How do I reference financial data… in the APA7 style?
08/09/2022

We all know how to cite and reference from books, journals, the internet and even blog posts, but what about financials? Just like information from other sources, data retrieved from a specialist finance resource should be acknowledged in the same way.
The format for referencing financials in APA7 style – whether a set of financial data, accounting or financial dataset – is essentially the same.
Here’s what you need to include in your reference:
- Author or authorising organisation.
- (Date of publication include day and month if available).
- Title or section of report OR Title of data extract in italics. Follow this with a description of the work in square brackets, e.g. [Financial Data].
- Platform or website where the materials are located.
- URL – include a URL if the materials are available online (only include if the material has come from a platform that will be available to the reader of your work) – or Retrieved Month, Date, from database/source name.
And how your references should look:
Bloomberg L.P. (2017). Tesco PLC daily share price (2011-2016) [Financial Data]. Retrieved March 2, 2017, from Bloomberg terminal.
S&P Capital IQ (2022). Meta Platforms, Inc. annual income statement 2017 to 2022 [Financial Data]. Retrieved August 11, 2022, from S&P Capital IQ platform.

What about your in-text citations?
Where you make reference to these in your text, follow the normal ‘name and date’ conventions and simply follow any mention with (Bloomberg, 2017) or (S&P Capital IQ, 2022) or a variation thereon.
Any questions?
As always, if you have any questions about referencing, please contact the Library.
Please note: Cranfield supports two different referencing styles – APA7 (Author-date) and Numbered (NLM). Please make sure you use the style preferred by your supervisor or lecturer. The advice above relates only to the APA7 style. If you have any questions about referencing, please contact the Library.
Feature image from Pixabay. Available at: https://pixabay.com/photos/business-stock-finance-market-1730089/
Categories & Tags:
Leave a comment on this post:
You might also like…
Finding successful past Cranfield theses
It’s always a good idea to look at examples of theses before you start work on your own. You may find them valuable for reading previous research, and for looking at structure, style and methodology. ...
On‑campus or off‑campus? How Cranfield students found their home away from home
Finding the right place to live is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make as you begin your student journey. Whether you’re looking for the convenience and community of living on-campus or the independence ...
Avoiding common referencing errors
As librarians, we get to see the full spectrum of reference lists in student work —from exemplary to … well, let’s just say, works still very much in progress! We are experts in spotting mistakes ...
Using your Mendeley library after you have left Cranfield
So you have spent the whole year (or more) lovingly collecting references around the topics that matter to you and now you have a large, personalised library in Mendeley Reference Manager containing all that information. ...
Referencing the use of generative AI in your work
We recognise that Artificial Intelligence (AI) has, and will increasingly, become a part of our everyday lives and that we need to adapt to it. Hopefully you will have already seen the guidance for staff ...
Finding part-time work whilst studying at Cranfield – is it right for you?
We know that the cost of living in the UK is a real and ongoing challenge for many students. Whether you are still considering postgraduate study or already preparing for life at university, you ...
