PERRLA/Guides/APA 7/Software

How to Cite Software in APA 7

An APA 7 software reference lists the developer as the author, the year of the version you used, the software's name in italics, the version number in parentheses, the description [Computer software], the publisher (left out when it's the developer), and the URL or DOI. The in-text citation is the developer and the year: (IBM Corp., 2025). Specialized programs you used for your work, like SPSS, R, or NVivo, get a reference. Common software you only mention, like Microsoft Word, and programming languages don't.

The format

Developer. (Year). Name of software (Version x.x) [Computer software]. Publisher. URL

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 Software, AI, & Mobile Apps, then Computer software (Linux, Mac, Windows, etc.). Add the developer as a Group Author (Organization), like IBM Corp. or R Core Team, or as an Author when a person wrote it. Then fill in Software or App Name, Version Number, Software Publisher, Publication Year, and the URL. If the software has a DOI, paste the full https://doi.org/ link in the URL box.

PERRLA puts the version in parentheses, adds [Computer software], and leaves the publisher out when it's the same as the developer, so you can fill in every box without doubling a name. It brings the name in the way you type it, so type it in sentence case. If you type it in title case, PERRLA points it out and offers to fix it. The Software Platform box (Windows, Mac) is used in your Turabian references; APA leaves it out.

Citing an AI tool like ChatGPT, or an app from your phone? Those have their own choices in the same type: see our guides for AI tools and mobile apps.

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

The parts of the reference

1. Developer (author)

The author is whoever made the software. Usually that's a company or a team, written as a group author, exactly the way it credits itself.

IBM Corp.

Many programs say how they want to be credited on their website or in an About screen: SPSS is credited to IBM Corp., R to R Core Team, and JASP to JASP Team. When one person or a small group wrote the software, like many R packages, list them the way you'd list a book's authors: Revelle, W.

2. Year

Give the year the version you used came out, not the year the software first appeared. SPSS has been around for decades, but Version 31 came out in 2025.

(2025).

Find the date in the software's release notes, its version history, or the citation it suggests. Free programs like R and JASP put the year right in their suggested citation.

3. Name of the software

Write the software's name in italics and in sentence case. Keep capitals that are part of a name, like IBM, SPSS, or NVivo.

IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows

If the name has a subtitle, capitalize the first word after the colon, too: R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R package names keep their own spelling, even when it's all lowercase, like psych.

4. Version

Put the version number in parentheses right after the name, with the word Version. It isn't italic.

IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows (Version 31.0)

In most programs, look under Help, then About. In R, the startup message shows it. Results can change between versions, which is why APA wants the exact one. If the software has no version number, leave this part out.

5. Description

After the version, add [Computer software] in square brackets, with no italics. It tells readers this is a program, not a book.

(Version 31.0) [Computer software].

Software you run on your phone or tablet gets [Mobile app] instead. See the mobile app guide.

6. Publisher

Name the publisher when it's someone other than the developer. R is written by R Core Team and published by the R Foundation, so both appear.

R Foundation for Statistical Computing.

When the developer and the publisher are the same, like IBM Corp. for SPSS or Lumivero for NVivo, leave the publisher out. The name already appears as the author.

7. URL or DOI

End with a link to the software's page, so readers can find it. If the software has a DOI, use the DOI instead, written as a link.

https://doi.org/10.32614/R.manuals

R and the packages on CRAN have DOIs. For commercial software, link to the product page for the version you used. NVivo, for example, has separate pages for NVivo Desktop and NVivo AI Cloud.

Examples

Statistics software from a company (SPSS)

IBM SPSS Statistics, Version 31, released June 10, 2025, the statistics program many nursing and psychology courses teach. IBM is both the developer and the publisher, so its name appears only once.

  • Parenthetical citation(IBM Corp., 2025)
  • Narrative citationIBM Corp. (2025)

R, with a separate publisher and a DOI

R version 4.6.1, released June 24, 2026. R's own citation names R Core Team as the author, the R Foundation for Statistical Computing as the publisher, and a DOI. You can see it any time by typing citation() in R.

  • Parenthetical citation(R Core Team, 2026)
  • Narrative citationR Core Team (2026)

An R package with one author

The psych package, version 2.6.9, published on CRAN on September 30, 2026. Its author is William Revelle of Northwestern University, which the package's citation names as the publisher. Cite each package you used in addition to R itself.

  • Parenthetical citation(Revelle, 2026)
  • Narrative citationRevelle (2026)

Qualitative analysis software (NVivo)

NVivo 15.6 for Windows, released in September 2026, which many nursing and education researchers use to code interviews. Lumivero makes and sells it, so there's no separate publisher. The link goes to NVivo Desktop, the version installed on a computer.

  • Parenthetical citation(Lumivero, 2026)
  • Narrative citationLumivero (2026)

Free software from a team (JASP)

JASP, a free, open-source statistics program supported by the University of Amsterdam, version 0.98.8, released October 11, 2026. JASP asks to be credited to JASP Team. Its suggested citation leaves off the link, and APA adds it.

