PERRLA/Guides/APA 7/White paper

How to Cite a White Paper in APA 7

An APA 7 white paper reference follows the report format: the authors (or the organization, when no people are named), the year in parentheses, the title in italics and sentence case, the description [White paper] in square brackets, the publisher if it isn't already the author, and the URL. The in-text citation is the author and year: (Perlo et al., 2017).

The format

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of the white paper [White paper]. Publisher. 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

Paste the link to the white paper's PDF into PERRLA's reference search. PERRLA reads the PDF and builds a Gray Literature reference with the authors, the year, the title, the publisher, and the link.

Then check the authors against the cover, and three more things. First, look at the Format or Type box: if it's empty, type White paper there, and PERRLA adds [White paper] after the title. Second, compare the title with the cover. Fix the capitalization if it's off, and if the cover shows an edition or a paper number, like Second Edition or CP 381, type it in Identifying Information (2nd ed. for a second edition). Third, if Publication Year shows a full date, like 02/11/2021, keep only the year.

Adding one by hand? Choose Gray Literature (Reports, Briefs, Codes), then A standalone work: report, brief, codes, etc. Add each person as an Author, or the organization as a Group Author (Organization). Type the title, put White paper in Format or Type, add any paper number or edition in Identifying Information, then fill in Publication Year, the publisher, and the URL. When the publisher matches the group author, PERRLA leaves it off for you.

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

The parts of the reference

1. Author

If people are named as the paper's authors, list them: last name, comma, initials, with an ampersand before the last one.

Perlo, J., Balik, B., Swensen, S., Kabcenell, A., Landsman, J., & Feeley, D.

If only an organization is credited, the organization is the author, spelled out in full.

Department of Health and Social Care.

Many white papers put the organization's logo on the cover and the authors a page or two in, under a heading like Authors. Those people are still the authors. Names in an acknowledgments section are not.

2. Year

Give the year the white paper was published, in parentheses, followed by a period.

(2017).

The year is usually on the cover, in the copyright line, or in the paper's own "How to cite this paper" note. If there's no date anywhere, write (n.d.).

3. Title and edition

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

IHI framework for improving joy in work

If the paper has an edition or a number, put it in parentheses right after the title, not in italics: (2nd ed.) or (CP 381).

4. [White paper]

Add the description White paper in square brackets after the title (and after any edition or number), then a period. Capitalize only the W, and don't italicize the brackets or the words inside.

Seven leadership leverage points for organization-level improvement in health care (2nd ed.) [White paper].

The description tells your reader this is a white paper, not a peer-reviewed article or book.

5. Publisher

Name the organization that published the white paper, in plain text, followed by a period. No city or state, even if the paper's own citation lists one.

Institute for Healthcare Improvement.

When the publisher is the same as the group author, leave it out.

6. URL

End with the link to the white paper's PDF, or to the page where readers can get it. No "Retrieved from," and no period after the link.

https://www.ihi.org/sites/default/files/IHIWhitePaper_FrameworkForImprovingJoyInWork.pdf

If the publisher asks for your name and email before the download, link to the white paper's landing page so readers can get it the same way.

Examples

A white paper with individual authors

The Institute for Healthcare Improvement's IHI Framework for Improving Joy in Work is widely cited in nursing leadership and burnout papers. Its cover shows IHI, and its second page lists six authors under the heading Authors, so the six people are the authors and IHI is the publisher.

  • Parenthetical citation(Perlo et al., 2017)
  • Narrative citationPerlo et al. (2017)

A white paper with an edition

IHI's Seven Leadership Leverage Points for Organization-Level Improvement in Health Care is in its second edition, from 2008. The edition goes in parentheses after the title, and [White paper] comes right after it.

  • Parenthetical citation(Reinertsen et al., 2008)
  • Narrative citationReinertsen et al. (2008)

A government white paper with a group author

In the United Kingdom, a White Paper is a government document that sets out plans for new laws. The Department of Health and Social Care's 2021 white paper on health and care integration was presented to Parliament as Command Paper 381. The department is both author and publisher, so the publisher drops out, and the paper number goes in parentheses before [White paper]. The citation points to page 10, where the paper calls itself a White Paper.

