The American Psychological Association (APA) style standards are used by writers, students, researchers, teachers, and other professionals who need to credit information sources in their work. The proper way to do this is defined in various style guidelines, including the APA.
When a press release is used as one of these sources, it needs to be listed on a works cited page. Citing a press release is also necessary when text is taken directly from a press release and quoted within new content.
If you’re writing according to APA style guidelines and you need to cite a press release as a source or quote one within the text of your content, use the details and examples below to see how this is done.
APA Standards To Cite A Press Release – The Basics
APA style guidelines for using a press release as an information source require that it be listed on a works cited page or as part of a reference or sources list. When creating the works cited entry, there is a specific way to lay out the information.
The entry will start with the name of the publisher, which is the party that issued the press release, the month, day, and year it was published, the press release’s title, the type of content, and the URL or name of the periodical where it can be read.
There is also specific formatting for this text, which makes it easier to identify individual components of the entry while making the complete works cited list appear more consistent.
The name of the publisher is in plain text, as is the date, which is enclosed in parenthesis. The title of the press release is in italics. The denotation of the content as a press release should be in plain text and enclosed in brackets. A period then separates all of this information before the URL or name of the periodical is specified.
Citing a press release in-text per APA style guidelines is a little simpler. Any text taken directly from the release should be enclosed in quotes. Immediately after the quote, the name of the publisher or party issuing the release is specified, followed by a comma and the year the release was published. This information should be in plain text and enclosed in parentheses.
If you are going to quote text from a press release in your content, remember to also include that press release as an entry on your work’s cited list.
APA Standards To Cite A Press Release – Examples
The following examples of how to cite a press release in APA style will help you see the above standards put to use. To practice, you may find it useful to use samples from this how to write a press release guide.
These samples are also taken from a selection of press release templates that can be used to try out the APA works cited and in-text quote formats.
In-Text APA Cite Method Example
This in-text APA citation example uses a press release that discusses a production milestone.
Per its recent media release, “the coffee provider attributed its success to focusing on service capabilities and a dedication to constant quality in its product.” (True Brew, 2022)
APA Works Cited Entry Example
This example of a works cited entry uses a press release that announces a recent charitable contribution issued by a company called Belmont Yearling, which was published on December 3rd, 2022 to Magoda’s news wire under the title, “Belmont Yearling Contributes Profits And Matches Donations To Smart Restart”.
This is how this information would appear on an APA-style sources cited list:
Belmont Yearling (2022, Dec 3) Belmont Yearling Contributes Profits And Matches Donations To Smart Restart [Press Release]. Magoda .com
