Citing business sources: APA (7th ed.) citation guide

This guide is based on the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th ed. For more detailed information consult a print copy of the style manual.

This guide will help you to name databases within the source element, where citation guidelines require it. 

We've consistently applied a single interpretation of the guidelines in creating model citations for these sources to ensure they are predictable for students at SFU. Other institutions or publishers may have a different interpretation. 

For in-depth APA paper & reference list formatting, punctuation, and sample papers, see Writing + formatting in our online guide.

Keep track of your document references/citations and format your reference lists easily with citation management software.

 Note that this guide was substantially revised and updated in August 2024.

For business sources that do not require naming the database used, refer to:

Overview

The following selected citation examples are for documents common to business; in some cases there are different ways to interpret how to cite a specific item. Remember that many sources won't exactly match the style templates. In such cases, identify the elements (author, date, title, source), and do your best to assemble them following the appropriate template's example. See APA's Reference examples or consult Chapter 10 in the guide directly. The important thing is to be both unambiguous and consistent across all of your citations so your reader (the decision maker) can identify, find (if necessary), and evaluate the resources you used. 

 Watch these videos on citing in a business context

This 3-part video series covers the importance of citing, the patterns that underlie the citation rules, and how to get more help when needed. 

Why cite? (4 minutes)
  • Covers the goal and value of citing sources.
  • Helps students see that citations improve:
    • the quality of their reports
    • the acceptability of their recommendations. 
Predictable patterns (3 minutes)
  • Examines a few basic citations and extrapolates the common pattern.
  • Helps students see the simple and predictable underlying structure.
  • Provides guidance to follow when templates and examples can't be found. 
Getting help (5 minutes)

A fast tour of a few places to get help with APA citations.  

 Citing generative AI

New technologies like ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence tools still need to be cited -- ask your instructor if they allow AI-generated text in your assignments. See the APA Style Blog post, How to Cite ChatGPT, for examples of how to cite ChatGPT and other AI tools.

Key elements for business citations

Find more details of the formatting guidelines and rules listed below by following their links to our general APA guide (use the side menu in this APA guide to find the type of source you are citing, e.g. articles, books, tables/figures/images, websites).

Describing works

Use square brackets [ ] to add extra terms if needed to describe works being cited. 

See Data sets below for examples and review APA's blog post Using parentheses and brackets for more details and examples.

DOIs & URLs

Reference citations should link directly to the cited work when possible. If published or read online, use live links—check with your instructor for their preference.

For definitions and more details, see APA's DOIs and URLs.   

Retrieval dates

Use retrieval dates only when the source material is likely to change over time and there is no archived link available. 

See APA's The date element for more details and Webpage on a website with retrieval date for examples.

Tables, figures & images

Check our guide for set up and formatting on common examples used by students for academic papers, or refer to APA's Tables and figures guidelines.

 When to include database information in references 

The following citation examples contain database names in the source element because they fit one of two criteria: works of limited circulation that are found only in a particular database or works found in proprietary databases. For further details and reference examples, see APA's Database information in references including exceptions, or consult the guide directly when in doubt and follow the appropriate template for the reference example in Chapter 10 (Section 9.30, pp. 296-297).

SFU Business Librarians regard the databases listed in this guide as proprietary and have therefore applied the "works found in proprietary databases" guidelines. Reference citations to such databases require using journal article references format with the database name written in italic case (the same as a periodical title) followed by the URL. Our recommendation is to use the SFU Library database login URL for these databases. 

Databases with original, proprietary content 

If you use one of these databases, you will need to include their name and URL in the source element. Copy and paste the link for the appropriate database to create your reference citation.

Always follow the citation guidelines on this page for:

 Exception: For the following databases, these guidelines only apply when citing datasets:

For filings, annual or industry reports, and 3rd party reports from these databases: use guidelines from Citing reports instead.

 Reports and grey literature found in SEDAR+, EDGAR, and other non-Library online databases

If you are citing a report found on a company website, including annual reports, see Citing reports in our general APA guide for a business example. 

The following are examples of filings, annual, quarterly, or industry reports found in a database online. Examples of grey literature include: press releases, codes of ethics, policy briefs, issue briefs, etc. Consult APA's Reports and grey literature or the guide directly for more examples (Section 10.4, pp. 329-331). 

