Anaya Nolan
The American Psychological Association (APA) has established a set of guidelines for citing sources in academic writing, with the APA 7th edition being the most recent. While the 6th edition is now outdated, it was previously recommended for citing legal materials, including constitutional law, by following the Bluebook uniform system of citation. This system provides specific guidelines for referencing federal and state constitutions, with all citations of the U.S. Constitution beginning with U.S. Const. followed by relevant article, amendment, section, and/or clause numbers. Roman numerals are used for article and amendment numbers, while Arabic numerals are used for section and clause numbers. For federal laws or statutes, the APA style includes the name of the law, U.S.C. (United States Code), the title and section, and the year, with the option to include a URL. Laws that have not been codified in the United States Code are cited using public law numbers and publication information. Most legal references, such as court cases and laws, are formatted in a legal reference style with minor variations from standard APA formats.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Style | APA Style |
| Edition | 6th Edition |
| Reference Type | Legal References |
| Source Type | U.S. Constitution |
| Citation Format | Bluebook Rule 11 |
| Abbreviation | U.S. Const. |
| Article Designation | art. |
| Amendment Designation | amend. |
| Section Designation | § |
| Clause Designation | cl. |
| Numerals | Roman for Articles and Amendments, Arabic for Sections and Clauses |
| Date | Not Included for Parts in Force |
| Author | Not Included |
| Title | Not Included |
| URL | Optional |
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What You'll Learn
Citing the US Constitution
The APA recommends following the Bluebook uniform system of citation for legal materials. The Bluebook sets the standard for all legal citations and the style for legal citations in the Publication Manual comes directly from it.
If you simply want to make a passing reference to the U.S. Constitution in an APA Style paper, you can mention it in the text without a reference list entry. However, if you are citing a specific part of the Constitution as evidence to support a point, you should construct the citation using Bluebook Rule 11, which covers federal and state constitutions.
All citations of the U.S. Constitution begin with "U.S. Const.", followed by the article, amendment, section, and/or clause numbers as relevant. The terms article, amendment, section, and clause are always abbreviated as "art.", "amend.", "§", and "cl.", respectively. Preamble is abbreviated as "pmbl.". Article and amendment numbers are given in Roman numerals (I, II, III), while section and clause numbers are given in Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3). For example:
> The founding fathers addressed the process by which new states may join the union (U.S. Const. art. I, § 3).
> U.S. Const. amend. XVIII (repealed 1933).
When citing a provision that has been amended, add the date it was amended in parentheses. For example:
> U.S. Const. amend. XVIII (repealed 1933).
For state constitutions, use the abbreviated name of the state:
> N.C. Const.
> Ariz. Const.
The Bluebook states that for parts of the Constitution currently in force, do not include a date.
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Citing federal laws
Identify the Necessary Information
Firstly, gather the relevant details for your citation. For federal laws, also known as statutes or acts, you will need the following:
- Name of the law: The official name of the law or statute.
- "U.S.C." or United States Code: This is the online codification of the law.
- Title and Section of the Code: The title and section number(s) where the law appears in the U.S.C. If the law spans multiple sections, add "et seq." after the U.S.C. number.
- Year: The year the law was published in the source, not necessarily the year it was passed.
- URL (optional): The URL of the source where the law was found. Including this is optional but can aid readers in locating the source.
Construct the Citation
Once you have the necessary information, you can construct your citation. Here is a template for how to format it:
References List Format 1 (Name of Law with US Code Citation Only):
Name of Law, title # U.S.C. § section # (Year). [URL]
For example: Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of 1974, 42 U.S.C. §§5101–5106 (1974).
References List Format 2 (With Public Law and/or Statutes at Large Information):
Name of Law, Pub. L. ##-##, volume Stat. page, codified as amended at title U.S.C. § section # (Year). [URL]
For example: Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, Pub. L. 111-2, 123 Stat. 5, codified as amended at 29 U.S.C. § 206(d) (2009). [https://www.gov/law/example]
Note that if the law is not yet included in the United States Code, use the Public Law Number and include a parallel citation to its location in Statutes at Large.
In-Text Citation
For in-text citations, the format is similar to other APA Style references. Here is an example:
Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of 1974)
Alternatively, if the name of the law is not provided, you can use the legal citation in the text:
42 U.S.C. §§5101–5106)
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Citing a court case
Name of the Case:
Italicize the name of the case in your in-text citation, following the format of "Name v. Name". For example, "Griswold v. Connecticut". The name of the case should also be included in your reference list entry, but it should not be italicized there.
Volume and Reporter:
Include the volume number and the abbreviated name of the reporter or publication where the case is documented. The reporter's name will be abbreviated, for example, "F. Supp." for Federal Supplement, which contains decisions from the U.S. District Court.
