How to Cite an Annual Report in APA Style
State the author's name if there is one., State the company name and the year in which the annual report was published., Include the title of the annual report., Provide the city and state for the company., Use the virtual location for online...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: State the author's name if there is one.
Usually it is a company that is the author of an annual report.
Sometimes, however, there is an individual author.
If so, lead the entry with this.
Type the author's name at the beginning of the entry and add a period at the end.
If XYZ Corp's annual report was written by William Brown, the APA citation would include this name directly after the location and look like this:
William Brown.
XYZ Corp. (2001).
XYZ Corp.
Annual Report..
Smith, WI.
If there is no author, but an editor, include the editor's name where the author's name would go followed by (Ed.). -
Step 2: State the company name and the year in which the annual report was published.
Unlike books or other sources that begin with an author's name, in an annual report, the first information given is the company's name, followed by the year the annual report was published.Write the company's legal name with a period immediately following the name.
Make sure you include the company's business structure designation if it is included as part of its name.
Add 1 space, then write the date for the year in which the annual report was published.
Enclose the date in parentheses and add a period.
For example, XYZ Corp's 2000 annual report published in 2001 would be cited as:
XYZ Corp. (2001). , This will be found on the cover page of the report and is usually a simple title indicating that the document you are reading is an annual report for a certain company or entity.
Press the space bar once after the period for the annual report published date.
Type the company's annual report title in italics and include a period at the end.
For example, XYZ Corp.'s annual report would be cited as XYZ Corp. (2001).
XYZ Corp.
Annual Report. , Just like any other citation, the report will have been published in a location, which needs to be mentioned.
You will need to include the city and state of the publication, which can be found on the cover page or within the first few pages of the report.
Sometimes there are pages with publication information that will include the locations.
Add 1 space after the period for the annual report title.
Type the city name, a comma, 1 space and the state abbreviation where the company is located.
Add a colon immediately after the state.
For example, if XYZ Corp is located in Smith, Wisconsin, the city and state would be APA cited as:
XYZ Corp. (2001).
XYZ Corp.
Annual Report..
Smith, WI: , Sometimes there is no physical printing location of the report, and it can only be found online.
In this case include the URL where you found the report.
Instead of putting a city and state following the title, you'll need to put the URL as a location.
Type "Retrieved From," after the title, followed by a colon, and copy and paste the URL.
For example:
XYZ Corp. (2001).
XYZ Corp.
Annual Report..
Retrieved from: www.xyzcorp.org/annualreport.
This also applies to if you received the report from a database online.
You would use the database information, instead of a URL, following "Retrieved from:"
Since APA entries will follow a very specific set of punctuation and formatting options, you'll want to make sure to double check it carefully.
Using the above example, it would be:
XYZ Corp. (2001).
XYZ Corp.
Annual Report..
Smith, WI:
Author.
William Brown.
If there was no physical location, but only a URL, it would look like this:
William Brown.
XYZ Corp. (2001).
XYZ Corp.
Annual Report..
Retrieved from: www.xyzcorp.org/annualreport. -
Step 3: Include the title of the annual report.
-
Step 4: Provide the city and state for the company.
-
Step 5: Use the virtual location for online reports.
-
Step 6: Check your entry for errors and proper formatting.
Detailed Guide
Usually it is a company that is the author of an annual report.
Sometimes, however, there is an individual author.
If so, lead the entry with this.
Type the author's name at the beginning of the entry and add a period at the end.
If XYZ Corp's annual report was written by William Brown, the APA citation would include this name directly after the location and look like this:
William Brown.
XYZ Corp. (2001).
XYZ Corp.
Annual Report..
Smith, WI.
If there is no author, but an editor, include the editor's name where the author's name would go followed by (Ed.).
Unlike books or other sources that begin with an author's name, in an annual report, the first information given is the company's name, followed by the year the annual report was published.Write the company's legal name with a period immediately following the name.
Make sure you include the company's business structure designation if it is included as part of its name.
Add 1 space, then write the date for the year in which the annual report was published.
Enclose the date in parentheses and add a period.
For example, XYZ Corp's 2000 annual report published in 2001 would be cited as:
XYZ Corp. (2001). , This will be found on the cover page of the report and is usually a simple title indicating that the document you are reading is an annual report for a certain company or entity.
Press the space bar once after the period for the annual report published date.
Type the company's annual report title in italics and include a period at the end.
For example, XYZ Corp.'s annual report would be cited as XYZ Corp. (2001).
XYZ Corp.
Annual Report. , Just like any other citation, the report will have been published in a location, which needs to be mentioned.
You will need to include the city and state of the publication, which can be found on the cover page or within the first few pages of the report.
Sometimes there are pages with publication information that will include the locations.
Add 1 space after the period for the annual report title.
Type the city name, a comma, 1 space and the state abbreviation where the company is located.
Add a colon immediately after the state.
For example, if XYZ Corp is located in Smith, Wisconsin, the city and state would be APA cited as:
XYZ Corp. (2001).
XYZ Corp.
Annual Report..
Smith, WI: , Sometimes there is no physical printing location of the report, and it can only be found online.
In this case include the URL where you found the report.
Instead of putting a city and state following the title, you'll need to put the URL as a location.
Type "Retrieved From," after the title, followed by a colon, and copy and paste the URL.
For example:
XYZ Corp. (2001).
XYZ Corp.
Annual Report..
Retrieved from: www.xyzcorp.org/annualreport.
This also applies to if you received the report from a database online.
You would use the database information, instead of a URL, following "Retrieved from:"
Since APA entries will follow a very specific set of punctuation and formatting options, you'll want to make sure to double check it carefully.
Using the above example, it would be:
XYZ Corp. (2001).
XYZ Corp.
Annual Report..
Smith, WI:
Author.
William Brown.
If there was no physical location, but only a URL, it would look like this:
William Brown.
XYZ Corp. (2001).
XYZ Corp.
Annual Report..
Retrieved from: www.xyzcorp.org/annualreport.
About the Author
Kimberly Miller
Creates helpful guides on DIY projects to inspire and educate readers.
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