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How to Cite an Unpublished Paper or Manuscript in APA Referencing

• 3-minute read
• 23rd June 2020

Did you know that you can cite unpublished works, such as in-progress research papers or manuscripts, in an essay? Well, you can! The key is citing them correctly. And in this post, we will look at how to cite an unpublished paper or manuscript in APA referencing .

How to Cite an Unpublished Paper in APA referencing

In APA referencing, you can cite an unpublished work in the same way as you would a published one. This means giving an author’s name and a date in brackets . The only difference is that you give a year of production (i.e., when the paper was written) rather than a year of publication:

Few fully understand the publication process (Clarke, 2020).

Like other sources, if you name the author in the text, you do not need to repeat it in the brackets. And if you quote an unpublished paper, you should give page numbers. For example:

According to Clarke (2020), publication “is a complex process” (p. 20).

When a paper has been accepted for publication but not yet published, however, you should use the term “in press” in place of a year in citations:

Few fully understand the publication process (Clarke, in press).

How to Reference an Unpublished Work in APA Referencing

When adding an unpublished paper to an APA reference list , the correct format will depend on where it is in the publication process. But let’s start with works that will not be published at all (e.g., a paper that the author never submitted or that the publisher rejected).

In this case, the correct format is:

Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year of Production). Title of manuscript [Unpublished manuscript]. Department, University Name.

So, in practice, we could cite an unpublished paper like this:

Clarke, J. (2020). The publication process explained [Unpublished manuscript]. School of Journalism, Media and Performance, University of Central Lancashire.

Referencing a Work Submitted for Publication

If a paper has been submitted for publication but not yet accepted, the reference should state “manuscript submitted for publication.” However, you should not include any other information about the submission, such as where it was submitted, as this information could go out of date quickly.

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The correct format in this case is therefore:

Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year of Production). Title of manuscript [Manuscript submitted for publication]. Department, University Name.

For example, we would list the paper above as follows:

Clarke, J. (2020). The publication process explained [Manuscript submitted for publication]. School of Journalism, Media and Performance, University of Central Lancashire.

Referencing a Paper in Press

If a paper has been accepted for publication, use the following format:

Author Surname, Initial(s). (in press). Title. Periodical or Journal Title .

As you can see, we now include both:

• The phrase “in press” to show that the paper has been accepted by the journal and is now awaiting publication.
• The title of the journal that accepted it (note, too, that we only use italics for the journal title here, not the title of the paper itself).

In practice, then, we would reference a paper awaiting publication like this:

Clarke, J. (in press). The publication process explained, Publishing Research Quarterly .

It is always worth checking the status of submitted papers before finalizing your reference list, too, as they can go from “submitted for publication” to “in press” quite suddenly, leaving your reference out of date.

Hopefully, you will now be able to cite an unpublished paper or manuscript correctly. But if you would like any further help with your writing, why not submit a document for proofreading ?

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Guide to Sources for Finding Unpublished Research

Unpublished research.

• Research Networks
• Conference Proceedings
• Clinical Research in Progress
• Grey Literature
• Institutional Repositories
• Preprint Servers
• Finding Theses

This guide takes you through the tools and resources for finding research in progress and unpublished research in Paramedicine. 

What do we mean by unpublished?  

Typically we mean anything that is publicly available on the internet that isn't published formally in a journal article or conference proceedings.  By their nature these  unpublications  are varied but might include things like: 

• Preprints, work in progress or an early version of an article intended for publication that is made available for comment by interested researchers, 
• Presentations, posters, conference papers  published on personal websites or research networks like  ResearchGate  or  Mendeley ,
• Theses and dissertations  published on the web or through repositories.

Unpublished research can be harder to find a number of reasons.  There is no one place to look. You have to dig a little deeper.  The tools you can use o do this are covered in this  Guide . Also, there isn't that much of it.  There are a number of reasons for this. Paramedic researchers are relatively few and widely dispersed geographically and across different organizations (academic and EMS/Ambulance Services).  Compared to similar areas Paramedic research is in the early stages of development.  To use an analogy, Paramedic research is till taxing up the runway while other areas are already up and flying. It's not impossible; it's just harder than in more established research areas.

Why would you want to look?

