How to Cite Software in APA: Format, Versions and Template
When APA 7 needs a software reference, the format with version numbers and [Computer software], toolboxes published in papers, missing details and a template.
Here is how to cite software in APA: give the developer, the year, the program's name in italics, the version in parentheses, the description [Computer software] in square brackets, and the URL. You do not need a citation for common software such as Microsoft Office. If the program was published in a journal article, cite that article.
Those rules come from APA Style's own pages, which point to Section 10.10 of the Publication Manual for software. APA's website has no single software example page, so this guide pulls together what its pages do show. Where APA has not published an online rule, the guide says so.
When you need to cite software in APA, and when you do not
Cite a program when your reader needs to know exactly what you used, such as the analysis package behind your results. Skip it for everyday programs. APA's works included page says "General mentions of whole websites, whole periodicals, and common software and apps" need no citation or reference entry.
APA's generative AI reference post names examples: "APA Style does not require citations to common software, such as Microsoft Office and Adobe products." So typing a thesis in a word processor needs no reference. Running your models in a named statistics program is a different matter, because a reader may need the program and version to repeat your analysis.
Use this quick decision table. The last row is the one to raise with your supervisor.
| What you did | What to cite |
|---|---|
| Wrote, drew or made slides in an everyday office or design program | Nothing; APA calls this common software |
| Ran analyses in a named program, at a known version | The software, with its version number |
| Used a toolbox or package described in a journal article | The article, as APA's toolbox page says |
| Used a generative AI tool | The tool, with APA's AI format (see below) |
| Not sure if the program counts as common | Ask your supervisor, and keep the version details anyway |
How to cite software in APA: the reference format
APA's software format follows the usual four parts: author, date, title and source. APA's elements page gives this title example for a program:
Comprehensive meta-analysis (Version 3.3.070) [Computer software].
That one line shows three rules. The program name is in italics. The version goes in parentheses straight after it, with no full stop before the bracket and no italics. Then comes the description in square brackets, with a capital first letter and no italics.
APA's AI post confirms the wider template. It says the AI format "uses the software reference template from Section 10.10" of the Publication Manual. It also says "The version number is also part of the APA Style reference template for software".
Who counts as the author and the publisher
The author is the person or company that makes the program. APA's AI post states a general rule: when the author is the same as the publisher, "that name is included only once in the reference". So a program made and released by the same company names that company once, in the author position, followed by the URL.
Which year to use
APA's AI post dates a tool by "the year in which the AI tool was most recently updated". If no update date is shown, it suggests using the copyright date on the website or app. APA's web pages give no separate date rule for other software. Note the release date of the version you ran, and check your handbook if it sets a rule.
Fill-in template for a software reference
Copy the line below and replace every bracketed placeholder. Keep the square brackets only around the description.
[Developer or company]. ([Year]). [Program name] (Version [number]) [Computer software]. [Publisher, only if different from the developer]. [URL]
In the text, cite the developer and year: ([Developer], [Year]) or [Developer] ([Year]). If the developer is a group with a well-known abbreviation, APA's author and date page lets you define it once and use the short form after that.
Here is a filled-in illustration using only placeholders for the parts APA does not show online. It is a format example, not a real reference:
[Company name]. ([Year]). Comprehensive meta-analysis (Version 3.3.070) [Computer software]. [URL]
A methods sentence can then read: "Effect sizes were pooled in Comprehensive meta-analysis, Version 3.3.070 ([Company name], [Year])". Fill in the company and year from the program's own website or about screen.
Variations: toolboxes, apps, AI tools and missing details
The template covers a program you ran yourself. These cases change it.
A toolbox or package published in a paper
Cite the paper, not the code. APA's toolbox page says "To cite a toolbox, cite the work in which the toolbox was published", typically a journal article or conference presentation. Its example is a journal article:
Shi, Y., Ma, X., Ma, Z., Wang, J., Yao, N., Gu, Q., Wang, C., & Gao, Z. (2018). Using a Kinect sensor to acquire biological motion: Toolbox and evaluation. Behavior Research Methods, 50(2), 518–529. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-017-0883-9
The in-text citations are (Shi et al., 2018) and Shi et al. (2018). APA adds that you can name the toolbox in your sentence if you wish. A Crossref record confirms the article, its eight authors and its 2018 print volume.
