Malcolm Rivera
When writing an academic paper, it is essential to provide proper citations and references for the sources used. This ensures academic integrity and allows readers to locate the sources for further research or verification. While citing sources, one may wonder if constitutions, being foundational documents, need to be included in the bibliography. The answer is that it depends on the citation style being used. For instance, in APA style, one does not need to create a separate citation for the entire federal or state constitution but can simply refer to them by name in the text. However, when citing specific articles, amendments, or sections, a reference list entry and in-text citation are required, following a specific format. Other citation styles, like MLA and Chicago, have their own guidelines for citing constitutions, which may include providing full citations in the bibliography or footnotes/endnotes.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| When to include in bibliography | If you are not including a bibliography in your work, and are relying solely on notes for your citations, you must fully cite a work referenced or quoted from in the first note related to it. |
| Citing the US Constitution | Begin with U.S. Const., followed by the article, amendment, section, and/or clause numbers as relevant. |
| Citing state constitutions | Use " [abbreviated state name] Const." |
| Citing in MLA style | Include information about where you accessed it in the Works Cited entry. In the in-text citation, use article/amendment and section numbers instead of page numbers. |
| Citing in APA style | Refer to the Bluebook. |
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What You'll Learn
Citing the US Constitution in APA style
When citing the US Constitution in APA style, you should refer to The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation for guidance. This is because APA defers to Bluebook style for legal materials and uses those templates and patterns in bibliographies.
If you are making a passing reference to the US Constitution, you can mention it in the text without a reference list entry. However, if you are using a specific part of the US 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 US 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 to "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 parts of the Constitution currently in force, do not include a date.
For example, the citation for the process by which new states may join the union would be written as follows:
> U.S. Const. art. I, § 3.
If the amendment has been repealed, add "(repealed year)" to the end of the reference. For example:
> U.S. Const. amend. XVIII (repealed 1933)
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Citing the US Constitution in MLA style
When citing the US Constitution in MLA style, you should include information about where you accessed it in the Works Cited entry. In the in-text citation, use article/amendment and section numbers instead of page numbers.
For example, if you were citing Article 1, Section 4 of the Constitution, your in-text citation would look like this: ("Constitution of the United States," art. 1, sec. 4). Note that you should use the abbreviations "art." (Article), "amend." (Amendment), and "sec." (Section) in your citations.
If you are citing an online version of the US Constitution, include information about where you accessed it in the Works Cited entry. The Constitution has also been published in book form in various editions. To cite one of these, write the title of the book in italics, and list any editors, annotators, or other main contributors to the edition after the title.
When mentioning the Constitution in your paper, you can generally just call it the Constitution without using italics or quotation marks. However, if you are citing a specific article or amendment, create a reference list entry and in-text citation as you normally would for other sources.
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Citing state constitutions
APA Style
In APA style, you do not need to create a citation for entire federal or state constitutions. Simply refer to them by name in the text. For example, you can mention the "Constitution" or the "Indiana Constitution" without any special formatting. However, when citing specific articles, amendments, or sections within a state constitution, you should create reference list entries and in-text citations as you normally would.
The APA style guide recommends using abbreviations for the US Constitution ("U.S. Const.") and state constitutions ("Abbreviated State Name Const."). For example, "In. Const." for Indiana's Constitution. Use Roman numerals for article and amendment numbers, and Arabic numerals for section numbers. Here is an example:
> U.S. Const. art. ###, § x.
In the above example, "###" represents the article number in Roman numerals, and "x" represents the section number in Arabic numerals. If you are citing an amendment, use the following format:
> U.S. Const. amend. ###
Again, "###" represents the amendment number in Roman numerals. If an amendment has been repealed, add "(repealed year)" to the end of the reference.
MLA Style
In MLA style, the general approach is to use "Constitution" or "Constitution of the United States" in your text without any special formatting. When citing specific articles or amendments, use article/amendment and section numbers instead of page numbers in your in-text citations. Here is an example:
> (Constitution, art. 1, sec. 4)
In MLA, you should also include information about where you accessed the constitution in your Works Cited entry. If you are citing an online version, include the URL. If you are citing a published book edition, write the title of the book in italics and list any editors or contributors.
