Corroba

How to cite a PDF

“How to cite a PDF” is really “cite whatever the PDF is.” A PDF is a format, not a source type. If it’s a journal article, cite it as an article; a report, as a report; a book, as a book. Below is the common case: an organizational report published as a PDF.

What you'll need

  • Author (person or organization)
  • Year
  • Title (italicized)
  • Publisher
  • URL of the PDF

Examples: how to cite a PDF

Real, correctly formatted citations — generated by Corroba's engine, not hand-typed.

APA (7th ed.)

International Labour Organization. (2023). World employment and social outlook: Trends 2023. International Labour Office. https://example.org/reports/weso-trends-2023.pdf

In-text: (International Labour Organization, 2023)

MLA (9th ed.)

International Labour Organization. World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends 2023. International Labour Office, 2023, https://example.org/reports/weso-trends-2023.pdf.

In-text: (International Labour Organization)

Chicago (notes)

International Labour Organization. World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends 2023. International Labour Office, 2023. https://example.org/reports/weso-trends-2023.pdf.

In-text: International Labour Organization, World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends 2023 (International Labour Office, 2023), https://example.org/reports/weso-trends-2023.pdf.

Harvard

International Labour Organization (2023) World employment and social outlook: Trends 2023. Geneva: International Labour Office. Available at: https://example.org/reports/weso-trends-2023.pdf.

In-text: (International Labour Organization, 2023)

Example source shown for illustration. Always cite the actual PDF you used.

Common gotchas

  • Identify what the document actually is — article, report, or book — and cite that type.
  • Use the organization as the author when no person is named.
  • Link directly to the PDF’s stable URL, not a download popup.

Cite a PDF automatically

Skip the manual formatting. Paste a link, DOI, or title and Corroba builds a perfect citation from real data — free, no sign-up, no ads.

Open the citation generator →

Cite other sources

How to cite a journal articleHow to cite a websiteHow to cite a book

Questions

What do I need to cite a PDF?
To cite a PDF you need: Author (person or organization), Year, Title (italicized), Publisher, URL of the PDF.
How do you cite a PDF in APA?
International Labour Organization. (2023). World employment and social outlook: Trends 2023. International Labour Office. https://example.org/reports/weso-trends-2023.pdf
How do you cite a PDF in MLA?
International Labour Organization. World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends 2023. International Labour Office, 2023, https://example.org/reports/weso-trends-2023.pdf.
Does Corroba cite a PDF automatically?
Yes — paste a link, DOI, or title and Corroba builds the citation from real data, for free, in APA, MLA, Chicago and thousands more styles.