A policy brief is a succinct document that outlines the rationale behind a specific policy choice. Just as with any other source, you must include a policy brief in a reference list at the end of your paper if you use it as a source of information. If you are adhering to Modern Language Association (MLA) or American Psychological Association (APA) guidelines, you should cite a policy brief as you would any other non-periodical Internet source.
Citing in APA Style
Step 1
List the author's last name, a comma, first initial and a period. For example:
Kirkegaard, J.
Step 2
List the year in which the brief was issued. This should appear in parentheses and be followed by a comma. For example:
(2010).
Step 3
List the full title of the brief in italics, followed by a period. List the policy number in parentheses, if available. Capitalize only the first letter of the title, along with the first letters of any proper nouns. For example:
How Europe can muddle through its crisis (Policy brief 10-27).
Step 4
List the full URL in the following format:
Retrieved from http://www.petersoninstitute.org/publications/interstitial.cfm?ResearchID=1723.
Step 5
Combine the elements so that the finished citation appears in the following format:
Kirkegaard, J. (2010). How Europe can muddle through its crisis (Policy brief 10-27). Retrieved from http://www.petersoninstitute.org/publications/interstitial.cfm?ResearchID=1723.
Citing in MLA Style
Step 1
List the last name, a comma, first name and a period. For example:
Kirkegaard, Jacob.
Step 2
List the full title of the brief in italics, followed by a period. For example:
Policy Brief 10-27: How Europe Can Muddle Through Its Crisis.
Step 3
List the name of the publisher, followed by a comma. For example:
Peterson Institute for International Economics,
Step 4
List the date of publication, followed by a period. This should appear in a day-month-year format.
For example:
1 Dec. 2010.
Step 5
List the medium of publication, followed by a period.
For example:
Web.
Step 6
List the date on which you accessed the information, followed by a period.
For example:
1 Dec. 2010.
Step 7
List the full URL in angle brackets:
Step 8
Combine the elements so that the finished citation appears in the following format:
Kirkegaard, Jacob. Policy Brief 10-27: How Europe Can Muddle Through Its Crisis. Peterson Institute for International Economics, 1 Dec. 2010. Web. 1 Dec. 2010. http://www.petersoninstitute.org/