Mobile apps
APA's elements page lists "software and mobile apps" among works that take a bracketed description. Common apps fall under the same no-citation rule as common software. For a specialist app, use the template and pick a description that fits the work.
Generative AI tools
APA has a separate format for these tools, built on the software template. Its AI references page uses the developer as author and a description such as [Large language model]. Our guide on how to cite ChatGPT in a paper covers it in full.
No author, no date or no version
APA's missing information page handles the first two. With no author, the title moves to the author position. With no date, write "n.d." in the reference and the citation, as in ([Developer], n.d.). APA's web pages give no rule for a missing version number, so never guess one; record only what the program shows.
Software with a DOI
If the software you used has a DOI, give it. APA's DOIs and URLs page says to "Include a DOI for all works that have a DOI". Write it as https://doi.org/ followed by the number, and use the URL only when there is no DOI.
Common mistakes when citing software in APA
Each slip below breaks one of the rules above. Check your software references for all seven.
- Citing everyday programs. APA does not require citations for common software such as Microsoft Office and Adobe products.
- Italicising the version. APA's elements page says not to italicise the parenthetical information.
- Adding a full stop before the version. APA says "Do not add a period between the title and the parenthetical information."
- Naming the company twice. When the developer is also the publisher, the name appears once.
- Citing toolbox code instead of its paper. APA says to cite the work in which the toolbox was published.
- Leaving the version vague. Record the exact version you ran, as in "Version 3.3.070", while you still have the program open.
- Ending the URL or DOI with a full stop. APA says not to, because it "may interfere with link functionality".
If your university uses a different style
Use the style your university, department or journal requires. APA's own May 2026 blog post notes that "instructors, editors, institutions, and organizations may have their own guidelines."
Your handbook may also say where software should be named. Check it, and ask your supervisor. Whichever style you follow, record the program name, version, developer, year and URL, since every style needs those details.
What Thesisroom does with this
Thesisroom does not rewrite your citations. Its References check, one of the checks in the rooms, matches your in-text citations to your bibliography in both directions. It reports citations with no entry and entries nothing in your text cites, which catches a software reference you added but never cited.
If the data behind your analysis also needs a reference, see our guide on how to cite a dataset in APA 7. For the papers in your list, Citation Check looks each reference up in eight registries. It shows which references it could verify, which are retracted, and which need checking by hand.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to cite SPSS, R or Excel in APA?
APA does not require citations for common software, naming Microsoft Office and Adobe products as examples. For an analysis program whose version affects your results, give a reference with the version number. If unsure whether a program counts as common, ask your supervisor.
Where does the version number go in an APA software reference?
In parentheses straight after the italic program name, with no full stop before it and no italics, as in APA's example: Comprehensive meta-analysis (Version 3.3.070) [Computer software].
Is the software name italicised in APA?
Yes, in the reference list. APA's example italicises the program name, while the version in parentheses and the [Computer software] description stay in plain type.
How do I cite an R package or toolbox from a paper?
If the toolbox was published in a journal article or conference presentation, APA says to cite that work. You may still name the toolbox in your sentence, then cite the article, as in (Shi et al., 2018).
What if the software has no date?
Write "n.d." in both the reference and the in-text citation, following APA's missing information rules. Check the program's website or about screen first, since APA's AI post suggests a copyright date when no update date is shown.
Is [Computer software] the only description I can use?
It is the description in APA's own example. APA's elements page says "you may alter the wording shown in the examples" and "When in doubt, include a description."
Sources
- APA Style: Reference examples (Data and Assessments section)
- APA Style: Works included in a reference list
- APA Style: Elements of reference list entries
- APA Style blog: Citing generative AI in APA Style, Part 1 (reference formats)
- APA Style: Generative AI references
- APA Style: Toolbox references
- APA Style: Missing reference information
- APA Style: DOIs and URLs
- APA Style: Author and date in in-text citations
- APA Style blog: We do not decide your source types
- Crossref record for doi:10.3758/s13428-017-0883-9
How this guide was made: Thesisroom drafted this guide with the help of AI writing tools, then checked every fact, figure and source by hand against the references linked above.