  • Parenthetical citation(JASP Team, 2026)
  • Narrative citationJASP Team (2026)

In-text citations

An APA 7 in-text citation for software gives the developer and the year, like any author. Name the software and its version in your sentence, usually in your Method or Results section, so readers know exactly what you used.

  • Parenthetical: (IBM Corp., 2025)
  • Narrative: R Core Team (2026)
  • Naming the software and version: Data were analyzed in IBM SPSS Statistics (Version 31.0; IBM Corp., 2025).
  • R and a package together: We scored the scales with the psych package (Version 2.6.9; Revelle, 2026) in R (Version 4.6.1; R Core Team, 2026).
  • Software with an individual author: (Revelle, 2026), the same as a book or article

Software that doesn't need a reference. Name it in your sentence and stop there: I drafted the survey in Microsoft Word. No citation, no reference. If it matters which version you used, add the version number after the name.

Common mistakes

  • IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows (Version 31.0) [Computer software].IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows (Version 31.0) [Computer software].Only the software's name is italic. The version and the bracketed description are plain text.
  • IBM Corp. (2025). IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows (Version 31.0) [Computer software]. IBM Corp.IBM Corp. (2025). IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows (Version 31.0) [Computer software]. https://www.ibm.com/products/spss-statisticsWhen the developer is also the publisher, the name appears once, as the author. End with the link instead.
  • (SPSS, 2025)(IBM Corp., 2025)The citation names the developer, not the program. The program's name goes in your sentence.
  • R Core Team. (2026). R. https://www.r-project.org/R Core Team. (2026). R: A language and environment for statistical computing (Version 4.6.1) [Computer software]. R Foundation for Statistical Computing. https://doi.org/10.32614/R.manualsLeaving out the version and [Computer software] hides what readers need to repeat your analysis. Use the full name R gives itself, and its DOI.
  • Microsoft. (2025). Microsoft Word [Computer software].No reference. Name Word in your sentence if it matters.APA doesn't ask you to cite common software like Microsoft Office or Adobe products, or programming languages.

Quick checklist

  • Is the software specialized, or did you quote it or use it for your results? Then it needs a reference
  • The developer as the author, the way it credits itself
  • The year of the version you used
  • The name in italics and sentence case, then (Version x.x)
  • [Computer software], not italic
  • The publisher only when it differs from the developer
  • The DOI if there is one, or the software's URL

Questions students ask

Does SPSS need a reference in APA 7?

Yes, when you used it to analyze data for your paper. APA leaves out only common software you mention in passing, and "common" depends on your readers. In a statistics or research course, cite SPSS and give its version, because results can differ from one version to the next. If your instructor says naming it is enough, give the name and version in your sentence.

Do I need to cite R if it's a programming language?

APA says programming languages don't need references, but R is also the program that ran your analysis, and the R project asks you to cite it. For a paper that reports results from R, cite R and each package you used. Type citation() in R, or citation("psych") for a package, to see the author, year, and DOI.

Do I cite Microsoft Word, Excel, or Google Docs?

No. APA doesn't require references for common software like Microsoft Office, Google Docs, or Adobe products, even if you used it to write or make a chart. If a detail matters, like the Excel version you used for your calculations, name it in your sentence.

The software's website asks me to cite an article. Which do I use?

Some developers ask you to cite a paper about the software instead. G*Power, the power analysis program, asks users to cite its authors' articles in Behavior Research Methods. Cite what the developer asks, using the journal article format, and name the software and version in your sentence. If your instructor wants the software itself on your references page too, add a software reference.

Where do I find the version number?

In most programs, open the Help menu and choose About, or check the settings. R prints its version when it starts, and packageVersion("psych") shows a package's version. The software's release notes list every version with its date. If you truly can't find one, leave the version out.

How do I cite software with no author?

Almost all software has a developer, so look for a company, team, or person on the software's website or About screen. If none is named, start the reference with the software's name in place of the author. For free tools and apps, also check our mobile app guide.

Rules checked against the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.), Sections 8.17, 9.7–9.8, 9.11, 9.13–9.14, 9.18–9.19, 9.21, 9.24, 9.34–9.35, and 10.10; the APA Style website's guidance on elements of reference list entries; and the APA Style blog on citing generative AI (Part 1, September 9, 2025), which restates that common software like Microsoft Office and Adobe products needs no citation. Each example was checked on October 21, 2026: SPSS against IBM's product lifecycle page, R against CRAN's release list and R's own CITATION file, psych against its CRAN page and citation, NVivo against Lumivero's release notes and citation guidelines, and JASP against its release notes and FAQ.

PERRLA builds the software reference from what you type, with the version, [Computer software], and the publisher in the right places.

Try PERRLA free for 7 days