Bluebook Style
The Bluebook style guide (Rule 11) recommends citing the United States federal constitution as "U.S. Const." and state constitutions as " [abbreviated state name] Const." For example, "Tex. Const." for the Texas Constitution. Here is an example citation:
> U.S. Const. art. 1, § 9, cl. 9.
In this example, "art." refers to article, "§" refers to section, and "cl." refers to clause.
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The Bluebook citation method
The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation provides comprehensive rules for legal citation. The following is a guide on how to cite constitutions using The Bluebook method.
Federal and State Constitutions
To cite the United States Constitution, combine the abbreviation "U.S." with "Const." in small caps typeface. For example, the correct citation for the 14th Amendment, Section 2 of the United States Constitution is:
> U.S. Const. amend. XIV, § 2.
State constitutions are cited similarly, by combining the abbreviated state name with "Const." in small caps typeface. For example, the correct citation for Article 9, Section 1, Clause 2 of the Hawaii Constitution is:
> Haw. Const. art. IX, § 1, cl. 2.
Subdivisions and Names
When citing the U.S. Constitution, subdivisions and names are capitalized and in regular typeface. For example:
> U.S. CONST. art. IV, § 1.
Conversely, when citing state constitutions, subdivisions and names are not capitalized and are in regular typeface. For example:
> S.C. CONST. art. I, § 12.
Current and Repealed/Amended Provisions
If the constitutional provision is still in force, no date is needed. However, for repealed or amended provisions, indicate either the year and action or cite the repealing/amending provision in full. For example:
> U.S. CONST. amend. XVIII (repealed 1933).
Short Citations
According to Rule 11 of The Bluebook, there is no short form for citing constitutions other than "id." when appropriate. This means that if a constitution is referred to in a textual sentence, the citation must be written out in full, or the provision referred to by name.
Foreign Constitutions
Cite all foreign constitutions by name and include the word "Constitution" if the nature of the document is not clear from the context. For example:
> Germany Constitution of 1949, art. 1, § 1.
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Bibliography and footnote/endnote citations
When referencing the US Constitution, you do not need to create a citation for the entire federal or state constitution. Simply reference it in the text by name. For example, you can just call it the Constitution without italicization or quotation marks.
However, when citing particular articles and amendments, create reference list entries and in-text citations as normal. The US Constitution should be abbreviated in reference lists and parentheticals to "U.S. Const." with article and amendment numbers in Roman numerals and section and clause numbers in Arabic numerals. For example, "U.S. Const. amend. XIV, § 2".
If you are using the Bluebook citation style, Rule 11 states that you should cite the United States federal constitution as "U.S. Const." and state constitutions as "[abbreviated state name] Const." For example, "Tex. Const.".
If you are using the MLA citation style, you would cite the Constitution of the United States in the Works Cited entry as follows: "Constitution of the United States." In the in-text citation, use article/amendment and section numbers instead of page numbers, for example, "Constitution of the United States, art. 1, sec. 4."
If you are using the Chicago citation style, your bibliography citations are listed alphabetically, with the name of the first author inverted (last name first) and elements separated by periods. Bibliography entries do not typically include specific page references for a published work, but if you are citing a specific part of the Constitution, include the article, amendment, and section numbers.
If you are not including a bibliography in your work and are relying solely on footnotes or endnotes for your citations, you must fully cite a work referenced or quoted from in the first note related to it. Subsequent notes referencing it can then use a short-form citation.
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Frequently asked questions
No, you do not need to create a citation for the entire federal or state constitution. Simply reference them in the text by name.
When citing particular articles and amendments, create reference list entries and in-text citations as normal. The US Constitution should be abbreviated in reference lists and parentheticals to U.S. Const.
You should cite the United States federal constitution by "U.S. Const." and cite state constitutions by "[abbreviated state name] Const.".
