Jonah Patel
The process of citing amendments from a constitution depends on the style guide being used. For example, 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). In MLA style, article and amendment numbers are also used, but the style guide recommends using Arabic numerals for all numbers (e.g. XIV becomes 14). Additionally, when citing the Constitution of the United States in MLA style, include information about where you accessed it in the Works Cited entry.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Cite federal constitution by | "U.S." or the abbreviated name of the state |
| Basic form | Abbreviated name of Constitution art. Article number in Roman numerals. § Section number |
| Amendment | Abbreviated name of Constitution amend. Amendment number in Roman numerals, § Section number |
| Article | Article number in Roman numerals, pt. Part number in Roman numerals |
| MLA style | Include information about where you accessed it in the Works Cited entry |
| In-text citation | Use article/amendment and section numbers instead of page numbers |
| MLA in-text citation | Use a shortened version of the title in your citation |
| APA style | Article and amendment numbers are given in Roman numerals |
| APA style | Section and clause numbers are given in Arabic numerals |
| APA style | If referring to a repealed or amended part, include the year in parentheses |
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What You'll Learn
Citing the US Constitution in APA style
When citing the US Constitution in APA style, there are a few key guidelines to follow. Firstly, if you are simply referring to the US Constitution in passing, you can mention it in the text without a reference list entry. However, if you are using a specific part of the Constitution as evidence, you should follow the citation guidelines provided in The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation. This is the standard reference guide for legal citations, and while the APA Publication Manual does not specifically cover citing constitutions, it defers to The Bluebook for legal citation style.
According to The Bluebook, all citations of the US Constitution 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 written in Roman numerals (e.g., I, II, III), while section and clause numbers use Arabic numerals (e.g., 1, 2, 3). For example, the citation for Article I, Section 9, Clause 2 of the US Constitution would be: "U.S. Const. art. I, § 9, cl. 2."
It is important to note that the Bluebook guidelines specify that no date is required for parts of the Constitution that are currently in force. Additionally, when citing state constitutions, use the appropriate legal state abbreviation, such as "Md. Const." for the Maryland Constitution. State constitution article numbers also use Roman numerals, while amendment numbers use Arabic numerals.
Remember that the APA style may have been updated since the last time I was trained, so be sure to check the latest manual for any changes to citing legal documents.
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Citing the US Constitution in MLA style
Citing the US Constitution in MLA (Modern Language Association) style is a straightforward process. Firstly, when mentioning the Constitution in your paper, you can simply refer to it as "the Constitution" without using italics or quotation marks. However, in your parenthetical citation, you should specify the version cited to match the first words of the Works Cited entry.
For in-text citations, use article/amendment and section numbers instead of page numbers. The standard format is as follows:
> (Constitution of the United States, art. 1, sec. 4)
Here, "art." is the abbreviation for "Article," "sec." stands for "Section," and any Roman numerals are converted to Arabic numerals (e.g., "XIV" becomes "14"). This format ensures that your citations are clear and consistent.
Additionally, when citing a specific amendment, use the abbreviation "amend." for "Amendment." For example:
> (Constitution of the United States, amend. XIV, § 2)
Finally, always list where you accessed the Constitution in the Works Cited section, providing information about the specific edition or online source you referenced.
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Citing state constitutions
When citing state constitutions, it is essential to follow a consistent and recognised format. The Bluebook and MLA styles are two commonly used citation methods.
Bluebook Style
The Bluebook citation style is often used in legal writing and provides a standardised way to cite state constitutions. The basic format for citing a state constitution in Bluebook style is as follows:
Abbreviated name of the state constitution art. [Article number in Roman numerals] § [Section number].
For example, to cite Article IX, Section 4 of the Massachusetts Constitution, the citation would be:
Mass. Const. art. IX, § 4.
If you are citing a specific amendment, use the following format:
Abbreviated name of the state constitution amend. [Amendment number in Roman numerals], § [Section number].
For instance, citing Amendment XIV, Section 2 of the Massachusetts Constitution would appear as:
Mass. Const. amend. XIV, § 2.
MLA Style
MLA style is commonly used in humanities and academic writing. When citing a state constitution in MLA style, the general format is similar to that of the Bluebook style, but with some differences.
In the in-text citation, use the abbreviation "art." for articles and "amend." for amendments, followed by the article or amendment number in Arabic numerals, and "sec." for the section, like so:
Art. 9 amend. 14 sec. 2).
