How to cite a government report (APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago, Harvard)
Government reports often hide the most important citation facts in logos, department names, report numbers, and PDF cover pages. The agency may be the author and the publisher at the same time. If you copy only the file name or web page title, the reference becomes hard to trace. Start with the official cover page, not the browser tab.
When to use this source type
Use this source type for reports from agencies, departments, ministries, public bodies, and intergovernmental organizations. Examples include a NASA strategic plan, a National Institutes of Health report, an Office for National Statistics bulletin, a CDC guidance report, or a parliamentary committee paper. These sources often have institutional authors rather than named individual writers.
Do not use the website format when the source is a downloadable report with a title page, report number, issuing body, and publication year. Do not use the PDF filename as the title. If an individual author is named, include that author according to your style, but many government reports are better cited under the agency that takes responsibility for the document.
Quick reference table
The same source facts appear in each style, but they move around. Check the author role, date detail, title formatting, container, locator, and the one style-specific rule before you paste a citation into your reference list.
| Style | Author | Date | Title | Container | URL or locator | Style note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| APA 7 | Agency author, unless named authors are credited. | Year in parentheses from title page. | Report title italicized in sentence case. | Report number in parentheses when printed. | Omit publisher if same as author. | Stable URL or DOI at the end. |
| MLA 9 | Agency or named author first. | Publication date after publisher. | Report title italicized. | Publisher is the agency or parent body. | URL for online report. | Report number can follow the title. |
| Chicago | Agency author in reference-list order. | Year after author in author-date. | Report title italicized. | Issuing body, series, or report number. | Place and publisher where relevant. | URL at the end. |
| Harvard | Agency author. | Year in parentheses. | Report title italicized. | Report number where available. | Publisher or issuing department. | Available at URL and access date. |
APA 7 walkthrough
APA 7 starts with the same basic question: who is responsible for this government report? For a government report, usually uses the agency or department as the group author. The date element uses the official publication year on the report cover. The title element italicizes the report title in sentence case. The source element includes a report number after the title when the report provides one. Finally, the locator element omits the publisher when it is identical to the agency author, then adds the stable URL. Work through those fields in order and the punctuation becomes much easier to control.
APA 7 avoids repeating the same agency as both author and publisher, which keeps government report entries shorter. In text, use (NASA, 2022). If you quote directly, add the page, paragraph, timestamp, or legal pin cite required by the style. If your source is online, prefer a stable URL or DOI over a search-result link, and remove tracking parameters before you submit the reference.
NASA. (2022). NASA strategic plan 2022. https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/fy22-nasa-strategic-plan.pdf
MLA 9 walkthrough
MLA 9 starts with the same basic question: who is responsible for this government report? For a government report, uses the government body responsible for the report. The date element places the publication date after the publisher or at the end of the container details. The title element italicizes the report title because the report is a standalone work. The source element names the publisher or issuing body when it differs from the author. Finally, the locator element ends with the URL for an online report and can include a report number before publication details. Work through those fields in order and the punctuation becomes much easier to control.
MLA allows a government agency author, so do not force an individual author when the report is institutional. In text, use (NASA). If you quote directly, add the page, paragraph, timestamp, or legal pin cite required by the style. If your source is online, prefer a stable URL or DOI over a search-result link, and remove tracking parameters before you submit the reference.
NASA. NASA Strategic Plan 2022. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 2022, www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/fy22-nasa-strategic-plan.pdf.
Chicago walkthrough
Chicago starts with the same basic question: who is responsible for this government report? For a government report, starts with the issuing agency or government body. The date element places the year after the author in author-date references. The title element italicizes the report title. The source element adds department, series, report number, and publication place when those details are printed. Finally, the locator element uses the URL as the final retrievable locator for online reports. Work through those fields in order and the punctuation becomes much easier to control.
Chicago notes can carry fuller agency hierarchy, but the reference entry should still start with the body responsible for the report. In text, use (NASA 2022). If you quote directly, add the page, paragraph, timestamp, or legal pin cite required by the style. If your source is online, prefer a stable URL or DOI over a search-result link, and remove tracking parameters before you submit the reference.
NASA. 2022. NASA Strategic Plan 2022. Washington, DC: National Aeronautics and Space Administration. https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/fy22-nasa-strategic-plan.pdf.
Harvard walkthrough
Harvard starts with the same basic question: who is responsible for this government report? For a government report, uses the agency name as the corporate author. The date element puts the year in parentheses after the agency. The title element italicizes the report title. The source element adds report number and publisher details when available. Finally, the locator element ends with Available at, the URL, and an Accessed date for online reports. Work through those fields in order and the punctuation becomes much easier to control.
Cite Them Right 12th edition treats many government reports as online reports, so access dates are usually included. In text, use (NASA, 2022). If you quote directly, add the page, paragraph, timestamp, or legal pin cite required by the style. If your source is online, prefer a stable URL or DOI over a search-result link, and remove tracking parameters before you submit the reference.
NASA (2022) NASA strategic plan 2022. Washington, DC: National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Available at: https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/fy22-nasa-strategic-plan.pdf (Accessed: 15 January 2025).
Common mistakes for this source type
Most errors come from forcing a government report into the wrong template. Before submitting, check these details against the source itself, not against a database preview or a copied citation.
- Using the PDF filename as the report title instead of the official title page title.
- Repeating the agency as publisher in APA when it is already the author.
- Leaving out a report number that appears on the cover.
- Using the web page update date instead of the report publication year.
- Shortening a department name so far that the issuing body becomes unclear.