How to Cite the CDC Website as a Source in APA Format

PDF download Download Article
Create in-text & reference list citations in APA with our guide
PDF download Download Article

The American Psychological Association (APA) is the governing body that creates the rules for citing sources for people who work or study in the sciences, education, and psychology. If you need to cite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in APA 7th Edition format for an article or a paper, this step-by-step guide will show you the correct way to do it.

How to Reference the CDC in APA

Write Center for Disease Control and Prevention ending with a period. Note the publication year in parentheses, followed by a period. Write the webpage title in sentence case and italics. End with the page URL. For example: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Year, Month Date). Title of page. URL

Section 1 of 3:

How to Cite the CDC in a Reference List

PDF download Download Article
  1. The very first item in your reference list citation should be the full name of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, followed by a period. Then, include the year of publication in parentheses, also followed by a period. For example: [1]
    • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017).
    • If you're citing more than one document from the CDC published in the same year, distinguish them by putting a letter after the year. For instance, you might write "Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017a)." and "Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017b)." Use "a" for whichever source comes first alphabetically by title.
    • For each citation, make the first line left-justified and indent each subsequent line 1 ⁄ 2  in (1.3 cm) afterward. This is called a hanging indentation .
  2. After the name of the CDC and the publication date, list the full title of the CDC webpage you're quoting from, followed by a period. Write it in italics and use sentence case capitalization. In sentence case, most words (all except the first word and words that appear after colons or semicolons) aren't capitalized. Finally, include the URL of the page with no period after it. [2] For example:
    • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017). Family health and diabetes . [3]
    Advertisement
  3. When writing a reference page in APA format, list all the entries in alphabetical order . Sort them according to the first letter of the first word of the entry, excluding “a,” “an,” or “the.” [4]
    4. Advertisement
Section 2 of 3:

Writing the First CDC In-Text Citation

PDF download Download Article
  1. For the first in-text citation, reference the CDC by its full name (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), followed by its abbreviation. Include "CDC" in parentheses if you're introducing it as a source before the quotation or in brackets if you're referencing it after the quotation. We explain the 2 different ways to write it below. [5]
    • With introductory text : According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)...
    • Without introductory text : Certain studies have shown that "Over 30 million people have diabetes" (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC]).
  2. Always include the year of publication for the source you're citing in-text. APA format is often used by scientists and other researchers who value using the most recent, up-to-date research, so including the publication date is vital. For example: [6]
    • According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "Over 30 million people have diabetes" (2017).
    • Include the publication year in an in-text citation even after paraphrased material, not just direct quotes.
    • Differentiate CDC articles or documents published in the same year by adding a letter after the year. For example, your in-text citations could read "(CDC, 2017a)" and "(CDC, 2017b)."
  3. Write "p." followed by the page number (p. 28). In the absence of a page number (in the case of web articles, for instance), write "para." and list the paragraph number afterward (para. 3). If you didn't introduce the CDC in the introductory text, write the date and page or paragraph number in the same parentheses as the source (separated by commas). For example: [7]
    • With introductory text : According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "Over 30 million people have diabetes" (2017, para. 3).
    • Without introductory text : Certain studies have shown that "Over 30 million people have diabetes" (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2017, para. 3).
    4. Advertisement
Section 3 of 3:

Writing Subsequent CDC In-Text Citations

PDF download Download Article
  1. Only write out the full name of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the first time you mention it. Every time after that, use the shortened “CDC” to refer to the organization. In this case, you only need to include the date of publication in the parenthetical citation and the page or paragraph number where you found the quote. For example: [8]
    • Studies done by the CDC have shown that "over 30 million people have diabetes" (2017, para. 3).
  2. If you don’t name the CDC as the source in the introduction to the quote, write the abbreviated version in the parenthetical citation. For example: [9]
    • Studies have shown that "over 30 million people have diabetes" (CDC, 2017, para. 3).
    3. Advertisement

Sample Citations

Community Q&A

Search
Add New Question
  • Question
    How to cite a CDC fact sheet in APA?
    Community Answer
    Government Report Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ( 2014). ... First citation: (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2014). Subsequent citations: (CDC, 2014). First citation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], (2014). Subsequent citations: CDC (2014).
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 2 Helpful 10
  • Question
    What if there is no publication date?
    CageyCat
    Top Answerer
    Make the citation begin as, No date. Then write out the rest of the citation.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 0 Helpful 0
  • Question
    I am doing an in-text citation from the national institute on deafness and other communication disorders. I used two different online publications, how do I differentiate the two in my paper?
    LibArtsPremed18
    Top Answerer
    In your in-text citations, only the author and year should be cited. If those happen to be the same, that is okay. In the reference list, including all required fields should differentiate the two, as the authors, titles, publication years, or even URL will likely be different.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 1 Helpful 3
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Tips

      • Use the above guidelines when referencing other government agencies, such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) or the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
        Thanks
        Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Name
      Please provide your name and last initial
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
      Advertisement

      You Might Also Like

      How to
      Cite a Source in APA Format
      How to
      Write an APA Style Paper
      How to
      Cite a Textbook: In-Text Citations & Bibliography References
      A Step-by-Step Guide to Citing the WHO in APA (+ other Styles)
      How to
      Write an APA Style References Page
      How to
      Cite a Web Site in APA With No Author, Date, or Page Number
      How to
      Cite Page Numbers in APA
      How to
      Cite a Research Paper in APA
      How to
      Do APA in‐Text Citations
      How to
      Write an Abstract in APA
      How to
      Cite a Dictionary in APA
      How to
      Cite a Book Chapter in APA
      How to
      Cite Figures in APA
      How to
      Cite the Bible in APA
      Advertisement

      References

      1. ↑ https://guides.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/APA/govdocsonline
      2. ↑ https://guides.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/APA/govdocsonline
      3. ↑ https://www.cdc.gov/genomics/famhistory/famhist_diabetes.htm
      4. ↑ https://libguides.jcu.edu.au/apa/reference-list
      5. ↑ https://guides.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/APA/govdocsonline
      6. ↑ https://guides.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/APA/govdocsonline
      7. ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/in_text_citations_the_basics.html
      8. ↑ https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/apa/citations/commonsources
      9. ↑ https://guides.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/APA/govdocsonline

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      To cite the CDC or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in APA format on your Reference page, write out its full name followed by a period and then the year of the publication date in parentheses followed by another period. For example, “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017).” After that, list the title of your source and the URL of the CDC website page you’re quoting from. You don’t need to include a period after the URL. Remember to alphabetize entries on your Reference page! If you want to cite the CDC in your text, write the full name of the CDC along with its abbreviation in parentheses, the year of publication for the quoted material, and then the paragraph number. For example, you could write, “(CDC, 2017, para. 3). For more information, including how to use proper hanging indentation in your Reference list, read on!

      Did this summary help you?
      In other languages
      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 234,637 times.

      Did this article help you?

      Advertisement