PERRLA/Guides/APA 7/Brochure or pamphlet

How to Cite a Brochure or Pamphlet in APA 7

An APA 7 brochure or pamphlet reference follows the report format: the author (usually an organization), the year in parentheses, the title in italics and sentence case, the description [Brochure] or [Pamphlet] in square brackets, the publisher if it isn't already the author, and the URL. The in-text citation is the author and the year: (World Health Organization [WHO], 2009) the first time, then (WHO, 2009).

The format

Organization Name. (Year). Title of the brochure [Brochure]. Publisher. https://xxxx

PERRLA APA Experts ยท Updated October 21, 2026
Checked against the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition. Every example is formatted by PERRLA's reference engine.

First, the easy way: PERRLA

Paste the link to the brochure's PDF into PERRLA's reference search. PERRLA reads the PDF and usually builds it as Gray Literature, with the organization as the group author, the year, the title, and the link. A PDF with brochure in its file name usually comes back with Brochure already in the Format or Type box, so PERRLA prints [Brochure] after the title.

Then check two things against the brochure. First, the Format or Type box: if it's empty, type Brochure or Pamphlet. Second, the author and publisher: on a government brochure, the most specific office named on it is the author and the department above it is the publisher, and when the publisher repeats the author, delete it.

Adding one by hand? Choose Pamphlets & Brochures, and under Choose a type, pick Brochure or Pamphlet. PERRLA adds [Brochure] or [Pamphlet] after the title for you. Add the organization as a Group Author (Organization), or each person as an Author. Type the title in Pamphlet or Brochure Title, then fill in the Publication Date, the publisher, and the URL. When the publisher matches the group author, PERRLA leaves it off for you. For a flyer or a fact sheet, choose Gray Literature (Reports, Briefs, Codes) instead and type Flyer or Fact sheet in Format or Type.

Not using PERRLA yet? Here is how to build the same reference by hand.

The parts of the reference

1. Author

Most brochures and pamphlets are written by an organization, so the organization is the author, spelled out in full.

World Health Organization.

When a government office inside a larger department wrote it, the office is the author and the department becomes the publisher.

Office for Civil Rights.

If the brochure names the people who wrote it, list them instead: last name, comma, initials, with an ampersand before the last one. If there's no author at all, the title moves to the front, before the year.

2. Year

Give the year in parentheses, followed by a period. Brochures follow the report format, so the year is enough, even when the brochure shows a month.

(2009).

The WHO brochure says Revised August 2009, and the reference says 2009. When a pamphlet lists its history, like First published July 2002, revised September 2011, use the year of the version you read. If there's no date anywhere, write (n.d.).

3. Title

Write the title in italics and in sentence case: capitalize the first word, the first word after a colon, and proper nouns.

Check for safety: A home fall prevention checklist for older adults

Keep the title's own punctuation, like an ampersand or a question mark. A title that ends in a question mark doesn't get an extra period.

Hand hygiene: Why, how & when?

4. [Brochure] or [Pamphlet]

Right after the title, add the description in square brackets, then a period. Capitalize only the first letter, and don't italicize the brackets or the word inside.

Hand hygiene: Why, how & when? [Brochure].

Use the word the publisher uses. The Department of Education calls its guide for college-bound students with disabilities a pamphlet, so it takes [Pamphlet]. A flyer takes [Flyer], and a fact sheet takes [Fact sheet].

5. Publisher

Name the publisher in plain text, followed by a period, with no city or state.

U.S. Department of Education.

When the author and the publisher are the same organization, leave the publisher out so the name doesn't appear twice. That's why the WHO brochure has no publisher after its description.

6. URL

End with the link to the brochure's PDF, or to the page where readers can get it. Don't put a period after it, and don't add "Retrieved from."

https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/documents/health-topics/hand-hygiene-why-how-and-when-brochure.pdf

If you picked up a printed brochure that isn't online, end the reference after the publisher (or after the description, when there's no separate publisher).

Examples

A brochure by an organization

The World Health Organization's hand hygiene brochure, a staple of infection control lessons in nursing school. WHO wrote and published it, so the publisher drops out, and the brochure's Revised August 2009 line gives the year.

  • Parenthetical citation(World Health Organization [WHO], 2009)
  • Narrative citationThe World Health Organization (WHO, 2009)
  • Later citations(WHO, 2009)

A pamphlet from a government office

The Office for Civil Rights' pamphlet on the rights of students with disabilities as they move from high school to college, cited in special education, counseling, and disability services papers. The office is the author and the U.S. Department of Education is the publisher. The pamphlet was first published in 2002 and last revised in September 2011, so the reference takes 2011.

