Eleanor Finch
When writing academic papers, it is essential to correctly cite the sources used, including a country's constitution. The style of citation depends on the style guide being used, such as APA, MLA, or Bluebook. For example, the APA style guide recommends using Bluebook Rule 11 for citing the US Constitution, while the MLA style guide suggests treating government documents as regular sources written by an organization. The Bluebook is a citation style guide specifically designed for legal materials, including American legislation and case law. It is important to follow the guidelines of the chosen style guide to ensure consistency and proper attribution in academic writing.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Cite the federal constitution by | "U.S." or the abbreviated name of the state |
| Article | Art. or art. |
| Amendment | Amend. or amend. |
| Section | § |
| Clause | cl. |
| Preamble | pmbl. |
| Article and amendment numbers | Roman numerals (I, II, III) |
| Section and clause numbers | Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3) |
| Date | Not required for parts of the Constitution currently in force |
| Date | Include the year in parentheses if the cited part has been repealed or amended |
| URL | Not required for APA format |
| URL | Required for MLA format |
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What You'll Learn
Citing the US Constitution in APA style
To cite the US Constitution in APA style, you should refer to The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation. This is because APA defers to Bluebook style for legal materials and uses those templates and patterns in bibliographies.
If you simply want to make 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 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 to "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).
The Bluebook states that for parts of the Constitution currently in force, do not include a date. If you are referring to a part of the Constitution that has been repealed or amended, include the year that the part in question was repealed or amended in parentheses.
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Citing the US Constitution in MLA style
To cite 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, "Constitution of the United States," art. 1, sec. 4.
Use the abbreviations “art.” (Article), “amend.” (Amendment), and “sec.” (Section) as appropriate in your citations; convert any Roman numerals used in the text to Arabic numerals (e.g., “XIV” becomes “14”). If you are citing a provision that has been amended, add the date it was amended in parentheses. For example, U.S. Const. amend. XVIII (repealed 1933).
The US Constitution has also been published in book form in various editions. To cite one of these in MLA style, 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 italicization or quotation marks.
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Citing an amended constitution
When citing an amended constitution, the style of citation depends on the style guide you are following. For example, the Bluebook is the standard reference guide for legal citations and is often used for citing the U.S. Constitution.
If you are using the Bluebook to cite an amended constitution, you should begin with the abbreviation "U.S. Const." followed by the article, amendment, section, and/or clause numbers as relevant. The terms article, amendment, section, and clause are abbreviated to "art.," "amend.," "§," and "cl.," respectively. Preamble is abbreviated to "pmbl." Article and amendment numbers are written using Roman numerals (I, II, III), while section and clause numbers use Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3).
If you are referring to a part of the constitution that is currently in force, do not include a date. However, if you are citing a part of the constitution that has been repealed or amended, include the year of the change in parentheses.
For example, if you are citing Article 1, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution, your citation would look like this: "U.S. Const. art. I, § 4."
On the other hand, if you are using the MLA style, you would cite the Constitution of the United States in text by stating the article and section or amendment numbers. For example, ("Constitution of the United States," art. 1, sec. 4). Use the abbreviations “art.” for Article, “amend.” for Amendment, and “sec.” for Section. Convert any Roman numerals used in the text to Arabic numerals.
Additionally, if you are using the APA style, the general format for citing the U.S. Constitution is similar to that of the Bluebook. All citations begin with "U.S. Const." followed by the relevant article, amendment, section, and clause numbers. Article and amendment numbers are given in Roman numerals, while section and clause numbers are in Arabic numerals.
For example, if you are citing Article II, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution in APA style, your citation would look like this: "U.S. Const. art. II, § 1."
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Citing a repealed constitution
When citing a repealed constitution, it is important to follow the specific guidelines of your chosen citation style, such as APA, MLA, or Chicago. Here is a detailed guide on citing a repealed constitution in different styles:
APA Style:
The APA (American Psychological Association) style is commonly used in scholarly journal reports and academic documents. When citing a repealed constitution in APA style, follow these guidelines:
- Begin with the country's abbreviation followed by "Const." For example, for the United States Constitution, use "U.S. Const."
- Use the proper abbreviations for different parts of the constitution: "art." for articles, "amend." for amendments, "§" for sections, and "cl." for clauses.
- Article and amendment numbers are written in Roman numerals (I, II, III), while section and clause numbers use Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3).
- If you are referring to a repealed or amended part of the constitution, include the year it was repealed or amended in parentheses. For example: "U.S. Const. amend. XVIII (repealed 1933)."
MLA Style:
MLA style is commonly used in humanities and literature fields. When citing a repealed constitution in MLA style:
- Use the abbreviations "art." for articles, "amend." for amendments, and "sec." for sections.
- Convert any Roman numerals used in the text to Arabic numerals. For example, "XIV" becomes "14."
- Include information about where you accessed the constitution, such as the URL of an online version or the book details of a published edition.
- In the Works Cited entry, use the title "Constitution of the Country], followed by the country's name. For example, "Constitution of the United States."
Chicago Style:
Chicago style is often used in historical and social science writing. When citing a repealed constitution in Chicago style:
- Include the country's name in full, followed by "Const." For example, "United States Const."
- Provide the specific article, amendment, section, and clause numbers as relevant.
- When citing a provision that has been amended or repealed, add a footnote with the date it was amended or repealed.
Remember to consult the latest edition of the style guide you are using for additional nuances and examples specific to citing constitutions.
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Citing a state constitution
APA Style
When using APA Style, citations of state constitutions begin with the abbreviated name of the state, followed by ""Const." and the relevant article, amendment, section, and/or clause numbers. For example: "Mass. Const. art. IX, pt. IV".
Article and amendment numbers are given in Roman numerals (I, II, III), while section and clause numbers are in Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3). If referring to a part of the constitution that has been repealed or amended, include the year in parentheses, e.g., "(2024)".
Bluebook Style
The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation sets the standard for all legal citations. While specific rules for citing constitutions may vary, the basic format for state constitutions is similar to that of the APA Style.
MLA Style
In MLA Style, the citation format for state constitutions may depend on the source used, such as an online version or a published book. When citing an online version, include information about where it was accessed in the Works Cited entry. In the in-text citation, use article/amendment and section numbers instead of page numbers, e.g., "art. IX, pt. IV".
When citing a published book version of a state constitution, write the title in italics and list any editors or contributors. You can generally refer to the constitution without using italics or quotation marks in the text, but specify the version cited in the parenthetical citation.
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Frequently asked questions
The APA recommends citing legislation according to the guidelines in the Bluebook, which is designed to deal with American legislation. The Bluebook is a uniform system of citation. 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 MLA Handbook recommends treating government documents "just like any other source written by an organization" by "recording the name as presented by the source". For example, if you are referencing a ruling by the Environmental Protection Agency, the in-text citation would be (United States Environmental Protection Agency 2).
In Australia, the Australian Guide to Legal Citation 4th ed. [AGLC4] is used to cite Australian legislation.
In student papers, the MLA Handbook recommends simplifying the citation by recording only the name of the government and the primary agency. For example, (United States Environmental Protection Agency).
Capitalize the first letter of every important word in the title. Do not use all-caps unless each letter stands for something, as in USA.
