Kara Sears
The American Psychological Association (APA) style is a popular referencing style used in term papers, research reports, literature reviews, theoretical articles, and case studies. APA style has strict regulations for formatting and is frequently used to cite court decisions and case law. The 7th edition of the APA paper format, released in 2019, includes updated citation rules, new example citations, and revised writing guidelines. This edition only provides examples based on United States legislative bodies, but some modifications have been made to accommodate Canadian citation practices. When referencing case law, the name of the case, volume, reporter, page number, court, and year are required, while the URL is optional. The case name is written in italics for in-text citations, but not in the reference list.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of the case | Name v. Name |
| Source reporting the decision | Volume Source Page |
| Court and date of the decision | Court Date (Year) |
| URL | Optional |
| Jurisdiction | Abbreviated and in brackets (e.g. (Cth) for Commonwealth, (Vic) for Victoria, (UK) for the United Kingdom) |
| In-text citations | (Title, Year) |
| Reference list | Title [if relevant], Bill number, xxx Leg. (Year) |
| Reference list entry | Title of testimony, ### Cong. (Year) (testimony of Testifier Name) |
| Reference list entry | Title, Volume # C.F.R. § ### (Year) |
| Reference list entry | Title, Volume # F.R. Page (proposed Month Day, Year) (to be codified at Volume # C.F.R. § ###) |
| Reference list entry | Title, Exec. Order No. #####, 3 C.F.R. Page (Year) |
| Statute reference list entry | Name of Act, Title # Source § Section # (Year) |
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What You'll Learn
Case name, source, reporter, page number, court, date
When referencing case law in APA Style, it's important to note that these citations differ from general APA citations. They generally don't list authors, and abbreviations are used to keep them concise.
To reference a case name, source, reporter, page number, court, and date, follow this template:
Case Name, Volume # Reporter Page # (Court Year).
For example:
Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954).
Here, "v." stands for "versus" and is used between the names of the parties in a case title. APA recommends using "vs." outside the context of legal citations.
The volume number refers to the volume of the reporter where the case can be found. The reporter is the publication in which the case is documented. The page number is the specific page where the case begins in the reporter. The court refers to the name of the court that heard the case, and the year is when the decision was made.
For federal court cases, specify the circuit court if applicable, as in the example below:
Brown v. Collins, 541 U.S. 948, 124 S. Ct. 1684 (U.S. 2004).
Note that for the highest federal court, the US Supreme Court, you don't need to specify the court since the reporter name already indicates this. The reporter for the US Supreme Court is abbreviated as "U.S."
If you have multiple reporters to cite, use parallel citation by listing the volume, reporter, and page number for each, separated by commas:
Brown v. Collins, 541 U.S. 948, 2004 U.S. LEXIS 2215, 124 S. Ct. 1684, 158 L. Ed. 2d 377, 72 U.S.L.W. 3598 (U.S. 2004).
Including a URL is optional in APA Style reference entries for legal sources, but it can be helpful for readers to retrieve the source.
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In-text citations
Case Names
The name of the case should be formatted as: Name v. Name. The word 'versus' should be abbreviated as 'v.' in case names, unlike the standard APA Style rule for abbreviating versus. For example, a case between Chomsky and Piaget suing Skinner and Thorndike would be formatted as: Chomsky v. Skinner.
Italicization
The title or name of a case for an in-text citation is written in italics, for example, *Wue v. Yang*. However, the APA Publication Manual 7th edition does not italicize the title of the statute in the in-text (parenthetical) citation.
Years
Jurisdiction
Jurisdictions should be abbreviated and included in brackets, e.g. (Cth) for Commonwealth, (Vic) for Victoria, and (UK) for the United Kingdom.
Electronic Sources
Cases retrieved electronically require the electronic source to be added to the reference. If the content of the document is likely to be updated, include the retrieval date. If the URL is too long, provide the URL of the database from which the case can be retrieved, using the words 'available from' to clarify that it is not a direct link to the document.
Multiple Courts and Court Dates
If a case involves multiple courts and court dates, or sources other than the primary case reporter, include this information in the in-text citation. Additionally, include explanatory information such as whether a decision was overruled, reversed, or affirmed.
Page Numbers
If you are referring to a particular section of the source, cite the page number in parentheses.
Other Legislative Materials
Other legislative materials such as testimony, hearings, and bills that are not law can also be cited. Their in-text citations follow the same patterns as court decisions and cases. For example: Title of testimony, ### Cong. (Year) (testimony of Testifier Name). Here, 'Cong.' stands for the Congress hearing the testimony and usually appears as something like 110th Cong.
Statutes
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Statute reference list entry
Statutes are laws and acts passed by legislative bodies. Federal statutes can be found in the United States Code, abbreviated as U.S.C., where they are divided into sections called titles that cover various topics.
The elements of a statute reference list entry are as follows, in order:
- Name of Act
- Title # Source
- Section #
- Year
- URL
For example:
> Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq. (1990).
Note that "et seq." is a Latin abbreviation indicating that the section number is the first in a series of sections that codify this act.
When citing a statute, you should always use the year when the law was published in the compilation you looked at. Some federal statutes may include public law numbers, which you can use in the reference list entry in place of the U.S.C.
Official federal regulations are published in the Code of Federal Regulations. In the reference, provide the title or number of the regulation, the volume number in which the regulation appears in the Code of Federal Regulations, the abbreviation "C.F.R.", the section number, and the year in which the regulation was codified. If the regulation is available online, provide the URL. Use the section symbol (§) and the section number in the reference.
> Title or Number, Volume C.F.R. § xxx Page (Year).
Executive orders are reported in Title 3 of the Code of Federal Regulations, so "3 C.F.R." is always included in the reference list entry for an executive order. Here is an example of a reference list entry for an executive order:
> Exec. Order No. xxxxx, 3 C.F.R. Page (Year). URL
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Legislative materials
When referencing legislative materials using the APA style, there are several key considerations to keep in mind. Firstly, ensure that your in-text citation leads easily to your Reference List entry, and that the Reference List entry includes enough information to help your reader locate the item. This is particularly important when dealing with legislative materials, as they can often be complex and involve multiple parties and dates.
For state legislative documents, the specific format may vary depending on the style guide you are using. For example, if you found your reference in an academic database like Nexis Uni or Hein Online, the database URL is typically not included. However, if you found your reference on a state legislature website, include the DOI or URL if a DOI is not available.
When citing statutes, the reference list entry should include the following elements in order: Name of Act, Title # Source § Section # (Year). The year refers to the year the law was published in the compilation you are referencing. For example, "Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq. (1990)". Note that "et seq." is a Latin abbreviation indicating that the section number is the first in a series of sections codifying the act.
Other legislative materials like testimony, hearings, bills that are not law, and related documents can also be cited. Their reference list templates may include a URL if one is available, but this is optional. In-text citations for these materials follow the same patterns as court decisions and cases. For example, "Title of testimony, ### Cong. (Year) (testimony of Testifier Name). URL". Here, "### Cong." stands for the Congress hearing the testimony, and you would include the specific Congress number, such as "110th Cong.".
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Court templates
When referencing case law in APA style, you should include the following elements:
- Name of the case: This is formatted as "Name v. Name", with "v." serving as an abbreviation for "versus". Start with the name of the first party listed on each side of the case. For example, "Chomsky v. Skinner" or "Brown v. Board of Education".
- Source reporting the decision: Include the volume, reporter, and page number. For example, "Volume ## Reporter Page #".
- Court and date of the decision: Provide the name of the court, its geographical jurisdiction (if necessary), and the date of the decision in parentheses. For example, "(Court, Year)".
Reference list: Name v. Name, Volume F. [or F.2d, F.3d] Page (Court Year). URL
Parenthetical citation: (Name v. Name, Year)
Narrative citation: Name v. Name (Year)
Reference list: Name v. Name, Volume F. Supp. Page (Court Year). URL
Parenthetical citation: (Name v. Name, Year)
Narrative citation: Name v.
Note that the URL is optional for all court templates.
For state court decisions, the template is similar, but the element of the reporter will vary as there are multiple reporters that publish their decisions. Here is a template:
Name v. Name, Volume # Reporter Page # (Court Year). URL
For federal or state statutes, the template is as follows:
Reference List: Name of Act, Title Source § Section Number (Year). URL
In-text citations for court decisions and statutes are formatted similarly: (name of the act, year).
For reports submitted to the House of Representatives, use the abbreviation "H.R. Rep. No." in the reference list and "House of Representatives Report No." in the in-text citation. For reports submitted to the Senate, use "S. Rep. No." in the reference list and "Senate Report No." in the in-text citation.
Official federal regulations are published in the Code of Federal Regulations. The template for this is:
Reference List: Title or Number, Volume C.F.R. § xxx Page (Year). URL
Decisions from the U.S. Supreme Court are published in the United States Reports, but other reporters may also publish these decisions. When citing Supreme Court decisions, use the United States Reports whenever possible. Here is a template for Supreme Court decisions:
Reference list: Name v. Name, Page (Year).
If the case has not yet been assigned a page number, include three underscores in place of the page number.
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Frequently asked questions
The general format for citing case law in APA style is as follows:
- Name of the case (in standard type for reference entry and italicized in in-text citation)
- Volume
- Reporter
- Page number
- Court
- Year
- URL (optional)
Decisions from the U.S. Supreme Court are published in the United States Reports. Cite Supreme Court decisions as published in the United States Reports whenever possible. The format is:
- Name v. Name, Volume U.S. Page (Year)
- (Name v. Name, Year)
- Name v. Name (Year)
The template for U.S. District Court decisions is as follows:
- Name v. Name, Volume F. Supp. Page (Court Year)
- (Name v. Name, Year)
- Name v. Name (Year)
