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Updated . Example details checked against data.census.gov, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2022 release.
The APA format
Pattern
Author. (Year). Title of dataset (Version) [Data set]. Publisher. DOI or URL
- [Data set] in brackets after the title, written as two words (APA 7, 10.9).
- Publisher after the description, only when it differs from the author. Here the Census Bureau is both, so it appears once.
- Version in parentheses before the brackets when the data is versioned: (Version 2).
- DOI when there is one; otherwise the URL of the data page.
Data that changes
Some data pages are updated as new records arrive. For those, APA adds a retrieval date before the URL: Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://... A fixed release with a year, like the one above, needs no retrieval date.
A real example
Reference entry
U.S. Census Bureau. (2022). American Community Survey 5-year estimates [Data set]. https://data.census.gov
In-text citation
(U.S. Census Bureau, 2022)
When details are missing
- Unpublished data you received from a researcher: describe it in brackets, [Unpublished raw data], and give the institution in place of the publisher.
- No date: (n.d.), with a retrieval date.
The rules for a missing author, date or page in every style are in no author, date or page.
Common mistakes
- [Dataset] as one word. APA writes [Data set].
- Repeating the author as publisher. Give it once when they match.
- Citing the download page’s title. Use the dataset’s title, as the data or its documentation gives it.
Or let Format do it.
Choose Dataset and fill in the author or agency, the title, the publisher or repository, the year, and the DOI or link. Format writes the References entry and the in-text citation in APA 7, exactly as shown above, and builds the References page when you export to Word or PDF. MLA and APA are free.
Questions
How do I cite data from a table in a report?
Cite the report, and give the table number in the text if it helps.
Do I cite the software I analyzed it with?
Only specialized software. Common programs such as Word or Excel need no reference (APA 7, 10.10).
More citation guides
The same source in other styles
Similar sources in APA
Every source kind is on the APA page, and every style is on How to cite.