If you are wondering why you would want to search for  unpublished  material, there could be a number of reasons: 

• Completeness,   if you need to cover a complete topic including work in progress and projects and ideas that haven't made it to formal publication,
• Real- world  examples and case studies , not every project or every implementation will make it to formal publication but may be reported informally as a presentation, theses or dissertation,
• Currency,   the lengthy publication process encourages researchers to find alternative routes to promote research in progress to share ideas and inform current practice. Typically this would be preprints but there are other informal methods such as copies of posters and presentations. 
• Next: Research Networks >>
• Last Updated: Nov 9, 2023 10:51 PM
• URL: https://ambulance.libguides.com/unpublishedresearch

Purdue Online Writing Lab College of Liberal Arts

Legal, Public and Unpublished Materials

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

General Guidelines for Public and Unpublished Materials

Notes and bibliographic entries for public documents, like other documents, should include the elements needed to locate the items. These essential elements often include the following:

• Country, city, state, province, county, etc.
• Legislative body, executive department, court, bureau, board commission or committee, etc.
• Subsidiary divisions
• Title, if any, of the document or collection
• Individual author (editor or compiler), if given
• Report number or any other identification necessary or useful in finding the specific document
• Publisher, if different from issuing body

Footnote or Endnote (N):

1. Firstname Lastname, “Title of Document” (source type identifier, Place of Publication, year of publication), page number(s).

Corresponding Bibliographic Entry (B):

Legal Materials and Government Documents

Legal materials and other government documents should be cited using footnotes, endnotes, and/or citation sentences (with clauses including the same information required in a footnote). Print copies of the sources tend to be preferred to digital, though verified digital sources are acceptable.

When writing for law journals or other legal publications, these sources are not usually required to be cited in a bibliography or on a references page. Citation sentences alone are an acceptable form of citation, so long as the document has only a few legal citations (for more information, see The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th ed., sections 14.269-305 and 15.58.)

Court Decisions and Cases

Notes for court cases should include case name, number, volume number, abbreviated name(s) of reporter, and, in parentheses, the abbreviated name of the court and the date. Case names written in full are typeset in roman, while in subsequent shortened citations the short form of the case name is italicized. Citations are assumed to refer to decisions as a whole unless a particular page is cited using “at” (see example 3 below). The CMOS offers the following note examples in section 14.276:

United States v. Christmas, 222 F.3d 141, 145 (4th Cir. 2000).

Profit Sharing Plan v. Mbank Dallas, N.A., 683 F. Supp. 592 (N.D. Tex. 1988).

Christmas, 222 F.3d at 145. The court also noted that under United States v. Sokolow, 490 U.S. 1, 7 (1989), police may briefly detain a person without probable cause if the officer believes criminal activity “may be afoot.” Christmas, 222 F.3d at 143; see also Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1 (1968).

Theses and Dissertations

Thesis and dissertation titles appear in quotation marks, not in italics, but are cited in all other ways like books. Include name, title, type of document, academic institution, and date, in that order. If the item was found online, include a URL or DOI (see guidelines for citing online sources ).

1. Tara Hostetler, “Bodies at War: Bacteriology and the Carrier Narratives of ‘Typhoid Mary’” (master’s thesis, Florida State University, 2007), 15-16.

Hostetler, Tara. "Bodies at War: Bacteriology and the Carrier Narratives of ‘Typhoid Mary.’” Master’s thesis, Florida State University, 2007.

Letters and Unpublished Manuscripts

Letters and unpublished materials that have not been archived may be cited like other unpublished material, with information on location replaced by wording such as “private collection of Trinity Overmyer” or “in the author’s possession.” The location is not mentioned.

