Malcolm Rivera
Citing the US Constitution in Harvard style can be done in a few ways, depending on the specific source of the document. For example, if you are referencing a book that contains the Constitution, you would cite the book to allow others to locate the same source. However, if you are using a website as your source, your citation would include the website link and access date. It is important to note that the titles of legislation, Acts, Regulations, rules, and by-laws should be cited exactly, without altering spelling or capitalization. When referencing Acts, use the short title of the Act with the year of enactment, and for pre-1963 Acts, include the regnal year. The complementary parenthetical citation for the US Constitution includes the amendment and section number, such as (US Const. amend. XII, sec. 3).
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Legislation | Acts, Regulations, Rules, By-laws |
| Case | Name of case in italics, year in brackets |
| Basic unit of division for Acts | Sections |
| Abbreviations | s., ss. (never at the start of a sentence) |
| Reference order | Title of Act, year, chapter, country/jurisdiction |
| Title | In roman type, not italics |
| Citing the US Constitution | U.S. Const. amend. I, U.S. Const. art. III, § 2 |
| Website | www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript |
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What You'll Learn
Citing the US Constitution
When citing the US Constitution in Harvard style, there are a few things to keep in mind. Firstly, legislation, including acts, regulations, rules, and by-laws, should be cited exactly, without altering spelling or capitalisation to suit the reference style. This means that you should retain the unique capitalisation and punctuation of the US Constitution when citing it.
Secondly, the US Constitution can be cited directly in Harvard style. The in-text citation can include the specific article and section of the Constitution being referenced, such as:
> (US Const. amend. I)
> (US Const. art. III, § 2)
> (US Const. amend. XII, sec. 3)
Alternatively, you can reference the US Constitution in the sentence itself and only provide the amendment and section number in parentheses at the end of the sentence. For example:
> The US Constitution, amend. I, guarantees freedom of speech (US Const. amend. I).
In the reference list, the citation can be formatted as follows:
> US Constitution, amend. I.
> US Constitution, art. III, § 2.
If you are citing a specific amendment, it is important to include the amendment number in your citation. For example, when citing the First Amendment, your in-text citation could be:
> (US Const. amend. I)
And your reference list entry could be:
> US Constitution, amend. I.
If you are citing the US Constitution from a specific source or website, your citation should include additional information. For example, if you are using the Constitution documents from the archives.gov website, your citation might look like this:
> Bill of Rights transcript text (no date) Available at: http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html (Accessed: 11 February 2016).
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Citing acts, regulations, and rules
When citing acts, regulations, and rules in Harvard style, there are a few key considerations and variations to keep in mind. Firstly, the term "law" is an umbrella term encompassing legal cases and legislation acts and regulations. When citing legal cases, they are usually included in the reference list if they are crucial for comprehending the text or supporting its claims. The name of the case is written in italics, followed by the year of publication in brackets, although some institutions prefer to italicize both the title and the year.
For legislation acts and regulations, it is essential to pay close attention to names, capitalization, and spellings, ensuring they remain consistent throughout your referencing. Acts, regulations, and rules are typically cited by mentioning their title, year of enactment, jurisdiction (if applicable), and section or regulation number. The title of the act or regulation is often italicized or underlined.
The in-text citation format for an act or regulation is as follows: (Title Year). For example, (Community Action Act 2020). If you are referencing an Act of Parliament, the citation order should include the title of the act, including the year and chapter, in italics, followed by the country or jurisdiction if it involves more than one country. For pre-1963 acts, they were cited according to the regnal year, but for all acts, including those before 1963, it is recommended to use the short title of the act with the enactment year.
When citing a legal bill in Harvard style, the format is straightforward. The in-text citation includes the title of the bill and the year, with no italicization of any elements. The reference list entry provides more details: Title of the Bill (Title of the Regulation or Act if available) Bill Publication Year (abbreviation for jurisdiction if available). Note that the year of publication may or may not be italicized, depending on institutional preferences.
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Citing the Constitution in a book
When citing the Constitution in a book, it is important to follow the Harvard referencing style accurately and consistently. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to do this:
Referencing the Constitution Itself
If you are referencing the Constitution as a whole, your citation should include the following elements:
- Title: Use the full title, such as "The Constitution of the United States" or the abbreviated form, e.g., "U.S. Constitution." The title should be in italics.
