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How to Cite a Report in APA Style | Format & Examples

Published on November 6, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on December 1, 2023.

Reports may be published by governments , task groups, or other organizations. To reference a report with an individual author, include the author’s name and initials, the report title (italicized), the report number, the organization that published it, and the URL (if accessed online, e.g. as a PDF ).

Note that brochures are cited in a similar format. You can easily create accurate APA citations using our free Citation Generator.

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Table of contents

Report with multiple authors, report with organization as author, where to find the report number, frequently asked questions about apa style citations.

When a report has multiple authors, up to 20 should be listed in the reference.

If the report has 21 or more authors, list the first 19, then an ellipsis, then the last listed author:

With in-text citations, list up to two authors. For three or more, list the first followed by “ et al. ”

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

Sometimes, reports do not list individual authors, only the organization responsible. In these cases, list the organization in the author position.

This sometimes results in the name of the author and publisher being identical. Omit the second mention of the organization in this case.

Many reports are associated with a specific number. If a report has a number, it will typically be listed in the database where you found the report.

It will also generally appear on the cover or title page of the report itself.

A report number should always be included when available, but if a report doesn’t have one, you can just leave this part out.

When no individual author name is listed, but the source can clearly be attributed to a specific organization—e.g., a press release by a charity, a report by an agency, or a page from a company’s website—use the organization’s name as the author in the reference entry and APA in-text citations .

When no author at all can be determined—e.g. a collaboratively edited wiki or an online article published anonymously—use the title in place of the author. In the in-text citation, put the title in quotation marks if it appears in plain text in the reference list, and in italics if it appears in italics in the reference list. Shorten it if necessary.

The abbreviation “ et al. ” (meaning “and others”) is used to shorten APA in-text citations with three or more authors . Here’s how it works:

Only include the first author’s last name, followed by “et al.”, a comma and the year of publication, for example (Taylor et al., 2018).

You may include up to 20 authors in a reference list entry .

When an article has more than 20 authors, replace the names prior to the final listed author with an ellipsis, but do not omit the final author:

Davis, Y., Smith, J., Caulfield, F., Pullman, H., Carlisle, J., Donahue, S. D., James, F., O’Donnell, K., Singh, J., Johnson, L., Streefkerk, R., McCombes, S., Corrieri, L., Valck, X., Baldwin, F. M., Lorde, J., Wardell, K., Lao, W., Yang, P., . . . O’Brien, T. (2012).

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Caulfield, J. (2023, December 01). How to Cite a Report in APA Style | Format & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved April 9, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/apa-examples/report/

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Home / Guides / Citation Guides / APA Format / How to Cite a Report in APA

How to Cite a Report in APA

This guide will teach you how to cite a report in APA and create accurate references and text in-citations for various types of reports. That includes citations for  government reports, annual reports, and reports made by both individuals, task forces, and organizations. The content of this guide is based on the 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (pp. 329-331).

Are you looking for information on how to cite a different kind of resource? Check out this EasyBib guide on creating an APA citation for a web page , or this one on formatting an APA book citation .

Guide Overview

What is gray literature, when the title doesn’t describe the literature type, when the author and publisher name are the same, how to cite a report from an organization or government agency, how to cite a report with listed author(s), how to cite a report that is part of a series, how to cite a report by a group, task force, or working group, how to cite an annual report, how to cite a press release, what you need.

To begin, let’s take a few moments to define what gray literature is.

Basically, gray literature includes any research or work that was produced by an individual or organization through non-traditional publishing routes.

A report is one example of gray literature. Reports are original research documents that are published by companies, organizations, or working groups that are intended to present the key findings of a specific research project. Since they are not distributed in a traditional way, reports are considered gray literature.

Though gray literature isn’t a traditional source type (like books, journals, newspapers, etc.), there can be a lot of value in gray literature.

Types include

• Annual reports
• Codes of ethics
• Conference proceedings
• Financial health reports
• Government accountability reports
• GrantsPeriodic reports
• Issue briefs
• Policy briefs
• Pharmacological studies
• Press releases
• Technical reports
• Unpublished clinical trials

In some cases, the type of gray literature that you are referencing may not be clear by the title alone, as is sometimes the case with policy briefs and press releases . In these instances, you should include a bracketed description of the gray literature immediately after the title.

Author last name, First initial. Middle initial. (Date published). Title of the work [Work description] (Associated number) . Publisher name. DOI or URL

To see an example of brackets in use, go down to the section on how to cite a press release .

According to the Publication Manual , when the author and publisher are the same, do not add the publisher element (329). To avoid redundancy in these references, you only need to use the name as the author.

Author last name, First initial. Middle initial. (Date published). Title of the work [Work description] (Associated number) . DOI or URL

In this example, the report has been both authored and published by the U.S. Department of the Interior. In cases such as these, provide the name of the organization or agency only once as the author element at the beginning of the reference.

U.S. Department of the Interior. (2016). Agency financial report FY 2016. https://www.doi.gov/sites/doi.gov/files/uploads/doi_fy_2016_afr.pdf

In-text citation example:

• Parenthetical citation: (U.S. Department of the Interior, 2016)
• Narrative citation: U.S. Department of the Interior (2016)

If you’re still a little unsure about how to cite a report, try our EasyBib citation form for reports .

If you are interested in learning more about how to cite gray literature, check out Section 10.4 of the Publication Manual .

Organization or Agency. (Year Published). Title of report or gray literature in sentence case (Associated number). Publisher Name. DOI or URL

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health. (2017). NIH Turning discovery into health. (NIH Publication No. 11-7634). https://www.nih.gov/sites/default/files/about-nih/discovery-into-health/nih-turning-discovery-into-health.pdf

Some government publications will have many departments listed as the author. According to the Publication Manual , you should choose the most detailed department and use that as the in-text citation author (Section 9.11).

• Parenthetical citation: (National Institutes of Health, 2017)
• Narrative citation: National Institutes of Health (2017)

If the report has a specific person or persons listed on the title page, then their names belong in the author position, and the organization belongs in the publisher position.

