How to Cite a PDF File in APA

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If you're writing a research paper, you might want to use a PDF file as a source. With the American Psychological Association (APA) citation style, how you cite the PDF file depends on whether it's freely available online or was sent to you personally. Specifically, if the PDF file was sent to you personally, or if you downloaded it from a website that isn't open to the public, you would only use an in-text citation, not a Reference List entry.