How to Cite a Lab Manual (APA 7th)

To cite a lab manual in APA 7th edition, treat it as a book: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the manual (edition if not the first). Publisher. The part that trips people up is not the pattern but the elements: who counts as the author, what counts as the publisher, and whether an edition number belongs. This guide names each element, shows examples, and covers the in-text version for a thesis or manuscript.

The format

APA’s official reference guide gives the book pattern as Author, A. A. (Copyright Year). Title of the book (7th ed.). Publisher. A lab manual follows it. Columbia Basin College’s APA 7 library guide (page last updated 22 October 2025) gives the lab-manual form as Author’s Last Name, First Initial. (Year). Title (edition if given and not the first edition). Publisher.

• Author: surname first, then initials separated by a space. Use the person named on the title page. If the manual credits only a department or course team, that group is the author.
• Year: the copyright or publication year, in parentheses, followed by a period.
• Title: italic, with only the first word of the title and subtitle and proper nouns capitalised. Course codes stay as printed.
• Edition: in parentheses after the title, with no period between. Leave it out for a first edition.
• Publisher: the institution or press that issued the manual. APA 7 gives no publisher location.

Examples

A published lab manual

The Columbia Basin guide uses a real course manual as its model:

Wassenaar-Faber, M. (2015). BIO173 lab manual: Introduction to biological techniques part I. Seneca College.

A manual with an edition number (fictitious example)

Okafor, T. (2024). CHEM210 laboratory manual: Quantitative analysis (3rd ed.). Example University Press.

The author, course and press here are invented to show the pattern and are not a real source.

A manual written by a department (fictitious example)

Department of Chemistry, Example University. (2023). Organic chemistry laboratory manual.

APA’s reference guide omits the publisher when it is the same as the author, so the entry ends after the title. This is also an invented example.

In-text citation version

For a paraphrase, give author and year: (Wassenaar-Faber, 2015). For a direct quotation, add the page: (Wassenaar-Faber, 2015, p. 55). APA’s reference guide states that a direct quote needs author, year and page. Narrative form puts the author in the sentence: Wassenaar-Faber (2015) gives the protocol you followed. A manual with three or more authors is cited with the first author and “et al.” from the first citation, for example (Okafor et al., 2024). For a department author, use the group name in the parentheses. If the manual has no named author at all, see how to cite in APA when there is no author.

Common errors

• Italicising the publisher. Only the title is italic.
• Adding a location. APA 7 dropped publisher location from every reference type.
• Writing “1st ed.” The edition goes in only when the manual states one beyond the first.
• Title Case in the title. Use sentence case, as in “BIO173 lab manual: Introduction to biological techniques part I”.
• Naming the instructor as author when the manual names a department. Cite the name on the title page.
• Dropping the page from a direct quote.

Manuscripts and theses

In a thesis methods chapter, a lab manual is usually cited because you followed its protocol. Cite the manual at the point where you describe the procedure, and cite the exact edition you used. If your procedure is described in a journal paper instead, cite the paper. Related patterns are in how to cite a report in APA, how to cite a thesis in APA and how to cite a figure in APA, which applies if you reproduce a figure from the manual.

Style-guide edition

This page follows the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition (2020). The patterns come from APA’s own reference guide and reference examples handouts (apastyle.apa.org, checked 28 October 2026), and the lab-manual template from the Columbia Basin College guide.

FAQ

How do I cite a lab manual in APA?

Use the book pattern: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of manual (edition). Publisher. Cite it in text as (Author, Year), adding the page for a quotation.

Does ACS style have a lab-manual format?

The Marist University library states that ACS Style does not provide specific guidance on how to cite a lab manual or handout (FAQ last updated 29 January 2025). Its suggested form is Professor Last Name, First Initial(s). Lab Manual Title; Marist University, Publication Year. That is the library’s suggestion, not an ACS rule, so check what your instructor or journal requires.

Do I put the edition in the reference?

Only if the manual gives an edition other than the first. Write it in parentheses after the title, for example (3rd ed.).

Sources

All pages checked 29 October 2026 unless noted.

• American Psychological Association, APA Style reference guide: https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/reference-guide.pdf and reference examples: https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/reference-examples.pdf (checked 28 October 2026).
• Columbia Basin College, APA 7th: books, manuals, etc.: https://columbiabasin.libguides.com/APA7th/booksmanualsetc
• Marist University Library, FAQ on citing a lab manual: https://marist.libanswers.com/faq/413155