1st author last name, First initial. Middle initial., & 2nd Author last name, First initial, Middle initial. (Year Published). Title of report in sentence case (Associated number). Publisher Name. DOI or URL

Gerling, M., & Wilson, T. (2019). Evaluating the June area survey’s field enumerator training (RDD-19-01) . U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Research and Development Division. https://www.nass.usda.gov/Education_and_Outreach/Reports,_Presentations_and_Conferences/reports/Evaluating_the_June_Area_Surveys_Field_Enumerator_Training.pdf

For this example, we have chosen a research report which utilizes the U.S. Research and Development Division’s own indexing system (RDD-19-01). If the report is presented with a report number like this, it is included in the reference within parentheses right after the title.

In addition, there are multiple government agencies responsible for the report in addition to the individual authors. In this case, the agencies are all included in the publisher position and separated by a comma.

In-text citation:

• Parenthetical citation : (Gerling & Wilson, 2019)
• Narrative citation : Gerling & Wilson (2019)

Here’s one more example reference:

Gorbunova, Y. (2013). Laws of attrition: Crackdown on Russia’s civil society after Putin’s return to the presidency . Human Rights Watch. https://www.hrw.org/report/2013/04/24/laws-attrition/crackdown-russias-civil-society-after-putins-return-presidency#page

Note: Since no report number was identified, it was not included in the citation.

Author last name, First initial. Middle initial., & Author 2 last name, First initial, Middle initial. (Year published). Title of report in sentence case (Series Name, Series Number). Publisher Name. DOI or URL

Robson, S.G., Heiny, J.S., Arnold, L.R. (2000). Geohydrology of the shallow aquifers in the Boulder-Longmont area, Colorado (Hydrologic Atlas, 746). https://doi.org/10.3133/ha746D

• Parenthetical citation : (Robson et al., 2000)
• Narrative citation : Robson et al. (2000)

Name of Group. (Year Published). Title of report in sentence case (Associated number) . Publisher Name. DOI or URL

International Space Station Independent Safety Task Force. (2007). Final report. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/170368main_IIST_%20Final%20Report.pdf

• Parenthetical citation: (International Space Station Independent Safety Task Force, 2007)
• Narrative citation: International Space Station Independent Safety Task Force (2007)

Name of Organization or Company. (Year Published). Title of report in sentence case. URL

Yum! Brands. (2019). 2018 Annual Report. https://www.annualreports.com/HostedData/AnnualReports/PDF/NYSE_YUM_2018.pdf

Since annual reports are almost always published by the companies or organizations that commissioned them, the author and publisher name would be the same in a reference. To avoid this duplication, the organization name only needs to be listed once as the author; the publisher element can be left out.

• Parenthetical citation : (Yum! Brands, 2019)
• Narrative citation : Yum! Brands (2019)

Author Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. (Date published). Title of the work [Work description] (Associated number) . Publisher Name. DOI or URL

Chegg. (2019, June 6). Chegg reveals first of its kind equity plan to help its US employees pay off their student debt. https://investor.chegg.com/Press-Releases/press-release-details/2019/Chegg-reveals-first-of-its-kind-equity-plan-to-help-its-US-employees-pay-off-their-student-debt/default.aspx

• Parenthetical citation : (Chegg, 2019)
• Narrative citation : Chegg (2019)

A reference entry for a report, and other gray literature, will contain the the following source details:

• Author name
• Date published. Either year (2020) or year, month day (2020, February 14)
• Title of the work (in sentence case)
• Associated number (if applicable). Examples: Report No. 22, Project No. 567, Issue 101, etc.
• Work description (if needed). Examples: [Grant], [Policy brief], [Press release]
• Publisher name
• DOI or URL (if applicable). DOi would be formatted as https://doi.org/xxxx

Here’s a basic structure for citing gray literature:

Author last name, First initial. Middle initial. (Date published). Title of the work (Associated number) . Publisher Name. DOI or URL

American Psychological Association. (2020a). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

American Psychological Association. (2020b). Style-Grammar-Guidelines. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/citations/basic-principles/parenthetical-versus-narrative

Published August 10, 2012. Updated March 24, 2020.

Written and edited by Michele Kirschenbaum and Elise Barbeau. Michele Kirschenbaum is a school library media specialist and the in-house librarian at EasyBib.com. Elise Barbeau is the Citation Specialist at Chegg. She has worked in digital marketing, libraries, and publishing.

APA Formatting Guide

APA Formatting

• Annotated Bibliography
• Block Quotes
• et al Usage
• In-text Citations
• Multiple Authors
• Paraphrasing
• Page Numbers
• Parenthetical Citations
• Reference Page
• Sample Paper
• APA 7 Updates
• View APA Guide

Citation Examples

• Book Chapter
• Journal Article
• Magazine Article
• Newspaper Article
• Website (no author)
• View all APA Examples

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To cite a report in APA style, you need to have basic information including the name of the author/organization, publication year, title of the report, publisher, and/or URL. The templates for in-text citations and reference list entries for a report, along with examples, are given below.

In-text citation template and example:

Author Surname/Organization name (Publication Year)

Logan and Stults (2011)

Parenthetical:

(Author Surname/Organization name, Publication Year)

(Logan & Stults, 2011)

Reference list entry template and example:

Author or organization. (Year of publication). Title of the report (Report No. if applicable). Publisher. URL

Logan, J. R., & Stults, B. J. (2011). The persistence of segregation in the metropolis: New findings from the 2010 Census (Census Brief for Project US2010). American Communities Project, Brown University. www.s4.brown.edu/us2010/Data/Report/report2.pdf

The report title should be in sentence case and italics.

To cite a source with no title in APA style, it is important that you know some basic information such as the name of the author, date if possible, and other information depending upon the type of publication, such as journal article, book chapter, or map. The templates and examples for in-text citations and reference list entries for a source with no title are given below.

Author Surname (Publication Year)

Google (n.d.)

(Author Surname, Publication Year)

(Google, n.d.)

Author Surname, F. (Publication Year). [Description of the work]. Source. URL (if applicable)

Google. (n.d.). [Map of Google to travel by road from Chennai to New Delhi, India]. Retrieved August 21, 2021, from https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Chennai,+Tamil+Nadu/New+Delhi,+Delhi/@20.6384587,69.8777929,5z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x3a5265ea4f7d3361:0x6e61a70b6863d433!2m2!1d80.2707184!2d13.0826802!1m5!1m1!1s0x390cfd5b347eb62d:0x52c2b7494e204dce!2m2!1d77.2090212!2d28.6139391

Note that the “retrieved” date should only be included if the source is likely to change or become unavailable. Since the Google map cited in the example entry may be slightly different depending on the day (due to traffic conditions, road closures, etc.), the “retrieved” date is included.

