Cite government publications as a book, report, or website as appropriate. If there is no named author on the cover or title page, use the agency or department as the author. If the document is a report or publication, include the report number or other identifier after the title. If citing a website, include the entire URL.
General Rules: Citing Online Government Sources
In-text Citation: Information to Include
In-text citations and signal phrases can be woven into sentences and paragraphs in multiple ways, and what you emphasize depends on what information will be most relevant and/or persuasive to your reader. However, the following information should always be included:
Reference Citation: Information to Include
Government Entity. (Year, Month Day). Publication title in sentence case and italics. Parent Agency If Applicable. URL_but_not_active_hyperlink
Specific Example: Government Website
In-text Citation Options
Land conservationists can support wildlife refuges, particularly those for migratory birds, by purchasing a Federal Duck Stamp, which, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (2021) also are “miniature works of art.”
Land conservationists can support wildlife refuges, particularly those for migratory birds, by purchasing a Federal Duck Stamp, which are also “miniature works of art” (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 2021).
References Page Entry
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. (2021, June 28). Duck stamp: Put your stamp on conservation. U.S. Department of the Interior. https://www.fws.gov/birds/get-involved/duck-stamp.php
Note: This government web page has a “last updated” date, so you can use that. For government websites with no date, use n.d. in place of the date and add a retrieval date. See our page for General Website to see how this should look.
Specific Example: Government Website
In-text Citation Options
The Internal Revenue Service (2023) reported that the Inflation Reduction Act included clean energy tax credits for low-income communities.
The Inflation Reduction Act included clean energy tax credits for low-income communities (Internal Revenue Service, 2023).
References Page Entry
Internal Revenue Service. (2023, September). Increased energy investment credit for solar and wind facilities benefitting low-income communities. U.S. Department of the Treasury. https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/increased-energy-investment-credit-for-solar-and-wind-facilities-benefitting-low-income-communities
Specific Example: PDF of a Government Report
In-text Citation Options
In the 2016 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (2018) reported that Americans spent $75.9 billion dollars – 48 percent of all wildlife recreation expenditures – on wildlife watching (p. 39).
Wildlife watchers spent $12.1 billion dollars in 2016 purchasing equipment (e.g., cameras and bird feed) in pursuit of their hobby (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 2018, p. 39).
References Page Entry
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. (2018, April). 2016 national survey of fishing, hunting, and wildlife-associated recreation (Publication FHW/16-NAT). U.S. Department of the Interior. https://wsfrprograms.fws.gov/subpages/nationalsurvey/nat_survey2016.pdf
Specific Example: O*Net Entry
In-text Citation Options
O*Net’s report on auditing mentioned that to stand out in this industry, auditors must have excellent communication skills (National Center for O*NET Development, 2019).
To stand out, auditors must have excellent communication skills (National Center for O*NET Development, 2019).
References Page Entry
National Center for O*NET Development. (2019). Auditors (O*Net Report No. 13-2011.02). https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/13-2011.02