PERRLA/Guides/APA 7/Equipment or apparatus

How to Cite Equipment or an Apparatus in APA 7

An APA 7 reference for equipment or an apparatus lists the manufacturer as the author, the year of release in parentheses (n.d. if there isn't one), the equipment's name in italics and sentence case, the model number in parentheses, a description in square brackets like [Apparatus] or [Apparatus and software], and the product page's URL. The in-text citation is the manufacturer and the year: (Laerdal Medical, 2024). Give a reference only for specialized equipment whose make and model matter to your work, like a patient simulator, a research accelerometer, or a clinical blood pressure monitor. Everyday items, like a stethoscope or a thermometer, don't need one.

The format

Manufacturer Name. (Year). Name of the equipment (Model number) [Apparatus]. https://xxxx

PERRLA APA Experts · 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

Choose Apparatus & Equipment, then pick a type:

  • An apparatus or piece of equipment (stand alone without software): PERRLA adds [Apparatus].
  • Apparatus or equipment with software included: for equipment that comes with its own software, like a simulator run from a control program. PERRLA adds [Apparatus and software].

Add the manufacturer as the Company. Then fill in Name of the Apparatus or Equipment, Model Number, Year of Release, and the URL of the product page. Fill in Model Number only when the model isn't already part of the name. Type just the year in Year of Release, and leave it blank if the manufacturer doesn't give one: PERRLA writes n.d. for you.

PERRLA italicizes the name, puts the model number in parentheses, adds the description in brackets, and builds the in-text citation from the company and the year. It prints the name exactly as you type it, so type it in sentence case and keep the brand's own capitals, like SimMan or IntelliSense. There's no lookup for equipment: product pages don't carry the details a reference needs, so you add it with this form.

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

The parts of the reference

1. Does it need a reference?

Give a reference when the exact make and model matter: a reader trying to repeat your study, or judge your measurements, would need to know which device you used. Research instruments, clinical monitors used for study measurements, and simulators used as a teaching intervention all qualify.

A blood pressure monitor that took every reading in your study: reference it. The stethoscope you used in clinical: just describe it.

Equipment you or your lab built yourselves can't be found by a reader, so it doesn't get a reference. Describe it in your Method section instead, with a photo or diagram if it helps.

2. Manufacturer (author)

The company that makes the equipment is the author. Write its name the way the company writes it, and end with a period.

Laerdal Medical.

OMRON Healthcare.

The brand on the device isn't always the company's name. ActiGraph devices are now made by Ametris, so Ametris is the author and ActiGraph stays in the device's name.

APA drops business endings like Inc. and LLC from company names in the source element (Section 9.29), and the same habit keeps a company author short: OMRON Healthcare, not OMRON Healthcare, Inc.

3. Year of release

Give the year that model was released, in parentheses, followed by a period. Product pages rarely show it, so check the company's press release or news page. If you can't find a year, write n.d. for no date.

(2024).

(n.d.).

The copyright year at the bottom of a product page is the year the website was updated, not the year the equipment came out. Don't use it.

4. Name of the equipment

Write the equipment's name in italics and sentence case: capitalize the first word and the brand names, and lowercase the rest. Brand names keep the capitals the company gives them, even unusual ones.

SimMan critical care

IntelliSense professional digital blood pressure monitor

Leave out the ® and ™ marks that product pages print after the name. They aren't part of the name.

5. Model number

When the model number isn't part of the name, put it in parentheses right after the name, in plain type. When the name already includes it, don't repeat it.

IntelliSense professional digital blood pressure monitor (HEM-907XL)

ActiGraph wGT3X-BT

6. Description in brackets

Right after the name (or the model number), describe what the source is, in square brackets and plain type. Use [Apparatus] for equipment on its own, and [Apparatus and software] when the equipment comes with its own software and you used it.

[Apparatus].

[Apparatus and software].

APA lets you adjust the wording of a bracketed description, so [Equipment] works too. [Apparatus] is always correct, and it's what PERRLA prints.

7. URL

End with the URL of the equipment's product page, with no period after it. The manufacturer is the author, so there's no separate publisher to add.

https://omronhealthcare.com/products/intellisense-professional-digital-blood-pressure-monitor-hem-907xl

If the equipment has been discontinued and its page is gone, end the reference after the bracketed description.

Examples

Equipment that comes with software: a patient simulator

Laerdal Medical's SimMan Critical Care, a high-fidelity patient simulator that Laerdal unveiled in January 2024 at the International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare. A nursing education study that used it for its simulation scenarios would cite it. It runs scenarios through its own simulation control software, so it takes [Apparatus and software].

  • Parenthetical citation(Laerdal Medical, 2024)
  • Narrative citationLaerdal Medical (2024)

Equipment with a model number and no date: a blood pressure monitor

OMRON Healthcare's IntelliSense Professional Digital Blood Pressure Monitor, model HEM-907XL, a monitor made for clinical use. The model number isn't part of the name, so it goes in its own parentheses. The product page gives no release year, so the reference takes n.d.