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APA 7th referencing style

• About APA 7th
• Printing this guide
• In-text references
• Direct quotations
• Reference list
• Author information
• Additional referencing information
• Using headings
• Book chapter
• Brochure and pamphlets
• ChatGPT and other generative AI tools
• Conferences
• Dictionary or encyclopaedia
• Government legislation
• Journal article
• Lecture notes and slides
• Legal sources
• Newspaper or magazine article
• Other web sources
• Patents and standards
• Personal communication
• Press (media) release

Abbreviating groups as authors

Government report, industry/corporate report.

• Secondary source (indirect citation)
• Social media
• Software and mobile apps
• Specialised health information
• Television program
• Works in non-English languages
• Works in non-English scripts, such as Arabic or Chinese
• Group authors can be an organisation, professional association, company, government department
• Include the full name of the group the first time it is used. The abbreviation is included in square brackets.
• If the abbreviation is well known, it can be included for subsequent uses.

In-text Example:

United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund ([UNICEF], 2018)

(United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund [UNICEF], 2018)

• The full group name should be used in the reference list.
• << Previous: Press (media) release
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• Collections
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APA 7th Edition Citation Style Guide

• Basics & Help
• Journal Articles
• Web Sources
• Magazine & News Articles
• Audiovisual Media

Technical & Research Reports

Tests, scales, & inventories.

• Legal Documents
• Dissertations & Theses
• References Page
• In-text Citations
• Author Variations (more than 1, or group)
• Citing Business Resources

General Rule:

Author. (Year). Title of report  (Report No. if given). Publisher. DOI or URL

• If the author and the publishing agency are the same omit the publisher from the citation. 

  Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics. (2013). America’s children: key national indicators of well-being. http://childstats.gov/americaschildren/index2.asp.

Author or name of group. (Year). Title of data set [description of form]. Publisher Name or Source of

unpublished data. Retrieved month day, year, from DOI or URL

• Include a retrieval date only if the data set is designed to change over time. 
• If a version number and/or database number is available include it with the data set title. 
• No need to include a publisher name if it is the same as the author.
• If the data is unpublished provide the source (e.g. university) if known. 
• If the dataset is untitled, give a description of the data and publication status in square brackets.

Pew Internet & American Life Project. (2012). November 2012- library services [Data file and code book]. http://www.pewinternet.org/Shared-Content/Data-Sets/2012/November-2012--Library-Services.aspx

Jeffri, J., Schriel, A., & Throsby, D. (2003) The aDvANCE Project: A study of career transition for professional dancers (ICPSR 35598; Version V1)  [Data set].  IPCSR.  https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR35598.v1  

Whenever possible, give a citation for the measurements' supporting literature (e.g. manual, book, or journal article ). If the supporting literature is unavailable, cite the the test itself or database record using the following rule.

Author name. (year).  Title of the test. URL

Author name. (year).  Title of the test database record [Database record] . Test Database Name. URL

Hofstede , G &  Hofstede , G. J. (2013). Values Survey Module 2013 .  https://geerthofstede.com/research-and-vsm/vsm-2013/

Castellanos, I., Kronenberger, W.G., & Pisoni, D.B.   ( 2018 ). Learning, Executive, and Attention Function Scale

(LEAF) [Database record]. PsycTESTS.  https://doi.org/10.1037/t66008-000

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APA Citation Style 7th Edition: Welcome

• Advertisements
• Books & eBooks
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• Class Handouts, Presentations, and Readings
• Encyclopedias & Dictionaries
• Government Documents
• Images, Charts, Graphs, Maps & Tables
• Journal Articles
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• Personal Communication (Interviews, Emails)
• Social Media
• Videos & DVDs
• Paraphrasing
• No Author, No Date etc.
• Sample Papers
• Annotated Bibliography

What is APA?

APA style was created by the American Psychological Association. It is a set of rules for publications, including research papers.

In APA, you must "cite" sources that you have paraphrased, quoted or otherwise used to write your research paper. Cite your sources in two places:

• In the body of your paper where you add a brief in-text citation.
• In the Reference list at the end of your paper where you give more complete information for the source.

Acknowledgement

What's new in the 7th edition of apa.

Below is a summary of the major changes in the 7th edition of the APA Publication Manual.

Essay Format:

• Font - While you still can use Times New Roman 12, you are free to use other fonts. Calibri 11, Arial 11, Lucida Sans 10, and Georgia 11 are all acceptable.
• Headers - No running headers are required for student papers.
• Tables and Figures - There is a standardized format for both tables and figures.

Style, Grammar, Usage:

• Singular "they" required in two situations: when used by a known person as their personal pronoun or when the gender of a singular person is not known.
• Use only one space after a sentence-ending period.

Citation Style:

• Developed the 'Four Elements of a Reference" (Author, Date, Title, Source) to help writers to create references for source types not explicitly examined in the APA Manual.
• Three or more authors can be abbreviated to First author, et al. on the first citation.
• Up to 20 authors are spelled out in the References List.
• Publisher location is not required for books
• Ebook platform, format, or device is not required for eBooks.  
• Library database names are generally not required
• No "doi:" prefix, simply include the doi.
• All hyperlinks retain the https://
• Links can be "live" in blue with underline or black without underlining

Commonly Used Terms

Citing : The process of acknowledging the sources of your information and ideas.

DOI (doi) : Some electronic content, such as online journal articles, is assigned a unique number called a Digital Object Identifier (DOI or doi). Items can be tracked down online using their doi.

In-Text Citation : A brief note at the point where information is used from a source to indicate where the information came from. An in-text citation should always match more detailed information that is available in the Reference List.

Paraphrasing : Taking information that you have read and putting it into your own words.

Plagiarism : Taking, using, and passing off as your own, the ideas or words of another.

Quoting : The copying of words of text originally published elsewhere. Direct quotations generally appear in quotation marks and end with a citation.

Reference : Details about one cited source.

Reference List : Contains details on ALL the sources cited in a text or essay, and supports your research and/or premise.

Retrieval Date : Used for websites where content is likely to change over time (e.g. Wikis), the retrieval date refers to the date you last visited the website.

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APA Style 7th Edition: Citing Your Sources

Apa 7th edition, what is the purpose, quick links.

