Government health agencies produce some of the most authoritative research and data in the field, and nursing and health students cite them constantly. But government sources come with a set of APA formatting challenges that generic citation guides often gloss over: authorship isn’t always clear, URLs change, and the same agency can publish several different types of documents that each require a slightly different format.

This guide covers the government health sources you’re most likely to cite, with examples and practical guidance for each.

One principle that applies to all of them

Before diving in, a reminder: cite the source type, not where you found it. A CDC webpage is a webpage. An NIH report is a report. A WHO technical document is a report. The agency that published it determines the author and publisher fields, but the type of document determines the overall reference format.

When you’re not sure how to format a government source, ask yourself: how was this source originally published? As a webpage, a report, a dataset, a journal article? Then apply the format for that source type.

How to handle authorship for government sources

This is where most students get stuck. Government health documents often don’t list a named individual author. The solution? In APA 7, you use the government agency as the group author.

A few rules to keep in mind:

• Use the most specific agency name as the author. IF a CDC division or NIH institute published the document, use that division or institute, not just CDC or NIH.
• If the agency is already listed as the author, you generally don’t need to repeat it as the publisher. However, if the parent department is different from the authoring agency, include it as the publisher.
• If no author is identifiable, move the title to the author position in your reference.

When to include a retrieval date

APA 7 generally does not require retrieval dates. The exception: sources whose content changes over time and where the version you read may differ from what a reader finds later. Many government health webpages fall into this category. They’re regularly updated with new statistics, revised guidelines, or current data.

If the page you’re citing is likely to change, such as a CDC statistics page or a Healthy People data page, include a retrieval date. If the document is stable like a published report or a finalized guideline, a retrieval date is usually not necessary.

A note on government URLs

Government URLs can be long, unstable, and prone to changing when agencies reorganize their websites. A few practical tips:

• Use the most direct URL to the specific page or document you’re citing, not the agency’s homepage.
• If a URL is no longer active when you’re writing your paper, try searching for the document title to find a current URL or a stable archived version.
• For PDFs hosted on government websites, the PDF’s URL is acceptable to use.
• Do not include database names or database URLs. The direct government URL is sufficient.

How to cite CDC sources in APA 7

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publishes a wide range of content – health topic pages, data and statistics pages, fact sheets, reports, and more. Most CDC content students cite falls into two categories: webpages and reports.

CDC webpage or fact sheet

Author. (Year, Month Day). Title of page in sentence case and italicized. Parent Agency. URL

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024, March 18). Diabetes fast facts. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/data/statistics-report/index.html

Note: Use the date the page was last reviewed or updated, not the date you view it. This is usually found at the bottom of CDC pages labeled “Last Reviewed” or “Page last updated.”

CDC report or data brief

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). National diabetes statistics report. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/php/data-research/index.html

For stable published reports, a retrieval date is not needed. For regularly updated data pages, include one.

How to cite NIH sources in APA 7

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is a parent organization for 27 institutes and centers, including the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), among others. When citing NIH content, use the most specific institute or office as the author when one is identifiable.

NIH institute webpage

National Cancer Institute. (2024, January 10). Cancer statistics. National Institutes of Health. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/understanding/statistics

NIH report or publication

National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2023). Drugs, brains, and behavior: The science of addiction. National Institutes of Health. https://nida.nih.gov/publications/drugs-brains-behavior-science-addiction

NIH MedlinePlus

MedLinePlus is a frequently used NIH resource. Because its content is regularly updated, include a retrieval date.

National Library of Medicine. (2023, September 5). Heart failure. MedlinePlus. Retrieved February 14, 2025, from https://medlineplus.gov/heartfailure.html

How to cite CMS sources in APA 7

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) publishes policy documents, program guidelines, and data reports that health policy and nursing administration students frequently cite.

CMS webpage

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2024, April 1). Medicare & you 2024. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.medicare.gov/medicare-and-you

CMS report or data file

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2023). National health expenditure data: Historical. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.cms.gov/data-research/statistics-trends-and-reports/national-health-expenditure-data/historical

Note: CMS uses an ampersand (&) in its official name: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Use the ampersand in your reference.

How to cite WHO sources in APA 7

The World Health Organization (WHO) is an international body, not a U.S. government agency, but it’s cited often in nursing and global health content.

WHO webpage

World Health Organization. (2023, March 22). Obesity and overweight. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight

Note: WHO is its own publisher. No parent organization needs to be listed separately.

WHO report

World Health Organization. (2023). World health statistics 2023: Monitoring health for the SDGs. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240074323

How to cite Healthy People 2030 in APA 7

Healthy People 2030 is a flagship federal health initiative published by the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Nursing students and public health researchers cite it frequently for health objectives, data, and evidence-based resources.

Because Healthy People data is regularly updated, include a retrieval date for data pages. For stable overview or objective pages, a retrieval date is typically not necessary.

Healthy People 2030 objective page

Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (n.d.). Reduce the proportion of adults with hypertension – HDS-05. Healthy People 2030. https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/browse-objectives/heart-disease-and-stroke/reduce-proportion-adults-hypertension-hds-05

Note: Many Healthy People objective pages don’t carry a specific publication date. In that case, use (n.d.) for the date.

Let PERRLA handle the formatting

Government and organizational sources are fully supported in PERRLA’s reference engine. Whether you’re citing a CDC fact sheet, an NIH report, or a WHO publication, PERRLA walks you through the correct fields for each source type and formats the reference correctly. Try PERRLA free for 7 days – no credit card required.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you cite a CDC source in APA 7?

For most CDC webpages, use “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention” as the author, include the last reviewed or updated date, italicize the title in sentence case, list “U.S. Department of Health and Human Services” as the publisher, and include the direct URL to the page. Include a retrieval date if the page is regularly updated.

Does a government website need a retrieval date in APA 7?

Sometimes. APA 7 requires a retrieval date when a source’s content is likely to change over time. Many government health pages – statistics pages, health topic pages, regularly updated data – fall into this category. Stable published reports usually do not need a retrieval date.

What if there is no author listed on a government health page?

Use the government agency as the group author. If no agency is identifiable, move the title of the page to the author position in your reference.

How do you cite an NIH institute in APA 7?

Use the specific institute or center as the author (e.g., National Cancer Institute) rather than “National Institutes of Health” when the content is clearly published by a specific institute. List “National Institutes of Health” as the publisher.

How do you cite Healthy People 2030 in APA 7?

Use “Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion” as the author. If the page has no specific date, use (n.d.). List “Healthy People 2030, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services” as the publisher and include the direct URL.

How do you cite WHO in APA 7?

Use “World Health Organization” as the author. WHO is its own publisher, so no separate publisher is needed in your reference. Include the publication or last updated date and the direct URL.

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