (Bureau of the Comptroller and Global Financial Services [CGFS], 2023).

According to the Bureau of the Comptroller and Global Financial Services (CGFS, 2023)...

After the first in-text citation:

... (CGFS, 2023).

According to the CGFS (2023)...

Reference Page Format:

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B., (Year of Publication). Title of report. Agency or Organization Name. URL

Reference Page Example:

Howison, Jeff (2024). A Decade's Worth of Change: Minnesota Cities, 2010 to 2020. Minnesota Department of Administration. https://mn.gov/admin/assets/mn-cities-brief-apr2024_tcm36-620819.pdf

In-text Citation Examples:

In-text citation:

... (Howison, 2024).

According to Howison (2024)...

Note that unlike many other reference types, the title of the case is listed in standard type in the reference list and in italics for in-text citations.

Reference Page Format:

Name v. Name, Volume U.S. Page (Year). URL

Reference Page Example:

Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954). https://www.oyez.org/cases/1940-1955/347us483

In-text Citation Examples:

Brown v. Board of Education (1954) shows that ...

...(Brown v. Board of Education, 1954).

U.S.C. stands for United States Code. The § symbol stands for "section" and can be inserted in Word with the "Insert Symbol" function, or copied and pasted from this guide.

Reference Page Format:

Name of Act, Title Number U.S.C. § Section Number (Year). URL

Reference Page Example:

Every Student Succeeds Act, 20 U.S.C. § 6301 (2015). https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-bill/1177

In-text Citation Examples:

The Every Student Succeeds Act (2015) states that ...

...(Every Student Succeeds Act, 2015).

The § symbol stands for "section" and can be inserted in Microsoft Word with the "Insert Symbol" function, or copied and pasted from this guide.

Reference Page Format:

Name of Statute, State Stat. § Section Number (Year). URL

Reference Page Example:

Nurse Practice Act, Minn. Stat. § 148.171 (2019). https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/148.171

In-text Citation Examples:

The Nurse Practice Act (2019) states that ...

...(Nurse Practice Act, 2019).