Isabella Carter
Citing the U.S. Constitution in an academic paper can be tricky because it is a commonly accessible document. The style of citation depends on the formatting guidelines being used, such as APA, MLA, or Chicago style. Generally, if you are citing the Constitution as a whole, you do not need to include a citation in the references list. However, if you are citing a specific part of the Constitution, you should use the article, amendment, section, and/or clause numbers. This is done differently depending on the formatting style.
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What You'll Learn
Citing the US Constitution in APA style
The American Psychological Association (APA) recommends following the Bluebook uniform system of citation for legal materials. The Bluebook sets the standard for all legal citations and is the style for legal citations in the APA Publication Manual.
If you are citing the US Constitution as a whole, you do not need to create a citation. Simply refer to it by name in your text, for example, "The U.S. Constitution has 26 amendments".
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." and use Roman numerals for article and amendment numbers. For example, "U.S. Const. amend. XVIII (repealed 1933)".
State constitutions should be abbreviated using the standard two-letter postal code for the state, for example, "Md. Const." for the Maryland Constitution. State constitution article numbers use Roman numerals, while state constitution amendment numbers use Arabic numerals.
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Citing the US Constitution in MLA style
The Modern Language Association (MLA) style is commonly used for writing papers and citing sources in liberal arts and humanities. Here are detailed guidelines on how to cite the US Constitution in MLA style:
In-Text Citation
When citing the US Constitution in the body of your text, use "Constitution" without any italicization or quotation marks. Use the abbreviations "art." (Article), "amend." (Amendment), and "sec." (Section) as appropriate. Convert any Roman numerals used in the text to Arabic numerals (e.g., "XIV" becomes "14"). For example: ("Constitution of the United States," art. 1, sec. 4).
Works Cited Entry
In your Works Cited list, include information about where you accessed the Constitution. List the country of origin if it is not indicated in the title. For example:
> Constitution of the United States. National Archives, U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, 28 Feb.
Note that in MLA style, all citations in the Works Cited list should be double-spaced and have a hanging indent, meaning that each subsequent line after the first line of your citation should be indented by 0.5 inches.
Citing a Book Edition
The US Constitution has been published in book form in various editions. To cite one of these editions, write the title of the book in italics and list any editors, annotators, or other main contributors to the edition after the title. For example:
> The US Constitution: A Transcription. Edited by John Doe, University Press, 2022.
These guidelines will help you properly cite the US Constitution in MLA style, ensuring that your references are clear and consistent.
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Citing the US Constitution in Chicago style
When citing the US Constitution in Chicago style, there are a few conventions to follow. Firstly, it is recommended to cite specific pieces of the Constitution rather than the whole document. This means indicating the relevant articles, amendments, sections, and clauses. Article and amendment numbers are written in Roman numerals (I, II, III), while section and clause numbers are given in Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3).
First Footnote or Endnote:
US Constitution, art. 2, sec. 1, cl. 3.
Parenthetical Note:
US Constitution, art. 1, sec. 9)
When citing a provision that has been amended, include the date it was amended in parentheses, for example:
US Const. amend. XVIII (repealed 1933)
If you are using only a small number of legal citations in Chicago style, it is recommended to limit citations to the text itself, incorporating information that would usually go in the footnotes into the narrative. However, if you are using several legal documents, supplement with footnotes. It is important to note that legal documents in Chicago style are only cited in footnotes and do not need to be included in the bibliography.
Finally, when citing the federal constitution, use "U.S." or the abbreviated name of the state, for example:
Mass. Const. art. IX, pt. IV
Freedom of assembly is guaranteed by Mass. Const. art. IX, pt. IV.
Equal protection under the law is a constitutional right (U.S. Const. amend. XIV, § 2).
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Citing a specific part of the US Constitution
When citing a specific part of the US Constitution in APA style, 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. Preamble is abbreviated as "pmbl." Article and amendment numbers are written using Roman numerals (I, II, III), while section and clause numbers use Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3).
For example, a citation of the First Amendment would appear as follows: "U.S. Const. amend. I." If you are citing a specific section within the First Amendment, you would include the section number, like so: "U.S. Const. amend. I, § 2."
If you are referring to a part of the Constitution that has been repealed or amended, include the year of the change in parentheses. For example: "U.S. Const. amend. XVIII (repealed 1933)."
The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation is a resource that provides comprehensive guidelines for legal citations, including the US Constitution. According to The Bluebook, when citing a part of the Constitution that is currently in force, do not include a date.
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Citing a repealed or amended part of the US Constitution
If you are referencing a part of the Constitution that is currently in force, you should omit the date. However, if you are citing a repealed or amended section, include the year in parentheses. For example, if you are citing the 18th Amendment, which was repealed in 1933, your citation would look like this:
> U.S. Const. amend. XVIII (repealed 1933).
Alternatively, if you are citing Article 9, Section 1, Clause 2 of the Hawaii Constitution, the citation would be structured as follows:
> Haw. Const. art. IX, § 1, cl. 2.
It's important to note that when citing constitutions, you cannot use a short citation other than "Id." as per Rule 11. Additionally, always refer to foreign constitutions by their full name.
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Frequently asked questions
If you are citing the US Constitution as a whole, you can mention it in your paper without including a citation in the references list. If you are citing a part of the Constitution, you should use the article, amendment, section, and/or clause numbers. For example, "U.S. Const. amend. XVIII (repealed 1933)".
If you are making a passing reference to the US Constitution, you can mention it in text without a reference list entry.
In MLA style, include information about where you accessed the US Constitution in the Works Cited entry. In the in-text citation, use article/amendment and section numbers instead of page numbers.
In Chicago style, use a footnote for your in-text citation. For the bibliography, the citation is optional depending on the reference style you're using.
If you are citing the US Constitution in a generic reference, include who/the author, when/the date, and what/the title of the work you are using.
