How to Cite an Annual Report in APA Style

Creating In-Text Citations

Place an in-text citation after any information you pulled from the report. In-text citations tell your readers exactly what information you got from somewhere else, and where you found it. APA style requires an in-text citation for every sentence that includes information from the report. If you have a whole paragraph of text that you are paraphrasing from the annual report, a parenthetical citation at the end of each sentence would be awkward and difficult to read. You can remedy this by mentioning the report in your text using signal phrases, such as "According to XYZ Corp.'s annual report...."

Add a parenthetical citation to the end of a sentence. When you include information from an annual report in the text of your own paper or report, you'll typically put the name of the company and the year the report was published in parentheses, separated by a comma. For example: "(XYZ Corp., 2001)." Your parenthetical citation goes inside the end punctuation of your sentence.

Use signal phrases where appropriate. Parenthetical citations can be intrusive and awkward, making your text cumbersome to read. Signal phrases alert your reader that you're using information you got from somewhere else in a way that flows more easily. Use a parenthetical for any information that you didn't include in the text, such as the year of publication. Place the year immediately after you mention the company or report. For example: "According to XYZ Corp.'s annual report (2001), the company failed to meet profit expectations during the first quarter of the year 2000."

Include the author, year of publication, and page number for direct quotations. APA style doesn't require a page number in every in-text citation. However, if your text includes a direct quote from the annual report, end your sentence with a parenthetical that includes the author's last name, year of publication, and the page number where that quote can be found, preceded by "p." For example: "The 2000 annual report noted that following the poor performance in the first quarter, profit expectations were 'adjusted to better reflect the changing market conditions and other facts on the ground' (Johnson, p. 32)." Or, "According to Johnson (2000), the poor performance in the first quarter, profit expectations were 'adjusted to better reflect the changing market conditions and other facts on the ground' (p. 32)." Or, "The annual report shows that profit expectations were 'adjusted to better reflect the changing market conditions and other facts on the ground' (Johnson, 2000, p. 32)"

Formatting an Entry in Your References

Start with the company's name. When creating a reference entry for an annual report, the company or organization itself typically is considered the author. The first information in your reference entry is the company's full legal name. For example: "XYZ Corp." Add a period after the company's name unless the company's name already ends with a period. You can usually find the company or organization's full legal name on its website, or on the title page of the report itself.

Add the year of publication. After the company's name, provide the year the annual report was published in parentheses. Place a period after the parentheses. The publication year usually is the year after the year for which the annual report was produced. For example, a company's 2016 annual report typically would be published in 2017. For example: "XYZ Corp. (2001)."

Provide the title of the annual report. Find the report's title on the first page of the report. Type it in italics using sentence capitalization, meaning only the first word and any proper names are capitalized. Place a period at the end of the title. For example: "XYZ Corp. (2001). 2000 XYZ Corp. annual report."

Include the location and publisher for print reports. If you use a print copy of the annual report, follow the title with the location and name of the publisher, just as you would if you were citing a book. For an annual report, this typically is the location of the main office of the company that issued the report. Use the city and the postal abbreviation for the state. For annual reports, the publisher typically is the company itself. Since the publisher is the same as the author, follow the location with the word "Author." For example: "XYZ Corp. (2001). 2000 XYZ Corp. annual report. Smith, WI: Author."

Include the full URL for online reports. In most cases, you'll get an annual report online, either from a database or from the company's own website. Instead of location and publisher information, type "Retrieved from" along with the full URL where the report can be found. Do not place a period after the URL. For example: "XYZ Corp. (2001). 2000 XYZ Corp. annual report. Retrieved from http://www.xyzcorp.com/reports/annualreport2000.pdf" If you retrieved the report from a database, provide the name of the database in the same format. For example "XYZ Corp. (2001) 2000 XYZ Corp. annual report. Retrieved from Mergent Online database."