How to Cite an NIH Publication in APA Format

Almost 30 institutes and centers compose the National Institutes of Health. As part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, most are funded by Congress. The NIH covers a wide range of health topics, so behavioral and social sciences writers often use documents from NIH sources. According to the sixth edition of the "Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association," if a specific NIH institute or center issues a document, cite that organization as the resource. If no institute or center is designated, reference the NIH.

In-text Citations

After including information from an NIH publication in text, use a citation within parentheses. Insert the name of the NIH institute or center, a comma and the publication year, such as: (National Institute of Mental Health, 2011). If you mention the institute or center in text, omit it from the parentheses. If you will be citing the institute or center multiple times and it has a well-known abbreviation, APA style requires its use after the first citation. To prepare for that, include the abbreviation within brackets before the comma in the first citation;

for example: (National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH], 2011).

Resources Page

Include any in-text citations on the References page. Begin with the title of the NIH institute or center followed by a period. Put the publication year within parentheses. Add a period. List the italicized title of the document in sentence case with a period. Within parentheses, include "DHHS Publication No." without quotation marks and the document number. Add a period. Indicate publication information with "Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office" without quotation marks. Finish with a period;

for example: National Institute of Mental Health. (2011). Borderline personality. (DHHS Publication No. 11-7790). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Need help with a citation? Try our citation generator.