• In Text Quick View
• Block Quotes
• Books & eBooks
• Thesis/Dissertation
• Audiovisual
• Conference Presentations
• Social Media
• Legal References
• Reports and Gray Literature
• Academic Integrity and Plagiarism
• Additional Resources
• Reference Page

APA Publications in the Library

This guide pertains to the 7th edition of the APA Manual.

This guide is designed to support the citation and reference needs of USC students, staff, and faculty.  The 7th edition of the manual does make distinctions between formatting certain components for academic use over publication.  This guide will distinguish student/academic formatting where applicable. 

This guide is designed as a "quick" reference to common APA citation, reference and formatting criteria.  When in doubt, we encourage users to consult with the APA publication manual or APA website for further clarification as the authority on formatting.

Attribution for guide: Adapted from American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed).  https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

What is the purpose of citations?

Citations help readers locate your sources. They help to continue the scholarly conversation. To learn more about how citations can help you avoid plagiarism, view this interactive tutorial: 

USC Library Lessons: Avoiding Plagiarism through Citations

When considering citations and references for your papers, you can ask yourself, "could someone find this information in the future?"

A client's personal file would not need a citation because your reader cannot go find that information again.  Census statistics would require a citation because your reader could go locate that information again.

APA requires FOUR ELEMENTS of every citation:

• Who- Author of content
• When- Date content was published
• What- Title of content
• Where- Publication information. This can be the website you got it from or the journal or book's publication information.

If any of the elements listed above are unavailable, check out "Missing Reference Information" from APA for more information.

• APA Style Website As part of our Style and Grammar Guidelines, we explain the basics of paper format, grammar, punctuation, in-text citations, references, bias-free language, and more. Much of what you used to find on the sixth edition blog, you can now find on the APA Style website.
• Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper by Robert V. Labaree Last Updated Apr 11, 2024 469861 views this year
• Owl Purdue 7th Edition Style Guide and Formatting Writing guide from Owl Purdue covering the 7th edition of the APA Manual
• Quick Reference Guide Quick guide on how to identify components to configure a reference for Journal article, book, and chapter from an edited book.
• Annotated Sample Student Paper Sample student paper with formatting annotations.
• Sample student paper
• Annotated Sample Professional Paper Sample professional paper with formatting annotations
• Sample professional paper
• USC Libraries APA Style Quick Guide
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APA Style (7th ed.)

• Cite: Why? When?
• Book, eBook, Dissertation

Article or Report

• Business Sources
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools
• In-Text Citation
• Format Your Paper

Basic structure for an article: 

Author, a. a., & author, b. b. (year). title of article in non-italics: capital letter also for subtitle.  journal title in italics, volume# (issue#), pg#-pg#. https://doi.org/10.xxxxxxxx.

You can leave out any parts that you don't have, like a DOI, the volume, issue, or page numbers.

Jump to more specific examples by using the table below: 

Online or Print, with DOI (p. 316+ in Manual)

On all article citations, whether you read online or print, include the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) if available.  The DOI is like a digital thumbprint: its unique and permanent numbers and letters help identify it. It is typically on the first or last page of the article. It may also be listed in the  CrossRef Database . If you are having trouble finding the DOI,  ask a librarian .  If there is no DOI, see  this example . 

Note  that as of March 2017,  CrossRef  and  APA  both recommend that DOIs be formatted as such:  https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx  with no period at the end.  

In-text Citation

Parenthetical Citation :  The Coast Guard narrative provides meaning to the practice of modern day piracy (Bueger, 2013).

Narrative Citation : According to Bueger (2013) the coast guard narrative can be treated as a "meaningful fiction which gives coherence to the practice of piracy" (p. 1824). 

Two Authors

List both authors in the order they appear in the article. Use an ampersand (&) rather than "and" between the author names.

Parenthetical Citation : In the fast fashion business model, retailers use enhanced design and quick response to complement each other (Cachon & Swinney, 2005).

Narrative Citation : Cachon & Swinney (2005) explain how enhanced design and quick response complement each other in the fast fashion retail model. 

Three or more authors 

List each author in the order they appear in the article. Use an ampersand (&) rather than "and" between the last two.

If you have more than 20 authors, list the first 19 authors, then ..., then the last author (so there is a total of 20 names in the citation). 

Parenthetical Citation :  Group membership may determine the bias of language used by an individual describing a specific event (Wenneker et al., 2005).

Narrative Citation : According to Wenneker et al., (2005) an individual's group membership may determine the bias of language used to describe a specific event.

Report (see p. 329-330 in Manual)

After the report title, include any report number if available and the Source, which can be thought of like the Publisher of a book.

Group Author or Government Report (see p. 329-330 in Manual)

In governmental reports, you can have multiple "levels," or offices/departments, in the Source element, separated by a comma.

The  Author  is the office that was most directly responsible for creating the content, and any parent offices are the  Source . If you aren't sure which office created the content, look on Google or on their general webpage to figure out the structure -- which office is "under" another office?

Parenthetical Citation :  Law enforcement agencies have started to increase the use of drones since 2016 for a variety of purposes (Police Executive Research Forum, 2020).

Narrative Citation : According to the Police Executive Research Forum (2020), law enforcement agencies have been using drones for a variety of purposes such as search and rescue, crime scene reconstruction, and disaster response.

Named Author 

Parenthetical Citation :  A large share of the manufacturing labor force in certain developing countries consists of self-employed individuals (McKenzie, 2009).

Narrative Citation : McKenzie (2009) states that "Self-employment accounts for a large share of the labor force in most developing countries" (p.211).

Online or Print, no DOI  (p. 317 in Manual)

Italicize the journal title and volume number, but not the issue number in parentheses. 

Parenthetical Citation : The limited academic presence of Latino scholars has led to non-Latino administrators and colleagues having a greater impact on Latino Studies programs (Aparicio, 1999).

Narrative Citation : According to Aparicio (1999), the limited academic presence of Latino scholars translates to non-Latino administrators and colleagues having a greater impact on Latino Studies programs.

Magazine (p. 320 in Manual)

Online with no doi.

Include the stable URL. Page numbers, volume, and issue may be omitted if not available. 

Parenthetical Citation :  Marcus Hutchins was lauded as the hacker who saved the internet for his work in stopping the WannaCry cyber security attack (Greenberg, 2020).

Narrative Citation : Greenberg (2020) outlined Marcus Hutchins journey from creating malware to being lauded as the hacker who saved the internet.

