Eleanor Finch
The US Constitution is a key legal document and a cornerstone of the US political system. It is often cited in academic papers, especially in the fields of law, history, and political science. There are several different citation styles that can be used, including APA, MLA, and Chicago styles. Each style has its own specific format for citing the US Constitution, with slight variations in the use of abbreviations, Roman numerals, and punctuation. Knowing how to cite the US Constitution correctly is essential for any student or researcher writing about US law, politics, or history.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Style | APA, MLA |
| Citing the US Constitution as a whole | Mention it in the paper without a citation in the references list |
| Citing a part of the US Constitution | Use article, amendment, section, and/or clause numbers |
| Article abbreviation | art. |
| Amendment abbreviation | amend. |
| Section abbreviation | § |
| Clause abbreviation | cl. |
| Roman numerals | I, II, III |
| Arabic numerals | 1, 2, 3 |
| Reference for repealed or amended parts of the Constitution | Include the year in parentheses |
| Reference for currently enforced parts of the Constitution | Do not include a date |
| Cite the federal constitution by | "U.S." or the abbreviated name of the state |
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What You'll Learn
Citing the US Constitution in APA style
The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation sets the standard for all legal citations and is the source for the style of legal citations in the Publication Manual. The Bluebook should be consulted directly or with the help of a law librarian for further guidance on legal citations.
If you are simply making 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 using a part of the U.S. 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).
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
Citing the US Constitution accurately in MLA style is crucial for maintaining academic integrity and ensuring that readers can easily locate the referenced sections. Here is a comprehensive guide on how to do it:
In-Text Citations:
When citing the US Constitution in the body of your paper, use article/amendment and section numbers instead of page numbers. For example, if you are citing the Sixth Amendment, you would include the amendment number in Roman numerals and the relevant section number in Arabic numerals: (U.S. Const. amend. VI, § 1). Note that MLA style uses parentheses for in-text citations.
Works Cited Entry:
For the Works Cited entry, include information about where you accessed the Constitution. The title of the Constitution should be in italics, followed by any relevant details about the version you are citing. Here is an example:
Constitution of the United States. Legal Information Institute, Cornell University Law School, 17 Sept. 1993, https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution.
Citing State Constitutions:
When citing a state constitution, use the abbreviated name of the state followed by the relevant article, amendment, and section numbers. For example: (N.Y. Const. art. I, § 1).
Citing Specific Editions:
If you are citing a specific edition of the US Constitution published in book form, write the title of the book in italics and list any editors, annotators, or contributors. For example:
The Constitution of the United States: A Transcription. Ed. Jack N. Rakove. Random House, 2016.
Remember, it is important to follow the MLA style guidelines closely to ensure your citations are accurate and consistent. Proper citation gives credit to your sources and helps your readers locate the original documents for further reference.
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Citing a repealed or amended part of the US Constitution
The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (18th ed., 2005; www.legalbluebook.com) sets the standard for all legal citations. The Bluebook states that for parts of the Constitution currently in force, do not include a date. However, if you are using part of the U.S. Constitution that has been repealed or amended to support a point, you should cite it 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, if you are citing the original, unamended version of the Constitution, your citation would look like this:
> U.S. Const. art. I, § 1.
If you are citing 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. For example:
> U.S. Const. amend. XVIII (repealed 1933)
Alternatively, if you are using MLA style, you would generally just call it the Constitution without italicization or quotation marks. In the parenthetical citation, you should specify the version cited. For example:
> The Constitution guarantees... (Constitution, 1789)
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Citing the US Constitution as evidence
When citing the US Constitution as evidence in an academic paper, it is important to follow the correct citation style as dictated by the style guide relevant to your field. The Bluebook, which sets the standard for all legal citations, is a good place to start. However, different style guides, such as APA and MLA, have their own specific rules for citing the US Constitution, so it is important to consult the appropriate style guide for your discipline.
APA Style
When citing the US Constitution in APA format, you should begin with "U.S. Const." followed by the relevant 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 given in Roman numerals (I, II, III), while section and clause numbers are given in Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3). For example, the citation for the First Amendment would appear as follows: "U.S. Const. amend. I."
If you are referring to a part of the Constitution that has been repealed or amended, include the year in parentheses. For example, the citation for the Eighteenth Amendment, which was repealed in 1933, would appear as follows: "U.S. Const. amend. XVIII (repealed 1933)."
MLA Style
When citing the US Constitution in MLA format, you should use article/amendment and section numbers in your in-text citation instead of page numbers. If you are citing an online version of the Constitution, include information about where you accessed it in the Works Cited entry. If you are citing a published book version of the Constitution, write the title of the book in italics and list any editors or contributors after the title.
The Bluebook
The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation is often used for legal citations. When citing the federal constitution according to The Bluebook, begin with "U.S." or the abbreviated name of the state, followed by the article, amendment, or section number. Article and amendment numbers are given in Roman numerals, while section numbers are given in Arabic numerals. For example, "U.S. Const. amend. I, § 2."
In general, it is important to be consistent in your chosen citation style and to provide enough information for your reader to easily locate the source within the US Constitution.
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Using Bluebook Rule 11 to cite the US Constitution
The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation is the go-to source for the standard format of legal citations. It is relied upon by law students, lawyers, scholars, judges, and other legal professionals.
If you are using part of the U.S. Constitution as evidence to support a point in your paper, you should refer to Bluebook Rule 11, which covers federal and state constitutions. All citations of the U.S. Constitution should begin with "U.S. Const.", followed by the article, amendment, section, and/or clause numbers as relevant. The terms article, amendment, section, and clause should always be abbreviated as "art.", "amend.", "§", and "cl.", respectively. The preamble is abbreviated as "pmbl.".
Article and amendment numbers should be written using Roman numerals (I, II, III), while section and clause numbers should use Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3). If the part of the Constitution you are citing is currently in force, do not include a date. However, if you are referring to a part that has been repealed or amended, include the year of the change in parentheses.
- U.S. Const. art. IV, § 1 (for Article IV, Section 1, also known as the Full Faith and Credit Clause)
- U.S. Const. amend. XIV, § 2 (for Amendment XIV, Section 2)
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Frequently asked questions
If you are making a passing reference to the US Constitution in an APA Style paper, 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, 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.
Chicago style requires only footnote citations for legal documents. The documents do not need to be listed in the bibliography.
To cite the US Constitution 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.
The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation sets the standard for all legal citations. The style for legal citations in the Publication Manual comes directly from the Bluebook. If you need further guidance on legal citations, you should consult the Bluebook directly or your local law librarian.
When citing the Constitution, cite the specific pieces you are using instead of the whole document. When referring to a whole constitution, indicating the constitution in the narrative is sufficient. For state constitutions, use the abbreviated name of the state: "N.C. Const.", "Ariz. Const.", etc.