APA 7th Edition Style Guide: Unpublished Manuscripts/Informal Publications (i.e. course packets and dissertations)

• About In-text Citations
• In-Text Examples
• What to Include
• Volume/Issue
• Bracketed Descriptions
• URLs and DOIs
• Book with Editor(s)
• Book with No Author
• Book with Organization as Author
• Book with Personal Author(s)
• Chapters and Parts of Books
• Classical Works
• Course Materials
• Journal Article
• Magazine Article
• Multi-Volume Works
• Newspaper Article
• Patents & Laws
• Personal Communication
• Physicians' Desk Reference
• Social Media

Unpublished Manuscripts/Informal Publications (i.e. course packets and dissertations)

• Formatting Your Paper
• Formatting Your References
• Annotated Bibliography
• Headings in APA
• APA Quick Guide
• Submit your Paper for APA Review

Formatting your References

Once you type your references on the reference page, you will need to put in a hanging indent and double-space the entire reference list. In Microsoft Word, highlight the references from A to Z, then find the paragraph function in the Word ribbon. Select Hanging under Indentation and Double under spacing. See the Formatting your References tab for instructions on doing this on a Mac or in Google Docs.

Abbas, D. D. F. (2020). Manipulating of audio-visual aids in the educational processes in Al-Hilla University College. International Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation, 24 (3), 1248-1263. https://doi.org.db12.linccweb.org/10.37200/ijpr/v24i3/pr200875

• << Previous: Social Media
• Next: Websites >>
• Last Updated: Dec 2, 2024 11:46 AM
• URL: https://irsc.libguides.com/APA

APA Referencing - Education & CCSC students: Unpublished or informally published work

• Abbreviations
• Journal article
• Quotes & citations
• Reference lists
• Referencing questions
• Audiovisual works
• Brochure or pamphlet
• Conference paper
• Dictionary/Encyclopedia
• Government publication
• Gray literature
• Group author
• Interviews/Research data
• Lecture notes/Tutorial material
• Newspaper/Magazine
• Personal communication
• Self-referencing
• Software app
• Figures & tables

Unpublished or informally published work

How to reference an unpublished or informally published work.

As with all referencing in academic writing, referencing is a matter of establishing the authority of the source or information you are relying upon as evidence to support the claims you make in your writing. This is the reason for peer review as it is a process that establishes the authority of a work through expert checking. Peer-reviewed published works are accepted as having greater authority than works that are not peer reviewed. Sometimes, however, the most useful research article might not be available as a peer-reviewed published article but it is available to us in an unpublished form. Use other peer-reviewed articles if possible but if there is a lack of published research reports and, for example, a pre-press version is available directly from the author, you may use it. Check whether the article has been published before submitting your final assignment or thesis and, if it has, reference the final version, taking into account any changes that the editors may have required in the peer-review process.

Unpublished and informally published works include:

• work in progress
• work submitted for publication
• work prepared for publication but not submitted

a university website

An electronic archive such as academia.edu or researchgate.

• the author's personal website

In-text citation

Reference list

Author, A. A. (Year).  Title of manuscript.  Unpublished manuscript [or "manuscript submitted for publication," or "Manuscript in preparation"].

If the unpublished manuscript is from a university, give this information at the end.

If you locate the work on an electronic archive, give this information at the end.

If a URL is available, give it at the end. 

If you use a pre-print version of an article that is later published, reference the published version.

• << Previous: Figures & tables
• Last Updated: Sep 16, 2024 12:05 PM
• URL: https://morlingcollege.libguides.com/apareferencing

Holocaust-Era Assets

Unpublished Research Papers

Unpublished Research papers, relating to Holocaust-Era Assets, made available online

• Berenbaum, Michael. Testimony before the Nazi War Criminals Interagency Working Group , June 24, 1999.
• Bradsher, Greg. Archivists, Archival Records, and Looted Cultural Property Research . Paper presented at the Vilnius International Forum on Holocaust-Era Looted Cultural Assets, Lithuania, October 3, 2000.
• Bradsher, Greg. Turning history into justice: the search for records relating to Holocaust-Era Assets at the National Archives . Paper given at the Society of American Archivists, Pittsburgh, PA, August 27, 1999.
• Kleiman, Miriam. My search for "GOLD" at the National Archives . Paper given at the Society of American Archives, Pittsburgh, PA, August 27, 1999.
• Marchesano, Louis. Classified Records, Nazi Collecting, and Looted Art: An Art Historian's Perspective . Paper delivered to the Nazi War Criminal Records Interagency Working Group at the Simon Wiesenthal Center, Los Angeles, June 24, 1999.
• Rickman, Gregg. The Truth Shall Set You Free: The Archives and the Swiss Bank . Paper delivered at the Society of American Archivists, Pittsburgh, PA, August 27, 1999. Rickman is scheduled to discuss his new book, Swiss Banks and Jewish Souls, at the National Archives Author Lecture and Booksigning event on September 9, 1999.
• Sullivan, Steve. Marta's List: The Pursuit of Holocaust Survivors' Lost Insurance Claims .
• Wolfe, Robert. A Brief Chronology of the National Archives Captured Records Staff