  • Parenthetical citation(Office for Civil Rights [OCR], 2011)
  • Narrative citationThe Office for Civil Rights (OCR, 2011)
  • Later citations(OCR, 2011)

A brochure with a subtitle and a parent agency

A home safety checklist brochure from the CDC's STEADI fall prevention program. The brochure credits the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, so the center is the author and the CDC is the publisher. The cover prints the subtitle on its own line; in the reference it follows a colon and starts with a capital letter.

  • Parenthetical citation(National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, 2017)
  • Narrative citationThe National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (2017)

In-text citations

Cite a brochure or pamphlet by its author and year, like any report. The [Brochure] or [Pamphlet] description stays in the reference only.

  • Organization as author: (National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, 2017) or National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (2017)
  • Defining an abbreviation: spell out the name the first time with the abbreviation in square brackets, (World Health Organization [WHO], 2009), then use (WHO, 2009) after that
  • Abbreviation in your sentence: the Office for Civil Rights (OCR, 2011) explains...
  • No author: the title in italics and title case takes the author's place: (Title of the Brochure, 2020)
  • No date: (Organization Name, n.d.)
  • A quote: add the page if the pamphlet has page numbers. A folded brochure usually has none, so name the heading or panel the passage sits under instead.

Abbreviate only an organization you'll cite three or more times. The reference always keeps the full name.

Common mistakes

  • World Health Organization. (2009). Hand hygiene: Why, how & when?World Health Organization. (2009). Hand hygiene: Why, how & when? [Brochure].APA adds [Brochure] or [Pamphlet] in square brackets after the title, so readers know what kind of work it is.
  • Hand hygiene: Why, how & when? [brochure].Hand hygiene: Why, how & when? [Brochure].Capitalize the first letter of a bracketed description, and only the first letter.
  • U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, Students With Disabilities Preparing for Postsecondary Education: Know Your Rights and Responsibilities, Washington, D.C., 2011.Office for Civil Rights. (2011). Students with disabilities preparing for postsecondary education: Know your rights and responsibilities [Pamphlet]. U.S. Department of Education. https://...Government pamphlets often print their own suggested citation, and it isn't APA. Use it to find the details, then rebuild the reference in APA order, with no city.
  • Office for Civil Rights. (2002).Office for Civil Rights. (2011).A pamphlet that was revised takes the year of the version you read. The first-published year is history, not the date of your copy.
  • World Health Organization. (2009). Hand hygiene: Why, how & when? [Brochure]. World Health Organization.World Health Organization. (2009). Hand hygiene: Why, how & when? [Brochure].When the author and the publisher are the same organization, leave the publisher out.

Quick checklist

  • The organization as author, or the people named as writers
  • The most specific office first, with the department as publisher
  • The year only, in parentheses, or n.d.
  • Title in italics and sentence case
  • [Brochure] or [Pamphlet] in plain square brackets after the title
  • No publisher when it repeats the author, and no city
  • The PDF or page URL, with no period after it

Questions students ask

What's the difference between a brochure and a pamphlet in APA?

Only the word in the square brackets. APA formats both like reports, and flyers too. Use the word the publisher uses for its own work, and if it doesn't say, pick the one that fits: a brochure is usually a folded sheet, and a pamphlet is a short, unbound booklet.

How do I cite a brochure with no author?

Move the title to the author's spot: the title in italics, then [Brochure], then the year in parentheses. In your text, use the title in title case and italics, or a shortened version of it: (Title of the Brochure, 2020). Before you do, look again for an organization's name or logo on the back panel. Most brochures have one, and that organization is the author.

How do I cite a printed brochure I picked up?

The same way, without a URL. End the reference after the publisher, or after the description when the author is the publisher. If the same brochure is online, give the link so your reader can find it.

Is a booklet a brochure or a book?

A short booklet from an organization, with no ISBN, is usually cited like a brochure or a report. If it has an ISBN and reads like a book, cite it as a book. A government booklet with a publication number fits our government report guide best, because the number goes in parentheses after the title.

Do I include the city where the brochure was published?

No. APA 7 dropped the publisher's location, so leave out the city and state, even when the brochure prints an address or its own suggested citation includes one.

Rules checked against the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.), Sections 8.17, 8.21, 8.28, 9.8, 9.11, 9.12, 9.14, 9.17, 9.19, 9.21, 9.24, 9.29, 9.34, and 10.4, and the APA Style website's brochure and fact sheet reference examples. Example sources verified on each brochure itself: the WHO brochure's PDF and its Revised August 2009 line, the Office for Civil Rights pamphlet's publication history and suggested citation on ed.gov, and the CDC STEADI brochure's front panel and its listing on the CDC's STEADI patient resources page.

PERRLA builds a brochure or pamphlet reference from its PDF link, with the organization, the year, and the [Brochure] label in the right place.

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