  • Parenthetical citation(OMRON Healthcare, n.d.)
  • Narrative citationOMRON Healthcare (n.d.)

When the brand isn't the company: a research accelerometer

The ActiGraph wGT3X-BT, an accelerometer researchers use to measure physical activity and sleep. ActiGraph is now Ametris, and the product page credits Ametris, so Ametris is the author and ActiGraph stays in the device's name. The model is already in the name, so the Model Number box stays empty. If you processed the data in Ametris's ActiLife software, cite ActiLife too, as software.

  • Parenthetical citation(Ametris, n.d.)
  • Narrative citationAmetris (n.d.)

In-text citations

An APA 7 in-text citation for equipment gives the manufacturer and the year, or n.d. when there's no year.

  • Parenthetical: (Laerdal Medical, 2024)
  • Narrative: Laerdal Medical (2024)
  • No year: (OMRON Healthcare, n.d.)
  • No manufacturer named: the equipment's name takes the author's place, in italics, the same way it appears in the reference.

Equipment is usually cited where you describe it, often in your Method section. Name the device in your sentence and put the citation right after it: Blood pressure was measured with an OMRON HEM-907XL monitor (OMRON Healthcare, n.d.). In your sentences, the device's name is a brand name, so it keeps its capitals and stays in plain type. Equipment has no pages, so there's no page number to add.

Common mistakes

  • (2026).(n.d.).The year at the bottom of a product page is the website's copyright, not the year the equipment came out. With no release year, write n.d.
  • IntelliSense Professional Digital Blood Pressure MonitorIntelliSense professional digital blood pressure monitorThe name takes sentence case in the reference. Brand names, like IntelliSense, keep their capitals. The descriptive words don't.
  • SimMan® Critical Care™SimMan critical careLeave out the ® and ™ marks. They're legal notices, not part of the name.
  • ActiGraph wGT3X-BT (wGT3X-BT) [Apparatus].ActiGraph wGT3X-BT [Apparatus].When the model number is already in the name, don't add it again in parentheses.
  • IntelliSense professional digital blood pressure monitor (HEM-907XL).IntelliSense professional digital blood pressure monitor (HEM-907XL) [Apparatus].Equipment isn't a book or an article, so the reference needs the bracketed description to tell readers what it is.
  • A reference for the stethoscope you used in clinicalName it in your sentence, with no referenceReferences are for specialized equipment whose make and model matter to your results. Everyday clinical tools don't need one.

Quick checklist

  • Only specialized equipment whose make and model matter
  • The manufacturer as the author, without Inc. or LLC
  • The year of release, or n.d., never the website's copyright year
  • The name in italics and sentence case, with brand capitals kept and no ® or ™
  • The model number in parentheses, unless it's already in the name
  • [Apparatus], or [Apparatus and software] when you used its software
  • The product page URL, with no period after it

Questions students ask

Do I need to cite equipment in APA 7?

Only specialized equipment whose make and model matter to your work, like a research accelerometer, an eye tracker, or a simulator you used as an intervention. Everyday tools, like a stethoscope, a scale, or your laptop, don't need a reference. When in doubt, ask whether a reader repeating your study would need to know the exact device.

Should I write [Apparatus] or [Equipment]?

Either works. APA lets you adjust the wording of a bracketed description to fit the source, and both words tell the reader what it is. PERRLA prints [Apparatus], or [Apparatus and software] when you choose equipment with software included.

What if I can't find the year the equipment came out?

Check the company's press releases or news page, which often announce a new model. If you still can't find a year, write n.d. Don't use the copyright year at the bottom of the website or the date you bought the device.

The equipment came with software. Do I cite them separately?

If the software comes with the equipment under the same name, one reference covers both: use [Apparatus and software]. If you used a separate program, like ActiLife for ActiGraph data or SPSS for your analysis, give that program its own software reference.

How do I cite equipment my lab built?

Don't give it a reference. A reader can't buy or find it, so describe it in your Method section instead: what it is, how it works, and its key measurements. A photo or diagram can help.

Should I cite the equipment or its user manual?

Cite the equipment when you're saying you used it. If you quote or paraphrase the user manual, like its instructions or its accuracy specifications, cite the manual itself, with the company as the author, like a report by an organization.

How do I cite equipment with no manufacturer listed?

Almost all equipment has a maker, so check the device's label, its manual, or the box. If none is named, start the reference with the equipment's name, then the year. In the in-text citation, the name takes the author's place, in italics, the same as in the reference.

Rules checked against the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.), Sections 8.10–8.11, 8.14, 9.11–9.12, 9.17–9.19, 9.21, 9.29, 9.34–9.35, and 10.10, and the APA Style website's guidance on elements of reference list entries (bracketed descriptions). The APA Style website has no apparatus reference-examples page. Each example was checked on October 21, 2026: SimMan Critical Care against Laerdal's product page and its January 21, 2024 launch press release, the HEM-907XL against OMRON Healthcare's product page, and the wGT3X-BT against Ametris's product page.

PERRLA builds the equipment reference from the company, name, model number, and year, with the italics and the [Apparatus] label in place.

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