Symposium participants are invited to send their papers, electronically or in hardcopy, to [email protected] or to Lida Churchville National Archives Library, Rm. 2380 8061 Adelphi Rd, College Park, MD 20740

ACAP LEARNING RESOURCES

Reference in APA 7

• Printable Guides & Sample Papers
• Headings & Page Order
• ACAP Presentation Requirements This link opens in a new window
• APA Style Guidelines, Blog & Socials
• Paraphrasing
• Time Stamps, Verbatim, Transcripts & Personal Comms
• Secondary Sources
• Tables & Figures
• Missing, Same, Repeated, Multiples, Parts & Abbreviations
• Reference List Elements
• Formatting the Reference List
• DOIs, URLs & Hyperlinks
• Missing Information
• Annotated Bibliographies
• Edited, Republished & Translated Books
• Reference Works
• Diagnostic Manuals (DSM & ICD)
• Religious & Ancient Works
• Newspaper Articles
• Conferences & Theses
• Reports, Policies & Grey Literature
• YouTube & Other Streaming
• Podcasts, TV & Radio
• Transcripts
• Artwork & Images
• Social Media
• Legislation
• Standards & Patents
• Unpublished Works
• Statistics, Tests & Data Sets
• Generative Artificial Intelligence

Reference Elements: Unpublished & Informally Published Material

Author, a. a., & author, b. b. (year). title of work in italics [description of unpublished manuscript]. department name, university name. https://xxxxxx, author, a. a., & author, b. b. (year). title of work in italics  (publication no. ###). name of database or archive. https://doi.org/xxxxxx.

Use specific manuscript descriptions, e.g. [Unpublished manuscript]. [Manuscript in preparation]. [Manuscript submitted for publication]. Always use a DOI if the resource has one. Include a URL if there isn't a DOI available and if it resolves without authentication. 

• REFERENCE LIST EXAMPLES
• IN TEXT EXAMPLES

Leemans, S. J. J. & Artem, P. (2019). Proofs with stochastic-aware conformance checking: An entropy-based approach  [Unpublished manuscript]. Faculty of Science and Technology, Queensland University of Technology.  https://eprints.qut.edu.au/129860/

Winegard, B. M., Winegard, B. M., Geary, D. C., & Clark, C. J. (2018). The status competition model of cultural production . PsyArXiv.  https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/apw5e/

Parenthetical Style

See theorem one as follows "for any log L and model M (given as SDFAs), it holds that 0 ≤ recall(L, M) ≤ 1 and 0 ≤ precision(L, M) ≤ 1" (Leemans et al., 2019, p. 2).

In this example, the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright is used for its functional and aesthetic qualities (Winegard et al., 2018).

Narrative Style

Leemans et al. (2019) proposes "for any log L and model M (given as SDFAs), it holds that 0 ≤ recall(L, M) ≤ 1 and 0 ≤ precision(L, M) ≤ 1" (p. 2).

Winegard et al. (2018) use the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright house as an example for its functional and aesthetic qualities.

• << Previous: Course Material & Unpublished
• Next: Statistics, Tests & Data Sets >>
• Last Updated: Mar 13, 2024 1:57 PM
• URL: https://libguides.navitas.com/apa7

How do I cite an unpublished student paper?

Note: This post relates to content in the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook . For up-to-date guidance, see the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook .

A works-cited-list entry for an unpublished student paper should include the author, title of the paper (in quotation marks), and date. The name of the course, the institution for which the paper was prepared, and the type of work can be provided as optional information at the end of the entry:

Leland, Dina. “Designing websites with Preschool Learners in Mind: Two Approaches Compared.” 4 Sept. 2017. User Experience 101, Dunham College, student paper.

In its publications, it is MLA policy to obtain permission from students before quoting from work they produced for class. Note that this does not extend to MA or PhD theses, which are public-facing works.