How to Cite a Patent in APA Format

Citing a patent in APA format requires the inventor’s name, year of issue, patent title, patent number, issuing patent office, and URL. Patents are unique legal documents that protect inventions and designs.

Basic Patent Citation Format

The standard APA 7th edition format for a patent citation is:

Reference list entry:

Inventor, A. A. (Year). Title of patent (U.S. Patent No. xxx). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://www.example.com/patent

Parenthetical in-text citation: (Inventor, Year)

Narrative in-text citation: Inventor (Year)

In-Text Citation Examples

When you reference a patent within your paper, you have two options:

• Parenthetical: The device uses a novel filtration mechanism (Johnson, 2022).
• Narrative: Johnson (2022) patented a novel filtration mechanism.

Common Variations

U.S. Patent

Smith, R. L. (2023). Portable solar-powered water purification system (U.S. Patent No. 10,123,456). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patents.google.com/patent/US10123456

International Patent

Müller, H. (2022). Automated crop monitoring device (European Patent No. EP3456789). European Patent Office. https://worldwide.espacenet.com/patent/example

Patent with Multiple Inventors

List all inventors separated by commas with an ampersand before the last name.

Chen, W., Patel, S., & Lee, K. (2024). Machine learning-based diagnostic tool (U.S. Patent No. 11,234,567). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patents.google.com/patent/US11234567

Tips for Citing Patents

• Use the patent number in parentheses after the title, including the country or office designation.
• List the issuing office as the publisher (e.g., U.S. Patent and Trademark Office).
• Use the year the patent was issued, not the year the application was filed.
• Include the URL linking to the patent record.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I use the filing date or the issue date? Use the issue date (the date the patent was granted) as the year in your citation.

How do I cite a patent application that has not been granted yet? Use the same format but note it as a patent application: (U.S. Patent Application No. xxx).

Where can I find patent URLs? U.S. patents are available at Google Patents (patents.google.com) or the USPTO website. International patents are available through WIPO or the relevant national patent office.