How to Cite the CDC in APA

If you’re writing about health issues, you might need to reference the Centers for Disease Control in your writing. In this post, we’ll look at how to correctly cite the CDC using APA referencing. 

Referring to the CDC in Your Writing

The CDC is often referred to by its acronym. In formal writing, though, you need to introduce the acronym the first time you use it. To do this, give the organization’s name in full first and then the shortened version in parentheses:

Once the acronym has been introduced, you can use CDC for the rest of your paper.

Creating an In-text Citation for the CDC

Every source you use in your writing needs an in-text citation. If your first mention of the CDC is in one of your in-text citations, you need to define the acronym at the same time.

In a parenthetical citation, give the name in full followed by the acronym in square brackets:

In a narrative citation, both the acronym and the date are given in parentheses:

Once the acronym has been introduced, your in-text citations look like this:

Adding the Date to CDC Sources

Some CDC sources may not have a clear date. If no date is given, use n.d. in your citations:

If a website gives the date a page was last updated, use this date in your citations.

Don’t use a date for the last review of a website, though, since the content may not have changed when it was reviewed. In that case, use the original date of publication. 

Adding CDC Sources to your Reference List 

To meet APA requirements, you also need to list every source you use in your reference list. Use the following APA format to cite a page or article from the CDC’s website:

If your source doesn’t have a date, use, use n.d. and add a retrieval date before the URL: 

Always use the full name of the organization in your reference list:

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