Government Publications

Government publications can be complex to cite due to the numerous levels of government and the variety of document types. However, the basic principle is to provide enough information for the reader to locate the specific document.

General Format:
Government Agency. (Year). Title of publication. Publisher. URL or DOI (if available)
Key Elements:
  • Government Agency: The specific government agency responsible for the publication. This could be a department, bureau, committee, or other body.
  • Year: The year the publication was released.
  • Title of Publication: The full title of the document. Capitalize only the first word of the title and subtitle, and proper nouns.
  • Publisher: The government agency that issued the publication. This is often the same as the author, but may be a larger entity.
  • URL or DOI: The URL or DOI (if available) where the publication can be found.
Examples:
National Institute of Mental Health. (2020). Anxiety disorders (NIH Publication No. 20-5235). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/anxiety-disorders
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service. (2019). SNAP state activity report fiscal year 2019. https://fns-prod.azureedge.net/resource-library/snap-state-activity-report-fiscal-year-2019
U.S. Government Publishing Office. (2023). Economic Report of the President. https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/ERP-2023
More Detailed Breakdown:
  • Agency Hierarchy: When a publication is produced by a sub-agency within a larger agency, list the agencies in hierarchical order, from the most specific to the most general, separated by commas. For example: "National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services."
  • Government Levels: Government publications can come from various levels: federal, state, local, and international. The citation format is generally the same, but the agency names will differ.
    Federal: Cite U.S. federal government agencies as shown in the examples above.
    State: Include the state name. Example: California Department of Education.
    Local: Include the city or county name. Example: Chicago Department of Public Health.
    International: Cite the international organization first. Example: World Health Organization.
  • Specific Document Types: Government publications can take many forms, including reports, statutes, regulations, legislative documents, and more. The basic format remains the same, but you may need to provide additional information for certain types of documents.
  • Missing Information: If any element is missing, provide as much information as possible. If no date is available, use "n.d." If no publisher is identified and the author is also the publisher, omit the publisher.
  • GPO: The U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) is the agency that prints and distributes many U.S. federal government publications. If the GPO is the publisher, use "U.S. Government Publishing Office."
  • Superintendent of Documents Number: Do not include the Superintendent of Documents (SuDoc) number in the reference.
  • Retrieval Dates: In most cases, retrieval dates are not required for government publications.
  • Capitalization: Follow APA capitalization rules: capitalize only the first word of the title and subtitle, and proper nouns. Capitalize all major words in the names of government agencies.
More Examples:
Texas Education Agency. (2023). 2022-2023 Texas academic performance report. https://rptsvr1.tea.texas.gov/perfreport/account/2023/index.html
New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. (2022). Community health survey 2022. https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/data/data-sets/community-health-survey.page
World Health Organization. (2024). Global health expenditure report 2023. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240092837
House Bill 1, 88th Legislature, Regular Session (2023). An act relating to the making of supplemental appropriations and transfers of appropriations. Texas Legislature Online. https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/88R/billtext/html/HB00001I.htm
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/
Biden, J. (2021, January 20). Executive Order 13985: Advancing racial equity and support for underserved communities through the federal government. Federal Register, 86(10), 7009-7014. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/01/25/2021-01753/advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government