  • Parenthetical citation(Department of Health and Social Care [DHSC], 2021, p. 10)
  • Narrative citationDepartment of Health and Social Care (DHSC, 2021, p. 10)
  • Later citations(DHSC, 2021, p. 10)

In-text citations

A white paper's in-text citation works like any report's: the author's last name, or the organization's name, and the year. The [White paper] description stays in the reference only.

  • One or two authors: every name, every time: (Furst & DeMillo, 2006) or Furst and DeMillo (2006)
  • Three or more authors: the first author and et al., from the first citation on: (Perlo et al., 2017) or Perlo et al. (2017)
  • A group author with an abbreviation: (Department of Health and Social Care [DHSC], 2021) the first time, then (DHSC, 2021)
  • A quote or specific passage: add the page: (DHSC, 2021, p. 10)
  • No date: (Author, n.d.)

If you describe the paper in your sentence, you can call it a white paper there too: In their white paper, Perlo et al. (2017) describe four steps leaders can take.

Common mistakes

  • IHI framework for improving joy in work [White Paper].IHI framework for improving joy in work [White paper].Capitalize only the first letter of a bracketed description.
  • IHI framework for improving joy in work [White paper].IHI framework for improving joy in work [White paper].Only the title is italic. The brackets and the words inside them are plain text.
  • Perlo J, Balik B, Swensen S, Kabcenell A, Landsman J, Feeley D. IHI Framework for Improving Joy in Work. IHI White Paper. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Institute for Healthcare Improvement; 2017.Perlo, J., Balik, B., Swensen, S., Kabcenell, A., Landsman, J., & Feeley, D. (2017). IHI framework for improving joy in work [White paper]. Institute for Healthcare Improvement. https://...White papers often print a "How to cite this paper" line in a different style. Don't copy it. Rebuild it in APA 7 order: authors, year, title, description, publisher, and link, with no city.
  • Institute for Healthcare Improvement. (2017). IHI framework for improving joy in work [White paper].Perlo, J., Balik, B., Swensen, S., Kabcenell, A., Landsman, J., & Feeley, D. (2017). IHI framework for improving joy in work [White paper]. Institute for Healthcare Improvement.The organization's logo on the cover doesn't make it the author when the paper lists people under Authors. The organization becomes the publisher.
  • Seven leadership leverage points for organization-level improvement in health care [White paper] (2nd ed.).Seven leadership leverage points for organization-level improvement in health care (2nd ed.) [White paper].The edition or paper number comes first, right after the title. The bracketed description follows it.

Quick checklist

  • The people listed as authors, or the organization when no one is named
  • The year in parentheses
  • Title in italics and sentence case
  • Edition or paper number in parentheses, then [White paper], then a period
  • The publisher, unless it's already the author, with no city
  • The PDF or landing page URL, with no period after it

Questions students ask

What is a white paper?

A white paper is a document an organization or a person writes to persuade readers about a position or approach to a problem, often with a recommended solution. Health systems, quality groups, technology companies, and governments all publish them. They aren't peer reviewed, which is why APA asks you to label them [White paper].

Is a white paper cited differently from a report?

Only by the description. APA 7 uses the report format for white papers and adds [White paper] after the title. Everything else, from the authors to the publisher rule, works the same way.

What if the document doesn't call itself a white paper?

Use the label the document uses for itself, like [Policy brief], [Issue brief], or [Position paper], or no label at all if it's an ordinary report. APA lets you adjust the wording of a bracketed description so it tells readers what kind of work it is.

How do I cite a UK government White Paper?

Name the department that wrote it as the group author, give the year, and put the command paper number in parentheses after the title, then [White paper]: (CP 381) [White paper]. Leave the publisher out when it's the same department, and end with the GOV.UK link.

Can I cite a white paper from a company?

Yes, with the same format: the authors or the company, the year, the title, [White paper], the company as publisher if it isn't the author, and the URL. Keep in mind that a company's white paper often promotes its own product, so check its claims against peer-reviewed research before you lean on it.

Rules checked against the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.), Sections 8.13, 8.17, 8.21, 9.8, 9.11, 9.19, 9.21, 9.29, 9.34–9.35, and 10.4, and the APA Style website's white paper reference examples and its guidance on bracketed descriptions and group authors. Example sources verified against each white paper's PDF: IHI's two papers (cover, author page, and their "How to cite this paper" notes) and the Department of Health and Social Care paper and its GOV.UK publication record.

PERRLA builds a white paper reference from its PDF link, then adds [White paper] when you type it in Format or Type.

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