In most citation styles, file type has little, if any, impact on the citation.

It is the source type that determines the format of a citation. Common source types include books, journal articles, and webpages. 

If you would like to cite a PDF file, consider what type of source it is. Is it a book? A journal article? A government report? Something else? 

For more information about citing a variety of online sources, please see RDP Library’s citation guides: 

APA Citation Style: Building a Reference List Entry
MLA Citation Style: Building a Works Cited Entry
Chicago Citation Style (17th ed.): Building a Bibliography Entry
Chicago Citation Style (18th ed.): Building a Bibliography Entry