APA 7th Citation Guide

• Ensure your punctuation is correct:
  • Policy/issue brief title: Write the title of the policy brief or issues brief in sentence case and in italics
  • Policy/issue brief publisher: The publisher of the policy/issue brief in title case and in regular font.

• Numbered briefs: Issue briefs are usually numbered, but not always:
  • If the issue brief has a number, identify it in parentheses after the title, e.g. (Issue Brief No. 1).
  • If there is no number, identify the work as an issue brief in square brackets following the title, i.e. [Issue brief].

• Publisher: Often, publishers are abbreviated.
  • Write out the publisher's name in full. E.g. for NEPC, write National Education Policy Center.
  • If the publisher's name is the same as the Group Author, then omit the publisher.

• Ensure your formatting is correct:
  • Follow our red format structure and view our examples in black. E.g., Look at the elements of the reference we have italicized. You also italicize that same element in your reference.

• Insert the stable URL to the brief - not to the database link - after the source title: If you can only find the policy brief in PDF format, link directly to the PDF. Otherwise, link to the webpage. 

Format

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of issue brief in sentence case (Issue Brief No. #). Publisher in Title Case. http://xxxxx

Examples

Gonzales, V., Linn, J., & Morgenstern, R. D. (2020, April 9). Clean energy standard for industry: Scoping analysis (Issue Brief No. 20-06). Resources for the Future. https://www.rff.org/publications/issue-briefs/clean-energy-standard-industry-scoping-analysis/

Format

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of issue brief in sentence case [Issue Brief]. Publisher of Brief in Title Case. http://xxxxx

Examples

Robles-Fradet, A.  (2019, August 20). A guide to proposed and enacted legislation for Medicate coverage for doula care [Issue brief]. National Health Law Program. https://healthlaw.org/resource/issue-brief-a-guide-to-proposed-and-enacted-legislation-for-medicaid-coverage-for-doula-care/

Format

Group Author. (Year, Month, Day). Title of issue brief in sentence case (Issue Brief No. #). Source of Brief in Title Case - omit if the source is the same as the group author. http://xxx

Examples

Child Health and Development Institute of Connnecticut. (2019, May 16). Building a trauma-informed child welfare system: How CONCEPT transformed child welfare to improve support for children and families exposed to trauma (Issue Brief No. 68). https://www.chdi.org/publications/issue-briefs/issue-brief-68-building-trauma-informed-child-welfare-system/

Format

Group Author. (Year, Month, Day). Title of issue brief in sentence case [Issue brief]. Source of Brief in Title Case - omit if the source is the same as the group author. http://xxx

Examples

Council for Exceptional Children. (2018). Keeping public funds in public education [Issue Brief]. https://www.cec.sped.org/~/media/Files/Policy/2018%20Updated%20Issue%20Briefs/IB%20Public%20Funds%20SELS%202018%20Final%2062718.pdf

Format

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year, Month Day). Title of policy brief in sentence case [Policy brief]. Publisher in Title Case. http://xxxxx

Examples

Gregory, A., & Evans, K. R. (2020, January 14). The starts and stumbles of restorative justice in education: Where do we go from here? [Policy brief]. National Education Policy Center. https://nepc.colorado.edu/publication/restorative-justice

Myung, J., & Hough, H. J. (2020, February). Organizing schools to serve students with disabiities: A summary of the PACE Policy Research Panel [Policy brief]. Policy Analysis for California Education. https://edpolicyinca.org/sites/default/files/2020-03/pb_myung_feb20_v2.pdf

Dell'Erba, M. (2019, March 4). Policy considerations for STEAM education [Policy brief]. Education Commission of the States. https://www.ecs.org/policy-considerations-for-steam-education/

Format

Group Author. (Year, Month Day). Title of policy brief in sentence case [Policy brief]. Publisher - omit if the same as group author. http://xxxxx

Examples

United Nations Sustainable Development Group. (2020, May 13). COVID-19 and the need for action on mental health [Policy brief]. https://unsdg.un.org/resources/policy-brief-covid-19-and-need-action-mental-health

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. (2018). Preventing violent extremism through education: Effective activities and impact [Policy brief]. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000266105

Augusta University provides free access to EndNote citation management tool students, faculty, and staff.

If you use EndNote to input your references, then choose the reference type underneath. If you export or import your citations, then check that EndNote automatically categorized them to the below reference type. Edit the reference type if it is incorrect.  

Reference Type: Webpage - Enter Issue Brief No. or [Press release] in the edition field.

For more examples on how to reference issue and policy briefs, consult the following section in the APA 7th ed. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association: The Official Guide to APA Style:

Section 10.4 Reports and Gray Literature, 57-58.