Guidelines for Citing BEA Information
Unless stated otherwise, information published on this site is in the public domain and may be used or reproduced without specific permission.
As a U.S. government agency, BEA does not endorse or recommend any commercial products or services.
Any reference or link to the BEA Web site must not contain information that suggests an endorsement or recommendation by BEA.
Key Points
- Citations are appreciated and appropriate.
- Linking or providing URLs to the BEA Web site (www.bea.gov):
- Printed documents - URLs in citations should be considered optional, as some tend to be unwieldy for printed documents.
- Online documents - Please link directly to the cited item.
Citing Examples
News Releases
Our suggestion...
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, [“Title of the news release,”] news release (Date of the release), URL.
Some examples...
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, “Personal Income and Outlays, July 2012,” news release (August 30, 2012), www.bea.gov/newsreleases/national/pi/2012/pdf/pi0712.pdf.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, “Personal Income and Outlays, July 2012,” news release (August 30, 2012).
BEA Blog
Our suggestion...
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, BEA Blog: “Title of the Blog” (Date it was posted); URL.
Some examples...
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, BEA Blog: “U.S. Current-Account Deficit Decreases in the Second Quarter of 2012” (September 18, 2012), blog.bea.gov/2012/09/18/current-account-deficit-second-2012.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, BEA Blog: “U.S. Current-Account Deficit Decreases in the Second Quarter of 2012” (September 18, 2012).
Statistics from BEA’s Interactive Data application
The BEA interactive data application does not identify the "vintage" of an estimate. It only displays the most recently released data.
When using the BEA interactive data application, to retrieve a link for the displayed data, simply click on the link icon.
Our suggestion...
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, “Table name,” [the URL] (accessed [date]).
Some examples...
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, “Table 1. U.S. International Transactions,” www.bea.gov/iTable/iTableHtml.cfm?reqid=6&step=3&isuri=1&600=1 (accessed June 14, 2012).
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, “Table 1. U.S. International Transactions,” (accessed June 14, 2012).
- If applicable, identify the date of the estimates and the "vintage" of the estimate.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, “Table 1.1.1. Percent Change From Preceding Period In Real Gross Domestic Product,” second estimates for the second quarter of 2012, (accessed September 19, 2012).
Survey of Current Business
Our suggestion...
- Author or authors, “Title of the article, sidebar, or table,” Survey of Current Business [volume number] (Month and year of publication): page numbers.
Some examples...
- Christopher Swann, “GDP and the Economy: Second Estimates for the Second Quarter of 2012,” Survey of Current Business 92 (September 2012): 1–10.
Regional Input-Output Modeling application (RIMS II)
BEA’s RIMS II multipliers are used to estimate the impact of a proposed change in local economic activity.
When authors mention the use of these multipliers, please make it clear that BEA does not endorse any resulting estimates and/or conclusions about the economic impact of a proposed change on an area.
Our suggestion...
- When referring to the mulipliers, authors should simply note the source as BEA.
Some examples...
- “Applying a final-demand multiplier of 1.0412 (BEA RIMS II multiplier) indicates that an increase in final demand of $1 million would lead to...”
- “According to conclusions that were derived using BEA’s RIMS II multipliers...”
- “Our analysis, which was conducted using BEA’s RIMS II multipliers, shows that...”
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Our suggestion...
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, FAQ: “Title of the FAQ” (Date it was created), URL.
Some examples...
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, FAQ: “How will the effects of the 2012 Midwest drought be reflected in GDP?” (Sept. 20, 2012), www.bea.gov/faq/index.cfm?faq_id=1012&searchQuery=&start=0&cat_id=0.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, FAQ: “How will the effects of the 2012 Midwest drought be reflected in GDP?” (Sept. 20, 2012).
BEA Papers
BEA papers are prepared by BEA staff and are presented at various conferences.
Our suggestion...
- Authors, “Title of the paper,” (paper presented at [name of the conference, place of the conference, and date), www.bea.gov/papers, URL.
Some examples...
- Brent Moulton and Dennis Fixler, “Enhancing Public Understanding of Revisions to Preliminary Estimates: The U.S. Post-Recession Perspective on Revisions” (paper presented at the IARIW 32nd General Conference, Boston, MA, August 8, 2012), www.bea.gov/papers/pdf/IARIW_Moulton_Fixler.pdf.
- Brent Moulton and Dennis Fixler, “Enhancing Public Understanding of Revisions to Preliminary Estimates: The U.S. Post-Recession Perspective on Revisions” (paper presented at the IARIW 32nd General Conference, Boston, MA, August 8, 2012).
BEA Working Papers
Working papers are research papers and analytical presentations that may later be developed into formal papers or presentations.
The views expressed in these papers are solely those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Bureau of Economic Analysis or the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Our suggestion...
- Authors, “Title of the paper,” Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) working paper [number] (Washington, DC: BEA, [date]), URL.
Some examples...
- Abe Dunn and Adam Hale Shapiro, “Physician Market Power and Medical Care Expenditures,” Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) working paper WP2012–6 (Washington, DC: BEA, April 2012), www.bea.gov/papers/pdf/Physician_Market_Power_and_Medical_Care.pdf.
- Abe Dunn and Adam Hale Shapiro, “Physician Market Power and Medical Care Expenditures,” Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) working paper WP2012–6 (Washington, DC: BEA, April 2012).
Other BEA Publications
Our suggestion...
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). “Title of chapter or section,” in Title of the book (Washington, DC: BEA, date of publication, page numbers).
Some examples...
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), “Personal Consumption Expenditures,” in Concepts and Methods of the U.S. National Income and Product Accounts (Washington, DC: BEA, November 2011, 5–1).
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), “User Inputs,” in Regional Input- Output Modeling application (RIMS II) Handbook (Washington, DC: BEA, September 2011, 5–1).
Use of BEA logo
The BEA logo may be used on a Web page as an aid to establishing link identity, but use of the logo for any other purpose is prohibited.
Any reference or link to the BEA Web site must not contain information that suggests an endorsement or recommendation by BEA.
We would appreciate if you did not link directly to the images on our server.
Available images...
- Light Background (PNG)
- Dark Background (PNG)
