Cite a PDF report in Chicago (author-date)
PDF reports from governments, NGOs, and research institutes are a common source in undergraduate work. Chicago (author-date) (17th ed.) treats the issuing organisation as the author and the report title in italics, with the URL or DOI at the end. Annual reports and white papers follow the same pattern.
Chicago (author-date) rules for a PDF report
- The issuing organisation is the author when no individual is named.
- Report title is italicized; include any report number in parentheses.
- Year is the publication year on the cover or title page, not the access year.
- Note the format as [PDF] or [Report] in square brackets if not obvious.
- Include the DOI if available, otherwise the direct URL to the PDF.
- Include the series name and number if part of a numbered report series.
Worked example
Chicago (author-date) · PDF reportA real PDF report formatted using the Chicago (author-date) rules above.
Center, Pew Research. 2024. "Teens, social media and technology 2024 [PDF report]." Pew Research Center. accessed January 15, 2025. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/teens-social-media-2024.pdf.
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