Print or from a Database with no DOI

Italicize the magazine title and volume number, but not the issue number in parentheses.  If a magazine has a month and/or date, you may include that.

Parenthetical Citation :  Approximately 20 million Americans have been recruited for clinical trials each year (Rodgers, 2009).

Narrative Citation : Rodgers (2009) estimates that approximately 20 million Americans have been recruited for clinical trials each year. 

Newspaper (p. 320 in Manual)

• Use this format for articles from both print newspapers as well as newspaper websites such as  The New York Times  or  The Washington Post.
• Use the format for  websites  for citing articles from a news website. Common examples are BBC News, BET News, Bloomberg, CNN, HuffPost, MSNBC, Reuters, Salon, and Vox. These sites do not have associated daily or weekly newspapers.

Parenthetical Citation :  Foreign language instruction supporters would prefer the integration of lessons into the core curriculum thus preventing their easy removal during budget cuts (Hu, 2009).

Narrative Citation : Hu (2009) reports that supporters of foreign language instruction would prefer lessons be integrated into the core curriculum to prevent their easy removal during budget cuts. 

Print or from a Database with no DOI 

If an article appears on discontinuous pages, list each of the page numbers where it appears. For multiple pages, use "pp." Most newspapers have a month and/or date, so include that.

Parenthetical Citation : The recent migrant crisis has caused the police chief to reach out to state and federal elected officials for financial support (Fidlin, 2023).

Narrative Citation : According to Fidlin (2023) the police chief has reached out to state and federal elected officials for financial support to aid in the recent migrant crisis.

No Author, Volume, or Issue Number 

Remember that APA encourages researchers to use the name of a corporate author, a governmental organization, an office, a department, etc. as the author (see  an example like this) .

However, if no author can be found, as is sometimes the case with newspaper and magazine articles, begin the citation with the title of the article. 

Parenthetical Citation :  Close to three hundred deaths reported in Alberta in 2015 have been connected to illicit fentanyl (How Globe and Mail reporters traced the rise of fentanyl, 2016).

Narrative Citation : According to the article, How Globe and Mail reporters traced the rise of fentanyl (2015) close to three hundred deaths reported in Alberta in 2015 have been connected to illicit fentanyl. 

Parenthetical Citation :  The Hmong in Minnesota have continued their cultural traditions such as celebrating the Hmong New Year in spite of  expatriation (In the US, Hmong New Year, 2023).

Note: Shorten the title for the in-text citation if it is too long. 

Conference Session

Parenthetical Citation : Music therapy is a good way for teachers to help engage their students in the classroom (Fistek et al., 2017).

Narrative Citation : Fistek et al. (2017) argue that music therapy is a good way for teachers to help their students in the classroom. 

More questions? Check out the authoritative source:  APA style blog

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APA 7th Edition Citation Examples

• Volume and Issue Numbers
• Page Numbers
• Undated Sources
• Citing a Source Within a Source
• In-Text Citations
• Academic Journals
• Encyclopedia Articles
• Book, Film, and Product Reviews
• Online Classroom Materials
• Conference Papers

Format for technical and research reports

• Court Decisions
• Treaties and Other International Agreements
• Federal Regulations: I. The Code of Federal Regulations
• Federal Regulations: II. The Federal Register
• Executive Orders
• Charter of the United Nations
• Federal Statutes
• Dissertations and Theses
• Interviews, E-mail Messages + Other Personal Communications
• Social Media
• Business Sources
• PowerPoints
• AI: ChatGPT, etc.

Author last name, first initial. (Date).  Title of report  (Publication No.). Publisher. DOI or URL

• Author:  List the last name, followed by the first initial (and second initial). See  Authors  for more information.
• Date:  List the date between parentheses, followed by a period
• Title of report:  In italics. Capitalize the first word of the title, subtitle, and proper nouns.
• Publication number: Omit if unavailable for the source that you're citing
• Publisher:  List the report's publisher. If the publisher is the same as the author, do not list the name a second time.
• DOI or URL:  List DOI or URL if available

See specific examples below.

U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2010). Information security: Concerted effort needed to consolidate and secure Internet connections at federal agencies (Publication No. GAO-10-237). http://www.gao.gov/assets/310/301876.pdf

U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2010). Information security: Concerted effort needed to consolidate and secure Internet connections at federal agencies (Publication No. GAO-10-237).

See  Publication Manual , 10.4.

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APA Style 7th Edition Tutorials for Students in Psychology and Social Work

What is apa style.

• The Importance of Citing

Why is APA Style needed?

How do i get started with apa style, let us practice what we have learned, attribution and acknowledgement.

• Basics of APA Style Tutorial
• Reference Entry Elements
• Reference Examples
• Reference List
• In-Text Citations
• Student Paper Format
• Managing References - Zotero

Origination of APA Style

• Where did APA Style come from?

Commonly Used APA Related Terms

Abstract : Abstract is a brief synopses of article. It provides a brief but comprehensive summary of the article. 

Citing : In the context of academic writing, citing is the act of acknowledging the sources of information you have used when writing your work.

Citation:  A citation gives credit to a source, and contains publication information such as author(s), title and date.

DOI (digital object identifier): It is a unique alphanumeric string assigned to a digital object, mainly a scholarly article, to provide a persistent link to its location on the internet. 

In-Text Citation : It is a brief note that appears within the body of the paper and briefly identifies the cited work by its author and date of publication. An in-text citation should always match the corresponding entry in the reference list at the end of paper.

Paraphrasing : A paraphrase restates another’s idea (or your own previously published idea) in your own words. 

Plagiarism : It is the act of presenting the words, ideas, or images of another as your own; it denies creators of content the credit they are due. 

Quoting : It is the act of reproducing the exact wording used by the original author. Direct quotations appear within quotation marks and end with a citation.

Reference : It contains details about one cited work, generally including four elements:  author, date, title, and source.  

Reference List : It identifies all the sources you cited in the text of your paper. It generally is at the end of the paper and definitely on a new page after the text of your paper. 

APA Style is the most common writing style used in college and career. Its purpose is to promote excellence in communication by helping writers create clear, precise, and inclusive sentences with a straightforward scholarly tone. It addresses areas of writing such as how to

• format a paper so it looks professional;
• credit other people’s words and ideas via citations and references to avoid plagiarism; and
• describe other people with dignity and respect using inclusive, bias-free language.

