Keith Mack
Citing case law in APA style is slightly different from other APA citations. For example, legal citations do not usually list authors, and abbreviations are often used for conciseness. When citing case law, you should include the name of the case, the volume and abbreviated name of the reporter, the page number, the name of the court, and the year. You may also include the URL as an optional addition to aid readers in retrieving the source. The case name should be italicized in the in-text citation but not in the reference list.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Case name | Italicized in the in-text citation, but not in the reference list |
| Case name format | Name v. Name |
| Reporter | Abbreviations are used to make them more concise |
| Page number | Only a single page number—the page where the coverage of that case begins—instead of a full page range |
| Court | Not required if the reporter abbreviation clearly identifies a specific court |
| Year | The year the law was published in the source consulted, not when it was passed, amended, or supplemented |
| URL | Optional |
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Citing a case name
When citing a case name in APA style, it is important to note that the style differs from other APA citations. Case citations generally don't list authors, and abbreviations are used to make them more concise.
The case name is written in standard type in the reference list entry and in italic type in the in-text citation. For example, the case name for a U.S. Supreme Court case would be written in standard type in the reference list and in italics in the in-text citation, like this:
Reference list:
Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973).
In-text citation:
Roe v. Wade (1973) ruled that...
Note that "v." (for "versus") is used between the names of the parties in a case title, though APA recommends "vs." outside the context of legal citations.
Additionally, when citing a case name, it is important to include other relevant information such as the volume, reporter, page number, court, and year. For example:
Reference list entry:
Name v. Name, Volume F. [or F.2d, F.3d] Page (Court Year). URL
In-text citation:
Name v. Name, Year)
It is also worth noting that including a URL is optional in APA style reference entries for legal sources. However, providing the URL can be useful for aiding the reader in retrieving the source.
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Citing a court case
To cite a court case or decision, you need to include the following information:
- Name of the case: The case name is italicized in the in-text citation, but not in the reference list.
- Volume: Provide the volume number of the publication in which the case is documented.
- Reporter: This refers to the publication or reporter in which the case is documented. For example, decisions from the U.S. Supreme Court are published in the United States Reports (abbreviated as "U.S.").
- Page number: Specify only a single page number—the page where the coverage of that particular case begins. For cases without a page number, include three underscores instead.
- Name of the court: The name of the court where the case was heard. This can be omitted if the reporter abbreviation clearly identifies a specific court.
- Year: Include the year the case was heard or decided.
- URL (optional): Including a URL is not required in APA Style for legal sources. However, it can be helpful for readers to retrieve the source.
Reference list:
Name v. Name, Volume F. [or F.2d, F.3d] Page (Court Year). URL
In-text citation:
Name v. Name, Year)
It is important to follow the specific guidelines provided by APA to ensure accurate and consistent citations. Additionally, there may be variations in format depending on the specific level of the court, such as federal or state courts.
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Citing a law
Federal Laws
Federal laws, also known as statutes or acts, are cited by including the name of the law, followed by "U.S.C." (United States Code), the title and section of the code where the law appears, and the year. For example:
> Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq. (1990)
Here, "Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990" is the name of the law, "42 U.S.C." indicates the title and section of the United States Code, "§ 12101 et seq." refers to the specific section(s) of the code, and "(1990)" is the year it was published in the source.
Uncodified Laws
If a law has not been codified, meaning it is not published in the United States Code, it should be cited using its public law number and information about where it was published. For example:
> Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, Pub. L. No. 111-2, 123 Stat. 5 (2009)
Here, "Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009" is the name of the law, "Pub. L. No. 111-2" is the public law number, "123 Stat. 5" indicates where it was published (in this case, the United States Statutes at Large, abbreviated as "Stat."), and "(2009)" is the year.
State Laws
State laws are published in state-specific publications and cited similarly to federal laws, but with state-specific abbreviations. For example, for California state laws, use "Cal." as the abbreviation:
> Name of Act, Cal. Penal Code § Section # (Year)
In-Text Citations
In-text citations for laws in APA Style typically follow the pattern of "(first element of reference list entry, year)" without italics. For statutes, this would be the name of the act and the year:
> (Americans with Disabilities Act, 1990)
For uncodified laws, the in-text citation would include the public law number and the year:
> (Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, Pub. L. No. 111-2, 2009)
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Citing a patent
The APA reference for a patent consists of four parts: the name of the inventor, the year the patent was issued, the unique patent identification number, and the name of the patent office.
> Patent owner. (Year). Patent Number. Location: Patent office.
> Accenture Global Service Limited. (2015). CA 2798545. Gatineau, QC: Canadian Intellectual Property Office.
> Inventor1, Inventor2, et al., inventors; Name of assignee, assignee. Title of Patent. Patent number (include country code, the word "patent," and number with retained commas). Date of publication.
> Parmar V, Talavera G, inventors; Accenture Global Services Limited, assignee. Smart Grid Deployment Simulator. CA 2798545 (Canada Patent 2,798,545), 2015.
In general, references to patents should include all the information necessary for your reader to locate the patent themselves. This typically includes the patent number, patent title, country where the patent was issued, year, and owner, inventor or assignee.
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Citing a bill
When citing a bill in APA style, there are a few key things to keep in mind. Firstly, the citation format for a bill that has not become law differs from that of a bill that has been passed into law. For a bill that has not been passed into law, the format is as follows:
> Title [if relevant], H.R. or S. bill number, xxx Cong. (Year). URL
Here, "H.R." stands for House of Representatives, while "S." stands for Senate, and "xxx Cong." refers to the congressional session. For example:
> Bill C-6, An Act Respecting the Safety of Consumer Products, H.R. 123, 110th Cong. (2023). https://exampleurl.com
If the bill number has a letter suffix, include it without any spaces, like so:
> H.R. 123A, 110th Cong. (2023). https://exampleurl.com
On the other hand, bills that have been passed by both houses of Congress and signed into law by the president are now considered statutes and should be cited as such. The template for federal or state statutes is:
> Name of Act, Title Source § Section Number (Year). URL
For example:
> Disability Services Safeguards Act, 42 U.S.C. § 12345 (2023). https://exampleurl.com
Note that the "U.S.C." stands for United States Code, and the section number is preceded by the "§" symbol.
When citing a bill, it is important to consult the specific guidelines provided by the APA Publication Manual or legal citation guides relevant to your jurisdiction, such as the Bluebook or The McGill Guide, as there may be variations in format depending on the source of the bill and the specific style guide you are following.
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Frequently asked questions
To cite a court case in APA style, list the name of the case in italics, volume, reporter, page number, court, year, and optionally the URL.
To cite a law in APA style, include the name of the law, "U.S.C." (short for United States Code), the title and section of the code, the year, and optionally the URL. If the law is spread across various sections of the code or not featured in the code, include the public law number and information on the source accessed.
In-text citations for statutes should follow the format: (name of the act, year). If the name of the law is unavailable, some authors use only the legal citation in parentheses, e.g. (18 U.S.C. § 2258).
To cite a patent in APA style, list the inventor as the author, the year of issue, patent title, patent number, issuing body, and URL.
