APA Citation Style (7th Edition)

Citing Business Information

Please note: While the APA manual provides many examples of how to cite common types of sources, it does not provide rules on how to cite all types of sources. Therefore, if you have a source that APA does not include, APA suggests that you find the example that is most similar to your source and use that format. 

Source: Reference List: Basic Rules (Purdue OWL)

Citing Business Databases

More APA Business citation resources

Case Studies

General format for citing case studies

Author(s). (Year). Title of case study. Number of case study. URL.

Examples

Harvard Business School Case Study

Smith, S. (2003). Leadership. HBS No. 7-806-122. https://hbsp.harvard.edu/cases/

Ivey Business School Case Study

Heisz, M., & Leech, L. (2005). Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002: Understanding the requirements and the Canadian response. Ivey ID: 9B05B009. https://www.iveycases.com/

(Examples courtesy of APA Style Guidelines & Examples - NAIT Library.)

Textbook Case Study

Author(s) or editor(s) of the chapter or entry or case study. (Year of book). Title of chapter or entry or case study. In First initial. Last name, & First initial. Last name (Eds.), Title of book (pp. xx-xx). Publisher.

Example

Pederson, S. (2008). The XYZ Group. In J. Ness, Cases in digital processing (pp.11-20). CDMA Publishing.

Personal Communications

APA states "Because readers cannot retrieve the information in personal communications, personal communications are not included in the reference list; they are cited in the text only. Give the initial(s) and surname of the communicator, and provide as exact a date as possible." (APA, 2020, p. 260)

An interview or a telephone conversation

An interview or phone conversation do not provide recoverable data, and are NOT included in the reference list. You would only include them in the text of your report. Include communicator initials and surname as well as the date.

Email Communications

E-mail communications from individuals should be cited as personal communications. Give the initials as well as the surname of the communicator, and provide as exact a date as possible.

Examples

First citation in text

J.T. Smith (personal communication, April 24, 2019) stated that headwinds continue to affect growth in the Alberta energy sector in 2019.

First citation in parenthetical format

Headwinds continue to affect the Alberta energy sector in 2019 (J.T. Smith, personal communication, April 24, 2019).

BUS 201

Site Visit at Costco (personal communication,  Apr. 12, 2019)

Surveys

Since a survey you conducted yourself is not published elsewhere by someone else, you do not cite it in the same way you cite other materials. Instead, in your paper you describe your survey and make it clear that the data you’re referring to is from the survey, usually by saying so in introductory sentences. In your paper, you should include a short overview of your survey method: whom the survey was administered to, how it was administered, how many responses you got, and what kind of questions you asked. You should include a copy of the survey instrument (the full set of questions asked) as an appendix to your paper. You do not need to include your survey in your works cited list.

Source: Purdue OWL: General APA FAQs