APA Style is primarily used in the behavioral sciences, which are subjects related to people, such as psychology, education, and nursing. It is also used by students in business, engineering, communications, and other classes. Students use it to write academic essays and research papers in college, and professionals use it to conduct, report, and publish scientific research.

In addition, APA Style provides you with a powerful tool that will hep you avoid deliberate or unintentional plagiarism. Please review the Avoiding Plagiarism Guide created by the APA experts to understand what two common types of plagiarism are and how to avoid them. 

Why is learning citations important? Citations help readers understand where the information used in your paper comes from, enabling them to trace the path of that information. When readers wish to explore a specific point or reference cited in the text, citations make it easier by providing information about your sources in a standardized format.

Besides showing readers where you obtained information, using citations also has a strong ethical purpose. In academic writing, it is important to credit ideas that are not your own. Citations allow you to integrate the ideas of others with your own thoughts in a fair and honest way.

The reference formats for APA Style manuals are as follows:

APA Style provides a foundation for effective scholarly communication because it helps authors present their ideas in a clear and concise, and organized manner.  Uniformity and consistency enable readers to (a) focus on the ideas being presented rather than formatting and (b) scan works quickly for key points, findings, and sources. When style works best, ideas flow logically, sources are credited appropriately, and papers are organized predictably and consistently. 

Students are encouraged to first learn about APA Style by reading works written in APA Style. A couple of guides created by APA experts from the American Psychological Association can help you with that:

Anatomy of a Journal Article   https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/anatomy-journal-article.pdf

Scholarly journal articles share a common anatomy or structure. Each part of an article serves a specific purpose. The handout of  Anatomy of a Journal Article explains how journal articles are structured and how to become more efficient at reading and understanding them. Understanding the structure of a scholarly article and the purpose of each part helps you grasp a strategy called targeted reading. Targeted reading means to read specific sections of research articles first to determine if the article seems useful for your research topic. This way you will save time, find useful article faster, and choose which articles to read in full.

Reading and Understanding Abstracts https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/reading-abstracts.pdf

Abstracts are short summaries of scientific research articles. The handout of Reading & Understanding Abstracts explains the definition and purpose of abstracts and the benefits of reading them, including analysis of a sample abstract. The skill of reading and understanding abstracts of scholarly articles not only saves time but also helps you conduct better research and write more effectively.

APA Style Writing Principles https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/writing-principles.pdf

The poster created by APA experts shows the three main principles of APA Style: clarity, precision, and inclusion and lists steps on how to achieve them. As a student writer, you always should write your academic paper with clarity, precision, and inclusion. 

Research Article Activity https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/apa-style-research-activity.pdf

Reading research articles is not an easy task for you as a student. The Research Article Activity designed by APA Style experts aims to make it easy to read and understand a scholarly article. This activity worksheet helps you find, cite, analyze, and summarize a research article. Completing this activity breaks down a lengthy research article into easily understandable chunks. This way helps you better understand the study in the article before you write about it. 

The information in this Guide   is courtesy of   the official APA Style website by the American Psychological Association.

Source Credit: Information on this LibGuide comes from APA Style website https://apastyle.apa.org/ This website has a wealth of free and authoritative resources designed to help anyone new to APA Style.

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• Last Updated: Apr 6, 2024 12:06 PM
• URL: https://research.ewu.edu/APAStyleTutorial

• AUT Library
• Library Guides
• Referencing styles and applications

APA 7th Referencing Style Guide

• Reports & grey literature
• Referencing & APA style
• In-text citation
• Elements of a reference
• Format & examples of a reference list
• Conferences

Reference format

Code of ethics, press releases, waitangi tribunal reports.

• Figures (graphs and images)
• Theses and dissertations
• Audio works
• Films, TV & video
• Visual works
• Computer software, games & apps
• Lecture notes & Intranet resources
• Legal resources
• Personal communications
• PowerPoint slides
• Social media
• Specific health examples
• Standards & patents
• Websites & webpages
• Footnotes and appendices
• Frequently asked questions
• Reports include annual reports, government reports, technical reports and research reports.
• Grey literature includes press releases, codes of ethics, grants, policy briefs and other unpublished research.
• It is optional, but sometimes helpful, to describe the type of material in square brackets after the title
• If the publisher is the same as the author, omit the publisher from the source element

Find how to cite in text on the  In-text citation  page.

Annual report, government report, reports from a database.

• For works from databases with limited circulation (e.g. Passport, ERIC,  MarketLine, etc.) and requiring a login to access, provide the name of the database and the URL of the database homepage when the publication is original and is only available in that database. APA Manual s. 9.30, pp. 296-297

Print report

Online report   .

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APA 7th ed. Style Guide

• Formatting Your Paper
• In-text Citations
• Textual Works
• Data Sets, Software, Tests
• Audiovisual Media
• Online Media

APA 7th edition Publication Manual

Research Coach

Make a research coach appointment with a librarian today and get help framing research questions, finding or accessing resources, and citation help.  Students can meet with a librarian face-to-face in Jackson or through Microsoft Teams video conferencing.

APA Reference Style

Remember: this is an overview of apa 7th edition citation style not a substitute for using the publication manual or following your professors' instructions.

The information on this guide was created using 7th edition APA Publication Manual

American Psychological Association. (2020).  Publication manual of the American psychological Association  (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

What is APA 7th edition citation style?

APA or the American Psychological Association is an organization that publishes standards for academic research. Generally speaking, research in the fields of education, nursing, business, psychology, and social work follow these standards. The publication manual outlines the guidelines for formatting the paper, citing sources, grammar, and research reporting.

Why use APA 7th edition citation style?

APA 7th edition is one standard for formatting research papers that provides consistency in look and citation. All writers need to cite or give credit to others' ideas. The APA citation style gives rules for properly giving credit where credit is due. This also allows readers to do further research without be bogged down by citation interruptions.

When to use APA 7th edition citation style?

All academic research papers and presentations will follow a citation style. Use APA when the journal or professor requires this style or in fields like education, nursing, business, psychology, and social work. APA 7th edition is the most up to date edition released in Fall 2019. Please check with your professor regarding the edition to use.

How to cite in APA 7th edition citation style?

In-text citation: (Author last name, Publication date)

Reference List

Benjes-Small, C. & Miller, R. K. (2017). The new instruction librarian: A workbook for trainers and learners. ALA editions.

Major Updates in 7th edition

The following are some major changes between the 6th and 7th editions of the APA publication manual:

• No longer list publisher location
• doi should be written as a URL (https://www.doi.org/...)
• Different title page formatting for student versus professional papers
• New guidelines on using singular "they" and bias-free language
• For in-text citations with three or more authors use et al. after listing the first author's last name
• Use the doi whenever possible 
• Only in special cases uses the permalink for a journal article
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• Last Updated: Mar 20, 2024 11:48 AM
• URL: https://guides.uu.edu/APA7

Research Strategies

• Reference Resources
• News Articles
• Scholarly Sources
• Search Strategy
• OneSearch Tips
• Evaluating Information
• Revising & Polishing
• Presentations & Media
• MLA 9th Citation Style
• APA 7th Citation Style
• Other Citation Styles
• Citation Managers
• Annotated Bibliography
• Literature Review How to

APA Style Guides, 7th edition

• Style Guide, citing in APA 7th edition This guide includes citation examples for a variety of sources, information on in-text citations, and a sample reference list.
• APA 7 for Business This is a continuously updated document created by business librarians across the US to give citation examples for common business databases (Mintel, Business Source Premier, IBIS, etc.) and documents (reports, analysis, etc.).
• Sample Student Paper 7th edition From APA Style Blog

View the   APA Style website  for additional style and grammar guidelines.

Basic APA Formatting Guidelines 

• Reference list entries are alphabetized by author’s last name or equivalent.
• Reference lists are doubled spaced with a hanging indent after the first line of each entry
• References (in bold) should appear at the top center of the page.
• When referring to books, chapters, articles, or webpage titles , capitalize only the first letter of the first word of a title and subtitle, the first word after a colon or a dash in the title, and proper nouns
• Example: Last, F. M., Last, F. M., & Last, F. M.
• Parenthetical citation: “Direct quote” (Furlong, 2015, p.25).
• Narrative citation, if the author is mentioned in the sentence, place the year after the last name and the page number after the quote. Example: Furlong (2015) found that “direct quote” (p. 25)
• More guidelines can be found in the PDF Style Guide, citing in APA 7th edition . 

APA 7th Annotated Bibliography Examples

Journal article.

Alvarez, N. & Mearns, J. (2014). The benefits of writing and performing in the spoken word poetry community.  The Arts in Psychotherapy, 41 (3), 263-268.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2014.03.004 Prior research has shown narrative writing to help with making meaning out of trauma. This article uses grounded theory to analyze semi-structured interviews with ten spoken word poets.  Because spoken word poetry is performed live, it creates personal and community connections that enhance the emotional development and resolution offered by the practice of writing. The findings are limited by the small, nonrandom sample (all the participants were from the same community).

• APA 7th Sample Annotated Bibliography
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APA Citation Style

• Additional Resources
• In-Text Citations
• References Page

General Formatting Guidelines

• Plagiarism This link opens in a new window
• Additional Styles This link opens in a new window

Paper Size: 8.5"x11"

Margins: 1" on each side

Font Type and Size: Readable and consistent

• Suggested Font Types: Times New Roman, Helvetica, Courier
• Suggested Font Size: 10-13

Line-Spacing: Double

Page Numbers: Top-right corner

If your professor has a preferred format, use that. 

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How to Format Your Research Paper

Writing your paper: apa 7th edition, apa style papers 7th edition.

• MLA Paper Format
• Chicago Paper Format
• Hanging Indents
• Ask a Librarian

APA 7th Edition Resources

• APA Style Blog The style and grammar guidelines pages present information about APA Style as described in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition.
• Purdue OWL: APA Style Guide This Purdue OWL style guide will help you in citing your sources in the APA Style commonly used to cite sources within the area of social sciences.

Printable APA 7th Edition Guides

Creating citations using APA 7th Edition:

• APA 7th Edition Citations - PDF
• APA 7th Edition Citations - Word

Creating in-text citations using APA 7th Edition:

• APA 7th In-Text Citations - PDF
• APA 7th In-Text Citations - Word

Integrating sources into the text of your paper using signal phrases:

• Integrating Sources - PDF
• Integrating Sources - Word

Things to know before you begin:

• Sans serif fonts: Arial (11-point), Calibri (11-point), or Lucinda Sans Unicode (10-point)
• Serif fonts: Times New Roman (12-point), Georgia (11-point), or Computer Modern (10-point)
• Margins:  1 inch on all sides
• Paragraphs:  All paragraphs (except in the Abstract) should be indented
• Spacing:  All of the text in your paper should be double-spaced (title page included)

Typical APA style papers have four main sections:

See the tabs below for a breakdown of how each portion should be formatted.

• Paper Templates
• Sample Papers
• APA 7 Citations

Below you will find templates for APA Style papers. Click the link to make a copy of the file. 

• Google Docs : To make a copy of these templates you must first sign in to your Google account. After you’re signed in, click "File" and then click “Make a Copy.”
• Microsoft Word : To make a copy of these templates download the file. 

• APA Style Student Paper Template (7th Edition) - Word Download a copy of this Word Doc and change the pre-filled information to your own.

APA Style Report Templates: These templates include multiple heading levels and should be used for report style papers.

• APA Style Student Report Template (7th Edition) - Word Download a copy of this Word Doc and change the pre-filled information to your own.

Below you will find an example of an accurately formatted APA Style student paper. 

• APA Style Student Paper Sample (7th Edition) - PDF Click here to see a sample of an accurately formatted APA style student paper.
• APA Style Student Paper Sample (7th Edition) - Word Click here to see a sample of an accurately formatted APA style student paper.

Place only page numbers in the header. 

Your paper should have the full title in bold. Place an extra space beneath the title and before your name.

Your name, your affiliation, the course title, professor’s name, and due date should be double spaced beneath the title.

All of this should be in the center of the title page.

• Put the word “Abstract” on the top of the page. Be sure it is center-aligned and in bold.
• Do not indent any paragraphs on this page.

Indent all other paragraphs throughout the body of the paper. 

• Place the entire title of your paper in Title Case on the top line of a new page.
• Be sure it is center-aligned and in bold.

• Center-align the word “References” on the first line of a new page, be sure that it is in bold.
• Your citations should be alphabetized.
• Entries are double-spaced with no extra lines between them.
• Be sure to use a hanging indent for any citations that require more than one line.