Page Number:
Specify the page number where the coverage of the case begins. If the case has not yet been reported in print and doesn't have a specific page number, use three underscores (___) in place of the page number.
Court and Year:
Provide the name of the court that made the decision and the year of the decision. You can use the standard abbreviation for the court, such as "US" for the U.S. Supreme Court, or spell out the full name. Ensure that you include the year, even if you use an abbreviation for the court.
URL (Optional):
Including a URL is optional in APA Style reference entries for legal sources. It can be helpful to include it to assist readers in finding the source, but it is not required, as the other information provided should be sufficient for locating the case.
Here's an example of how your citation might look when put together:
In-text citation: (Griswold v. Connecticut, 1965)
Reference list entry: Griswold v. Connecticut, volume # F. Supp. page # (US Supreme Court, 1965). https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-supreme-court/... (optional URL)
Please note that the specific format may vary depending on the court and publication details. Additionally, the 7th edition of the APA manual provides further guidance on legal citations in Section 11.4, pages 357-361.
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Citing a state constitution
When citing a state constitution in APA Style, you should follow these guidelines:
Citing the Whole Constitution
If you are referring to the state constitution as a whole, you do not need to include a citation. Simply refer to the constitution in the text. For example, "The Wisconsin Constitution guarantees freedom of assembly".
Citing a Specific Article or Amendment
However, if you are citing a specific article or amendment of a state constitution, you will need to include a citation. In the reference list and in parenthetical citations, use the abbreviated name of the state, followed by "Const." and the relevant details. For example:
- Parenthetical citation: (Mass. Const. art. IX, pt. IV)
- Narrative citation: Article IX, Part IV, of the Massachusetts Constitution
Note that article and amendment numbers are given in Roman numerals (e.g., I, II, III), while section and clause numbers are given in Arabic numerals (e.g., 1, 2, 3).
Repealed or Amended Sections
If you are referring to a section of the state constitution that has been repealed or amended, include the year of the change in parentheses. For example:
- Parenthetical citation: (Mass. Const. art. IX, pt. IV (2005))
- Narrative citation: Article IX, Part IV, of the Massachusetts Constitution (repealed 2005)
Creating a Generic Reference
If you are unable to find specific guidelines for a particular state constitution, you can create a generic reference using the following elements:
- Author or Organization: Who is responsible for the work?
- Date: When was the work published?
- Title: What is the name of the work?
For example:
- Reference list: The Florida Legislature (1991, 2017). Florida Patient's Bill of Rights and Responsibilities, Fla. Stat. § 381.026. http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0300-0399/0381/Sections/0381.026.html
- Parenthetical citation: (Florida Patient's Bill of Rights and Responsibilities, 1991/2017)
Please note that the guidelines provided here are based on a combination of sources, including the 6th and 7th editions of the APA Style guidelines, as well as specific guides for citing legal materials. While the basics of citing a state constitution may remain consistent across editions, it is always best to refer to the most recent guidelines to ensure your citations are accurate and up-to-date.
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Citing a law that hasn't been codified
When citing a law that hasn't been codified, you should follow the guidelines outlined below:
Firstly, it is important to understand that a law that has not been codified refers to one that has not been published in the United States Code. In such cases, the recommended approach is to utilise the law's public law number and provide details about where it was published. This information can typically be found in sources such as the United States Statutes at Large, often abbreviated as "Stat.".
For instance, consider the following example of a citation for a law that has not been codified:
> Name of Law, Pub. L. No. ## - ##, Volume Stat. Page (Year).
Here, "Pub. L. No." denotes the public law number, and "Volume Stat. Page" represents the volume and page number in the Statutes at Large. The year of publication is indicated within parentheses at the end.
It is worth noting that laws from individual states follow a similar format as federal laws whenever possible. Instead of "U.S.C.", you would use the abbreviation for the specific state's law code.
Additionally, when an act is codified across non-consecutive sections of the Code, it is appropriate to use the public law number along with information about its location in the Statutes at Large.
> Name of Law, Pub. L. No. ## - ##, Volume Stat. Page (Year), codified at Title U.S.C. § Section No.
In summary, when citing a law that hasn't been codified in APA 6th edition style, you should use the public law number and publication details. This information can be sourced from the United States Statutes at Large or similar resources. The specific format will depend on the nature of the law and its publication status.
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Frequently asked questions
A citation is not necessary. Simply refer to the constitution in the text.
Begin with "U.S. Const." and follow it with the article, amendment, section, and/or clause numbers as relevant. The terms article, amendment, section, and clause are abbreviated as "art.," "amend.," "§," and "cl." respectively. Article and amendment numbers are given in Roman numerals, while section and clause numbers are given in Arabic numerals.
Include the name of the law, "U.S.C." (short for United States Code), the title and section of the code where the law appears, the year, and optionally the URL.
Cite the law using its public law number and information about wherever it was published.
