How to Cite a Policy Brief

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:

Step 2

List the year in which the brief was issued. This should appear in parentheses and be followed by a comma. For example:

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:

Step 4

List the full URL in the following format:

Step 5

Combine the elements so that the finished citation appears in the following format:

Citing in MLA Style

Step 1

List the last name, a comma, first name and a period. For example:

Step 2

List the full title of the brief in italics, followed by a period. For example:

Step 3

List the name of the publisher, followed by a comma. For example:

Step 4

List the date of publication, followed by a period. This should appear in a day-month-year format.

Step 5

List the medium of publication, followed by a period.

Step 6

List the date on which you accessed the information, followed by a period.

Step 7

List the full URL in angle brackets:

Step 8

Combine the elements so that the finished citation appears in the following format: