Jonah Patel
The American Psychological Association (APA) has specific guidelines for citing the U.S. Constitution, which is a fundamental text for the country's legal system. When citing the Constitution, it is important to refer to the specific sections, articles, or amendments being discussed, rather than the entire document. This is because the APA style requires that the core elements of a citation, such as author, date, and title, are included, and the Constitution does not have a single author or date.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| How to begin | Always start with U.S. Const. |
| Article number | Use Roman numerals (I, II, III) |
| Amendment number | Use Roman numerals (I, II, III) |
| Section number | Use Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3) |
| Clause number | Use Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3) |
| Preamble abbreviation | pmbl. |
| Date | Not required for parts of the Constitution currently in force |
| Date | Include the year in parentheses if referring to a repealed or amended part |
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What You'll Learn
Citing specific pieces
When citing the U.S. Constitution in APA style, it is important to cite the specific pieces you are using instead of the whole document. Begin by indicating "U.S. Const." followed by the specific piece you are citing, such as the article, amendment, section, and/or clause numbers. The terms "article," "amendment," "section," and "clause" are abbreviated as "art.," "amend.," "§," and "cl.," respectively. Article and amendment numbers are denoted by Roman numerals (I, II, III), while section and clause numbers use Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3).
For example, if you are referencing the process outlined in the Constitution by which new states may join the union, your citation would look like this:
> U.S. Const. art. I, § 3
If you are referring to a provision that has been amended or repealed, include the year in parentheses. For example, if you are discussing the 18th Amendment, which was repealed in 1933, your citation would appear as follows:
> U.S. Const. amend. XVIII (repealed 1933)
For state constitutions, use the abbreviated name of the state, such as "N.C. Const." or "Ariz. Const."
In addition to citing the specific pieces of the Constitution, remember to include corresponding in-text citations and reference list entries. APA style requires both reference list entries and in-text citations for specific pieces of constitutions, with similar formatting for both.
When citing a work in the text, be specific about the relevant part, such as page ranges, tables, or figures. You can cite a specific part whether paraphrasing or directly quoting. However, do not cite the specific part in the reference list; instead, cite the source that readers can retrieve to find that part. For instance, if you are citing data from a table in a government report, provide a reference list entry for the report itself and then add location information for the table within the in-text citation.
In-text citations should include the author and year of publication, and for direct quotations, include the page number as well. For sources without page numbers, such as websites and e-books, use a paragraph number instead. APA style also has specific guidelines for citing works with multiple authors and sources with no known author or date.
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Article, amendment, section, and clause numbers
When citing the U.S. Constitution in APA style, it is important to include the article, amendment, section, and/or clause numbers as relevant. The standard format is to begin with "U.S. Const." followed by the relevant article, amendment, section, and clause details.
The terms "article" and "amendment" are abbreviated to "art." and "amend." respectively, and are written using Roman numerals (e.g., I, II, III). "Section" is denoted by the symbol "§", and "clause" is abbreviated to "cl." with Arabic numerals (e.g., 1, 2, 3). For example, a citation might read: "U.S. Const. amend. IV, § 3" or "U.S. Const. art. II, § 1, cl. 8".
If you are referring to a part of the Constitution that has been repealed or amended, include the year in parentheses. For example, "U.S. Const. amend. XVIII (repealed 1933)".
State constitutions follow a similar format, using the abbreviated name of the state: "N.C. Const." or "Ariz. Const.".
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Abbreviations
APA style, as outlined by the American Psychological Association, provides a set of guidelines for academic writing and citations. While I couldn't find specific information on whether or not you have to cite the constitution in APA style, I did find some general guidelines on citations and some information on the APA's own bylaws and constitution.
The APA style guide provides specific instructions on the use of abbreviations. Here are the key points to remember:
- First Use and Full Term: When introducing an abbreviated term, write out the full term, followed immediately by the abbreviation in parentheses. For example, "American Psychological Association (APA)".
- Standard Abbreviations: Standard abbreviations, such as units of measurement (cm, kg, s) and states (CA, NY, TX), do not need to be written out and can be used without explanation.
- Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary: APA also allows the use of abbreviations that appear as words in Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, such as "IQ," "HIV," "RNA," and "CIA."
- Capitalization and Punctuation: When using all capital letters for an abbreviation, do not use periods or spaces. For example, "USA" for the "United States of America." An exception is when abbreviating "inch" (in.) to avoid confusion with the word "in."
- Pluralization: To form the plural of an abbreviation, simply add an "s" without an apostrophe or italicization. For example, "the MPs voted" or "there were multiple CEOs in attendance." However, do not add "s" to pluralize units of measurement; use "12 m" for "twelve meters," not "12 ms."
- Names and Labels: Always abbreviate first and middle names of authors, editors, etc. For example, "White, E. B." or "Chomsky, N." Use a period when abbreviating names or labels that conceal identity, such as "P. T. Barnum" or "F.I.M."
These guidelines will help ensure that your use of abbreviations in APA style is consistent and effective.
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Dates
When citing the U.S. Constitution in APA style, it is important to note that you generally do not need to include a date. If you are citing the Constitution as a whole, simply mention it in your paper without a citation in the references list.
However, if you are citing a specific part of the Constitution, such as an article, amendment, section, or clause, you should use the relevant numbers or Roman numerals, depending on the type of section. In this case, if the part of the Constitution you are referring to has been repealed or amended, include the year of the repeal or amendment in parentheses. For example:
> During prohibition, the sale of liquor was made illegal (U.S. Const. amend. XVIII, repealed 1933).
> U.S. Const. amend. XVIII (repealed 1933).
State constitutions follow a similar format, using the abbreviated name of the state, such as "N.C. Const." or "Ariz. Const." State constitution article numbers are represented by Roman numerals, while amendment numbers are in Arabic numerals.
When citing federal laws or statutes in APA style, include the name of the law, "U.S.C." or "United States Code", the title and section of the code, and the year. The year included should be the year the law was published in the source consulted, not the year it was passed, amended, or supplemented. For example:
> Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, Pub. L. No. 111-2, 123 Stat. 5 (2009).
It is important to adapt your reference to the standards of the specific state you are citing. For example, a law from the Virginia Code would include the title and section number, separated by a hyphen.
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Roman and Arabic numerals
The Roman numeral system uses the symbols I, V, X, L, C, D, and M, which stand for 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500, and 1,000, respectively. This system is based on the ancient Roman system of numerical notation. A symbol placed after another of equal or greater value adds to the preceding symbol's value, for example, II = 1 + 1 = 2. Usually, only three identical symbols can be used consecutively. To express numbers beginning with 4 or 9, a symbol is placed before one of greater value to subtract its value, for example, IV = −1 + 5 = 4. The only exception to this rule is the number 4,000, which can be written as MMMM. A bar called a vinculum placed over a number multiplies its value by 1,000.
The Hindu-Arabic numeral system, on the other hand, is based on the concept of place value, where the value of a digit depends on its position in a number. This system uses the ten numerals: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. The adoption of this system was driven by its efficiency, ease of use, and compatibility with various mathematical operations.
When citing the U.S. Constitution in APA style, 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, "U.S. Const. art. I, § 3" refers to Article I, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution. If referring to a part of the Constitution that has been repealed or amended, include the year in parentheses, such as "U.S. Const. amend. XVIII (repealed 1933)".
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Frequently asked questions
Begin with the abbreviation "U.S. Const." followed by the article, amendment, section, and/or clause numbers as relevant. 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).
No, if you are citing a part of the Constitution that is currently in force, do not include a date. However, if you are referring to a part of the Constitution that has been repealed or amended, include the year in parentheses.
Use the abbreviated name of the state, followed by "Const." For example, "N.C. Const." or "Ariz. Const.".
You can create a generic reference by including the author or organization responsible for the work, the date, and the title of the work.
No, when citing the Constitution, it is sufficient to cite the specific pieces you are using, rather than the whole document. Simply indicating the Constitution in your narrative is enough.
