APA Guide

To write a citation for software or an app, you will need the following pieces of information:

• Name of creator of software
• Year of publication
• Title of software
• Version number of software
• Format [in square brackets], one of the following:
  • Source code
  • Computer software
  • Mobile app
• Publisher
• URL of software
• If mobile app, the app store name (e.g., Apple Store or Google Play)

You do not need to cite software, apps or programming languages that are common to your field or audience (e.g., Office365 software, social media apps, Adobe products, common survey software such as SurveyMonkey, etc.) in your reference list or in-text citations. If you used these tools during your research, give the name of the software and version number in the text, if relevant, but do not cite. Examples:

• Comments were collected from Facebook.
• Data was collected using Microsoft Forms.

Provide references only for specialized software or software that has limited distribution. For these, include both the in-text citation and reference list entry.

If you used a website to create something, include the website name and address. For example: "The survey website Surveymonkey (https://www.surveymonkey.com) was used to create the survey in this study." You do not need to cite the website or include it in your reference list in this case.

• For information on how to cite source code, see the MIT Handbook on Writing Code.