Need help formatting your APA style citations using the 7th edition of the  Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association ? Click the image or link below to go to the citation guide.

• APA 7th Edition Citations

Need help learning what hanging indents are and how to create them using Google Docs or Microsoft Word? 

• Hanging Indents This page gives a brief description of what they are, where to find information on when and how to properly use them, and also video tutorials on how to create them.
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To cite this LibGuide use the following templates:

APA : Northern Essex Community College Library. (Date updated). Title of page . Title of LibGuide. URL

MLA : Northern Essex Community College Library. "Title of Page." Title of LibGuide, Date updated, URL.

Academic Research: Differences between MLA and APA Formats

This essay about the distinctions between MLA and APA formats offers a clear guide on when and why to use each in academic writing. It explains that MLA format is preferred in humanities and liberal arts for its focus on authorship and streamlined in-text citations, whereas APA format is favored in the social sciences, emphasizing recent research through citations that include the publication year. Structural differences in title pages, headings, and reference details are highlighted to show how each format caters to the specific needs of its discipline. The essay underscores the importance of choosing the correct format based on the academic field, assignment requirements, or publication standards, illustrating how these formats facilitate clear, organized scholarly communication within their respective areas of study.

How it works

In the world of academic writing, adhering to a specific formatting style is not just about preference but a necessity for clarity, consistency, and scholarly integrity. Among the most widely used styles are the Modern Language Association (MLA) and the American Psychological Association (APA) formats. Each serves its unique purpose and is tailored to the requirements of different fields of study. This comparison seeks to demystify the primary distinctions between MLA and APA formats, guiding students and researchers in choosing the appropriate style for their work.

At the heart of the MLA format is the liberal arts and humanities discipline. It emphasizes authorship because these fields prioritize individual ideas and interpretations. The MLA format uses parenthetical in-text citations with the author’s last name and the page number from which the information was taken, alongside a Works Cited page at the end of the document. This approach facilitates a direct, seamless integration of sources, allowing readers to engage with the text without interruption.

Conversely, the APA format is predominantly used in the social sciences. It focuses on the date of publication, reflecting the importance of recent research in these fields. APA citations include the author’s last name and the year of publication within the text and a reference list at the document’s end. This method underscores the timeliness of the information, which is crucial in disciplines where knowledge constantly evolves.

The structural differences between the two formats extend to the title page, headings, and layout. MLA does not require a title page for most student papers, whereas APA typically requires a title page that includes the paper’s title, the author’s name, and the institutional affiliation. APA also has specific guidelines for headings that help organize the paper into sections and sub-sections, making it easier to navigate through complex studies. MLA’s approach is more straightforward, with fewer requirements for section division, reflecting the often more narrative nature of humanities writing.

Another notable difference lies in the presentation of the reference list. MLA’s Works Cited page is concerned primarily with ensuring readers can find the sources. In contrast, APA’s References page offers more detailed publication information, including the city of publication and the publisher for books, and even the DOI (Digital Object Identifier) for journal articles. This comprehensive approach in APA is designed to facilitate the replication of research, a core aspect of the scientific method.

Choosing between MLA and APA formats ultimately depends on the disciplinary context and the specific requirements of the assignment or publication. Educators and journals usually specify the preferred format, but understanding the rationale behind each style can enhance the writer’s ability to engage with the academic community more effectively.

In conclusion, while MLA and APA formats share the common goal of promoting clear and organized scholarly communication, their differences are tailored to the needs of their respective disciplines. MLA’s streamlined, author-focused approach supports the interpretive nature of the humanities, whereas APA’s detailed, date-focused style is designed to highlight the evolution of knowledge in the social sciences. Recognizing these distinctions not only aids in proper citation but also in appreciating the diverse ways in which knowledge is constructed and shared across the academic landscape. As students and researchers navigate the complex world of academic writing, an understanding of these formats becomes a critical tool in their scholarly arsenal, enabling them to contribute their voices to the ongoing dialogue within their fields.

Cite this page

Academic Research: Differences Between MLA and APA Formats. (2024, Mar 25). Retrieved from https://papersowl.com/examples/academic-research-differences-between-mla-and-apa-formats/

"Academic Research: Differences Between MLA and APA Formats." PapersOwl.com , 25 Mar 2024, https://papersowl.com/examples/academic-research-differences-between-mla-and-apa-formats/

PapersOwl.com. (2024). Academic Research: Differences Between MLA and APA Formats . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/academic-research-differences-between-mla-and-apa-formats/ [Accessed: 14 Apr. 2024]

"Academic Research: Differences Between MLA and APA Formats." PapersOwl.com, Mar 25, 2024. Accessed April 14, 2024. https://papersowl.com/examples/academic-research-differences-between-mla-and-apa-formats/

"Academic Research: Differences Between MLA and APA Formats," PapersOwl.com , 25-Mar-2024. [Online]. Available: https://papersowl.com/examples/academic-research-differences-between-mla-and-apa-formats/. [Accessed: 14-Apr-2024]

PapersOwl.com. (2024). Academic Research: Differences Between MLA and APA Formats . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/academic-research-differences-between-mla-and-apa-formats/ [Accessed: 14-Apr-2024]

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Computer Science > Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition

Title: few-shot object detection: research advances and challenges.

Abstract: Object detection as a subfield within computer vision has achieved remarkable progress, which aims to accurately identify and locate a specific object from images or videos. Such methods rely on large-scale labeled training samples for each object category to ensure accurate detection, but obtaining extensive annotated data is a labor-intensive and expensive process in many real-world scenarios. To tackle this challenge, researchers have explored few-shot object detection (FSOD) that combines few-shot learning and object detection techniques to rapidly adapt to novel objects with limited annotated samples. This paper presents a comprehensive survey to review the significant advancements in the field of FSOD in recent years and summarize the existing challenges and solutions. Specifically, we first introduce the background and definition of FSOD to emphasize potential value in advancing the field of computer vision. We then propose a novel FSOD taxonomy method and survey the plentifully remarkable FSOD algorithms based on this fact to report a comprehensive overview that facilitates a deeper understanding of the FSOD problem and the development of innovative solutions. Finally, we discuss the advantages and limitations of these algorithms to summarize the challenges, potential research direction, and development trend of object detection in the data scarcity scenario.

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