- Date: Include the date the Constitution was enacted, e.g., "(1787)."
- Availability: If you are citing a specific publication or website, include the publisher or website address and the date accessed, e.g., "Available at: [URL] [Accessed: Date]."
An example of the full reference in a bibliography could be:
> The Constitution of the United States (1787). Available at: www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript [Accessed: 4 May 2020].
Referencing Specific Amendments or Sections
When citing a specific amendment or section within the Constitution, you can use a complementary parenthetical citation. Here's how to structure it:
- In-Text Citation: Start with "US Const." to indicate the United States Constitution.
- Amendment and Section: Add "amend." followed by the amendment number in Roman numerals and "sec." followed by the section number in Arabic numerals, e.g., "US Const. amend. I, sec. 3."
- Integration in Sentence: You can either provide the full citation at the end of the sentence or integrate it into the sentence itself, mentioning the amendment and section in parentheses at the end, e.g., "The First Amendment of the US Constitution (US Const. amend. I) guarantees freedom of speech."
Consistency and Accuracy
It is crucial to maintain consistency in your citations. Use the same format throughout your book to ensure clarity and ease of reference for your readers. Additionally, always verify the accuracy of your citations by double-checking the spelling and capitalization, and formatting against the official sources.
Online Tools and Further Guidance
For convenience, you can utilize online tools such as citation generators offered by platforms like Chegg Writing or CiteThisForMe. These generators can help you format your citations correctly in various styles, including Harvard. Additionally, your academic institution may provide specific guidelines or tutorials on Harvard referencing, so be sure to consult their resources as well.
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Citing the 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 the Bluebook sets the standard for all legal citations.
If you are simply 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 part of the Constitution as evidence to support your 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). If the amendment has been repealed, add "(repealed year)" to the end of the reference. For parts of the Constitution currently in force, do not include a date.
For example:
> U.S. Const. art. I, § 3.
> U.S. Const. amend. XVIII (repealed 1933).
If you are trying to cite a source that is not listed in the APA guidelines and cannot find guidelines elsewhere, you can create a generic reference. The APA Publication Manual lists certain elements that should be included in a generic reference: author, date, and title.
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Citing the Constitution in MLA style
When citing the Constitution in MLA style, there are a few key guidelines to follow. Firstly, if you are discussing the Constitution based on general knowledge, you do not need to cite it. However, if you are referring to a specific edition, treat it like the title of a book and include the name of the edition in your citation. For example, "The Constitution of the United States, with Case Summaries".
In your in-text citations, 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 needed, and convert any Roman numerals to Arabic numerals.
In your Works Cited entry, include information about where you accessed the Constitution, such as the URL or name of the database or website. The Works Cited entry should be double-spaced with a hanging indent, where each subsequent line after the first is indented by 0.5 inches. Here is an example of how your Works Cited entry might look:
"Constitution of the United States: A Transcription." Title of Book, in italics. Edited by Firstname Lastname. Publisher, Year Published, URL or name of database or website. Accessed Day Month Year.
Remember to abbreviate the months in the date accessed as follows: Jan., Feb., Mar., Apr., May, June, July, Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec. Also, note that the date accessed is optional in MLA style, but it is recommended for pages that may change frequently or lack a fixed publication date.
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Frequently asked questions
If you are citing the US Constitution from a book, cite the book so that someone can then look at the same source as you did. If you are citing it from a website, include the URL in your citation. The in-text citation should look something like this: (US Const. amend. XII, sec. 3).
Acts, Regulations, rules and by-laws should be cited exactly, without altering spelling or capitalisation. Use roman type for the titles of Acts in reference lists and other long lists. The first time you name the Act in the text, use the short title in italics and the jurisdiction in parentheses in roman type.
Before 1963, an Act was cited according to the regnal year, or the number of years since the monarch's accession. For example, Act of Supremacy 1534 (26 Hen 8 c1). For all Acts (pre-1963 and more recent), use the short title of the Act, with the year in which it was enacted.
The MLA handbook recommends that titles of laws, acts, and similar documents are not italicized or put in quotation marks in either the text or the list of works cited. Write the title of the Constitution in roman type, followed by the country abbreviation.
If you are adding the citation to Mendeley, find a website with the US Constitution on it and add it from there. For example, you could use archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html.