Reference list examples

Alphabet, Inc. (2024, April 26). Form 10-Q. EDGAR. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1652044/000165204424000053/goog-20240331.htm

Big Rock Brewery, Inc. (2024, March 28). Management's discussion and analysis [Annual report]. SEDAR. https://www.sedarplus.ca/csa-party/records/document.html?id=0da1251d7735865c70e0f22d943b91f483d756cc28412c3b9c13b849b565bfcd

Canadian National Railway Company. (2023). Annual report: This is scheduled railroading. SEDAR. https://www.sedarplus.ca/csa-party/records/document.html?id=e8fdbc0b92dda89ab63a0ffd9581f3d439a3d88f0c10e4b033a3474f3a3e54b8

Reference in text examples

(Alphabet, Inc., 2024)

(Big Rock Brewery, Inc., 2024)

(Canadian National Railway Company [CN], 2023) [first use] 
(CN, 2023) [subsequent use] 
(CN, 2023, pp.57-58) [subsequent use - when quoting]

Comments: 

  • SEDAR+ (Canada) and EDGAR (US) are examples of online databases containing documents for publicly-traded companies:
    • SEDAR+ has a "generate URL" option in the search results list that connects directly to the work cited. 
    • EDGAR has an "open document" which creates an archived link directly to the work cited. 
  • There is no period after the URL. 
  • Online reports may not have page numbers. To cite either a direct quotation or a paraphrased section of the report use the heading or section name under which the information you are quoting came from. See the Lombardo example in the section below. For further details, see Adding location information.

 Data sets, industry reports, filings found in specific subscription databases

The following are examples of data sets, filings, annual, quarterly, or industry reports found only in these specific databases.

Reference list examples by database

 IBISWorld Industry Reports

Lombardo, C. (2024, Jan). Breweries in the US [Industry report]. IBISWorld. https://databases.lib.sfu.ca/record/61245147980003610/IBISWorld-Industry-Reports 

 Passport

Euromonitor International. (2024a, June 10). Consumer lifestyles in Egypt [Country report]. Passport. https://databases.lib.sfu.ca/record/61245146350003610/Passport

Euromonitor International. (2024b). Market sizes [Annual per capita coffee market in Canada in CAD (retail value) from 2018-2024] [Data set]. Passport. https://databases.lib.sfu.ca/record/61245146350003610/Passport

 Statista

Global Wind Energy Council. (2024, April 17). Cumulative installed wind power capacity worldwide from 2001 to 2023 (in gigawatts) [Graph]. Statista. https://databases.lib.sfu.ca/record/61245146000003610/Statista

Statista. (n.d.). Market Insights: Solar Energy - Worldwide [Chart and data set]. Statista. Retrieved June 10, 2024, from https://databases.lib.sfu.ca/record/61245146000003610/Statista

 S&P Capital IQ

Nurhayati,W. & Suhaimi, A. (2024, April 24). Pharmaceuticals [Industry survey]. S&P Capital IQ. https://databases.lib.sfu.ca/record/61280619560003610/SandP-Capital-IQ

S&P Global Market Intelligence. (2024). [Apple Inc.'s daily share price and trading volume: June 12, 2023 to June 10, 2024] [Chart]. S&P Capital IQ. https://databases.lib.sfu.ca/record/61280619560003610/SandP-Capital-IQ

 Vividata

Template: 

Vividata. (date of the Vividata study used). [Constructed title with enough description to re-create table] [Data set]. Database name. URL

Example:

Vividata. (2021, Spring). [Quebec, Ontario and B.C. readers of Canadian Living and Chatelaine in the past year] [Data set]. Vividata. https://databases.lib.sfu.ca/record/61245145910003610/Vividata


Reference in text examples

(Euromonitor International, 2024a) 
(Euromonitor International, 2024a, p.10) [subsequent use - when quoting]

(Euromonitor International, 2024b)

(Global Wind Energy Council [GWEC], 2024)  [first use] 
(GWEC, 2024) [subsequent use]

(Lombardo, 2024, Barriers to Entry section) [use heading or section name when no page numbers]

(Nurhayati & Suhaimi, 2024)

(Statista, n.d.)

(Vividata, 2021)

Comments 

  • For references with the same author(s) and date, use lowercase letters in order to identify each source properly. See the Euromonitor International examples above. Refer to APA's Citing Works With the Same Author and Date for more details.
  • APA guidelines advises bracketed descriptions to identify sources outside academic peer-reviewed literature and/or where titles may not be provided. Square brackets [ ] indicate the writer has provided the information:  
    • See all reference list examples above for examples with descriptions for type of information: chart, graph, data set, etc.
    • See Vividata and S&P Global Market Intelligence reference list examples above for examples of a descriptive title.
    • Check out APA's blog post on Using parentheses and brackets for more details on these guidelines.

Other APA business resource guides

The following guides also provide examples and guidelines specific to their institutions and may differ from the guidance above. 

APA Management & business sources citation style guide (McGill University) 
Includes many business examples from popular databases and content types.

APA Citing business databases & government data [PDF] (UNC Greensboro) 
Easily searchable PDF document which includes key points and citation examples for many business/economic sources. 


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