How to Reference a Policy Document in APA Format

American Psychological Association (APA) format is a set of guidelines for formatting term papers and articles that is generally used by students and researchers working within the social sciences. APA format sets forth rules governing the citation of print media, such as policy documents, that appear in the reference section of a paper or article.

List the name of the author or organisation responsible for the document, followed by a period.

If the document has one author, the information should be presented as follows:

Smith, J.

If the document has more than one author, the information should be presented as follows:

Smith, J., Jones, B., & Lincoln, A.

If the document has no specific author and was authored by an organisation, the information should be presented as follows:

Federal Aviation Administration.

List the year of publication enclosed in parentheses and followed by a period. The information should be presented as follows:

(2008).

List the title of the policy document, followed by a period. Only capitalise the first letter of the document's title. Make sure that the title appears in italics.

List the volume number only if you are citing a multivolume work. The information should be presented as follows:

(vol. 4).

(vols. 4-5).

List the series number if applicable. The information should be presented as follows:

(FAA Publication 04-067).

List the city and two-letter state abbreviation where the document was published, followed by a colon. According to APA style, major cities such as Boston, Chicago and New York do not need to be followed by the state. For example: Boston: Wiley; but, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

List the name of the publisher or publishing organisation, followed by a period.