Additionally, when referring to the constitution in your text, you can simply call it "the Constitution" without any special formatting.
For the Works Cited entry, include information about where you accessed the constitution, such as the website or database. If you are citing a published book version of the constitution, italicise the title and include any editors or contributors.
By following these guidelines, you can ensure your citations for state constitutions are accurate and consistent.
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Using Roman and Arabic numerals
When citing amendments from the US Constitution, it is important to use the correct format, which includes the use of Roman and Arabic numerals. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to do this:
Firstly, all citations of the US Constitution should begin with "U.S. Const." This is the standard abbreviation for the United States Constitution and provides a clear indication of the source.
Next, you would include the relevant article, amendment, section, and/or clause numbers. The terms "article" and "amendment" are abbreviated as "art." and "amend." respectively, and their numbers are written using Roman numerals (I, II, III, etc.). For example, if you were citing the first amendment, you would write "U.S. Const. amend. I".
On the other hand, the terms "section" and "clause" are abbreviated as "§" and "cl." and their numbers are written using Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, etc.). So, if you were referring to the second clause of the first amendment, your citation would look like this: "U.S. Const. amend. I, cl. 2".
It is worth noting that when citing a provision that has been amended or repealed, you should include the date in parentheses. For example, "U.S. Const. amend. XVIII (repealed 1933)".
Finally, if you are citing a state constitution, you would use the abbreviated name of the state before "Const." For example, "Ariz. Const." for the Arizona Constitution.
By following these guidelines, you can ensure that your citations of amendments from the US Constitution are clear, consistent, and conform to the appropriate style guides.
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The Bluebook citation guide
The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation provides clear guidelines for citing legal documents, including amendments to the constitution. The following paragraphs outline the specific format and rules for citing constitutional amendments according to The Bluebook.
When citing amendments to the United States Constitution, it is important to follow the prescribed format. The correct way to cite the 14th Amendment, Section 2 of the United States Constitution is: "U.S. Const. amend. XIV, § 2". Here, "U.S." is the abbreviation for the United States, "Const." refers to the Constitution, "amend." denotes an amendment, "XIV" represents the amendment number, and "§ 2" indicates the specific section within that amendment. This format ensures a clear and standardized way to reference constitutional amendments.
For state constitutions, the citation structure is similar but with slight variations. For example, when citing the Hawaii Constitution, Article 9, Section 1, Clause 2, the correct citation is: "Haw. Const. art. IX, § 1, cl. 2". In this case, "Haw." is the abbreviation for Hawaii, followed by "Const." for Constitution. The remaining elements, such as "art." for article, "§" for section, and "cl." for clause, follow the same format as federal constitution citations.
It is worth noting that The Bluebook specifies that you cannot use a short cite for constitutions other than "Id." according to Rule 11. This means that when referring to a specific section or amendment of a constitution, you should use the full citation format as previously described. Additionally, The Bluebook provides guidance on citing constitutional provisions that are currently in force, as well as those that have been repealed or amended. If a constitutional provision is still in force, no date is required in the citation. However, for repealed or amended provisions, you should indicate the year and action or cite the repealing/amending provision.
Furthermore, The Bluebook offers guidance on citing constitutions or statutes from online databases. When citing a constitution or statute available in an online database, it is necessary to provide the name of the database and information about its currency parenthetically, as provided by the database itself. This ensures that the source of the information is properly acknowledged and allows for easy verification. In addition to the basic citation format, The Bluebook also provides rules for punctuation. A citation sentence should end with a period, while a citation clause should be concluded with a semicolon.
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Frequently asked questions
In APA style, all citations of the U.S. Constitution begin with "U.S. Const.", followed by the amendment, article, section, and/or clause numbers as relevant. For example, "U.S. Const. amend. XIV, § 2". Article and amendment numbers are given in Roman numerals, while section and clause numbers are given in Arabic numerals.
In MLA style, use "Constitution of the United States" followed by the article, amendment, and section numbers. For example, ("Constitution of the United States", art. 1, sec. 4). Use the abbreviations "art." (Article), "amend." (Amendment), and "sec." (Section) and convert any Roman numerals to Arabic numerals.
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 that the part in question was repealed or amended in parentheses.
When mentioning the Constitution in your paper, you can generally just call it the "Constitution" without using italics or quotation marks.
To cite a specific state's constitution, use 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".
