Eleanor Finch
The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation is the go-to guide for citing the US Constitution in APA style. While the Publication Manual offers guidance on citing legal sources, it does not cover constitutions. For a passing reference to the US Constitution, no citation is required. However, if you're citing a specific part of the Constitution as evidence, use Bluebook Rule 11, which covers federal and state constitutions. Begin with U.S. Const. followed by the relevant article, amendment, section, and/or clause numbers, using standard abbreviations and Roman/Arabic numerals as appropriate.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Cite the whole constitution | Mention in the text without a reference list entry |
| Cite a part of the constitution | Use the article, amendment, section, and/or clause numbers |
| Article abbreviation | art. |
| Amendment abbreviation | amend. |
| Section abbreviation | § |
| Clause abbreviation | cl. |
| Preamble abbreviation | pmbl. |
| Article and amendment numbers | Roman numerals (I, II, III) |
| Section and clause numbers | Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3) |
| Constitution abbreviation | U.S. Const. |
| State constitution abbreviation | Use legal state abbreviations, e.g. In. Const. for Indiana's Constitution |
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What You'll Learn
Citing the US Constitution as a whole
When citing the US Constitution as a whole in APA style, you do not need to include a citation in the references list. Simply refer to the US Constitution in your paper's text. For example, you can use "U.S." or "United States" in your narrative when referring to the US Constitution.
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 terms "article," "amendment," "section," and "clause" are abbreviated as "art.," "amend.," "§," and "cl.," respectively.
If you are citing a specific part of the Constitution, such as an article, amendment, section, or clause, you should include the relevant numbers in your citation. For example, "U.S. Const. art. I, § 3" or "U.S. Const. amend. XVIII."
The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation is a resource that provides more in-depth information on citing legal materials, including the US Constitution.
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Referencing specific articles
When referencing specific articles of the US Constitution in APA style, the standard format is to begin with the abbreviation "U.S. Const." followed by the article, section, and clause (if used). The terms "article," "amendment," "section," and "clause" are abbreviated as "art.," "amend.," "§," and "cl.," respectively.
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, to cite Article I, Section 3 of the US Constitution, the reference would appear as follows:
> U.S. Const. art. I, § 3.
If you are referencing a specific clause within this section, you would include it at the end, like so:
> U.S. Const. art. I, § 3, cl. 8.
In the in-text citation, you would write this as:
> (U.S. Const. art. I, § 3, cl. 8)
Or in narrative form:
> Article I, Section 3, Clause 8, of the U.S. Constitution.
Note that when citing an article or amendment that has been repealed or amended, include the year in parentheses, like so:
> U.S. Const. amend. XVIII (repealed 1933)
This indicates that the 18th Amendment was repealed in 1933.
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Referencing specific amendments
When referencing specific amendments in the U.S. Constitution using APA style, there are a few key guidelines to follow. Firstly, the APA recommends following the Bluebook uniform system of citation for legal materials, which is the standard for legal citations. The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (18th ed., 2005) is the go-to reference for legal citation styles.
To begin your citation, use the abbreviation "U.S. Const." followed by a comma. Next, specify the article using the format "Art." and Roman numerals. For example, "U.S. Const., Art. I" for Article 1. If you are citing a specific amendment, use "Amend." followed by Roman numerals. For instance, "U.S. Const., Amend. XVIII" for the Eighteenth Amendment.
If you are referencing a section within an article or amendment, use the section sign "§" followed by Arabic numerals. For example, "U.S. Const., Art. I, § 3" for Article 1, Section 3. If a clause needs to be cited, use "cl." with Arabic numerals. An example would be "U.S. Const., Amend. XV, § 1, cl. 2" for the second clause of the first section of the Fifteenth Amendment.
It is important to note that if an amendment has been repealed or amended, include the year in parentheses. For example, "U.S. Const., Amend. XVIII (repealed 1933)". Additionally, if you are creating a generic reference and need to specify the date, use "Year, Month Day" format. If the exact date is unknown, use "n.d." to indicate "no date".
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The Bluebook citation style
The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation is the go-to guide for legal citation styles, including the APA Style. The 18th edition of The Bluebook, published in 2005, is the source of the legal citation style in the APA Style's 6th edition Publication Manual. While the Publication Manual offers a variety of legal citation examples, it does not include instructions on citing constitutions.
To cite the US Constitution in APA Style, you can refer to 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 abbreviated as "art.," "amend.," "§," and "cl.," respectively. Preamble is abbreviated as "pmbl." Article and amendment numbers are written in Roman numerals (I, II, III), while section and clause numbers use Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3).
For example, to cite the 14th Amendment, Section 2 of the United States Constitution, the correct citation is: "U.S. Const. amend. XIV, § 2." If citing a state constitution, such as the Hawaii Constitution, Article 9, Section 1, Clause 2, the citation would be: "Haw. Const. art. IX, § 1, cl. 2."
It is important to note that The Bluebook specifies that for parts of the Constitution currently in force, no date is required. However, if an amendment has been repealed or amended, the year should be included in parentheses, such as "U.S. Const. amend. XVIII (repealed 1933)."
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Roman and Arabic numerals
When citing the United States Constitution in APA format, it is important to use the correct abbreviations and standards for writing. The name of the U.S. Constitution is abbreviated as "U.S. Const." and is followed by a comma. The next step is to include the article in the format: "Art." with the use of Roman numerals (I, II, III). For instance, if you are referring to Article I, you would write "U.S. Const. Art. I".
Following the article, you would include any relevant amendments in the format: "Amend." also using Roman numerals. For example, "U.S. Const. Art. I, Amend. II" refers to Article I, Amendment II of the U.S. Constitution. If you are citing a section of an article or amendment, you would use Arabic numerals and the sign "§". Thus, "U.S. Const. Art. I, § 3" refers to Article I, Section 3.
Additionally, when citing a clause, you would use Arabic numerals and the abbreviation "cl.". For instance, "U.S. Const. Art. I, § 3, cl. 8" refers to Article I, Section 3, Clause 8. The preamble is abbreviated as "pmbl." and would be included in your citation if relevant. It is important to note that the APA format does not require the inclusion of a URL or date for the U.S. Constitution.
State constitutions follow a similar format, but with a slight variation. The name of the state is spelled out, followed by "Const." and the article number in Roman numerals. State constitution amendment numbers, however, are denoted by Arabic numerals. For example, "Wisconsin Const. Art. I, § 1" refers to Article I, Section 1 of the Wisconsin Constitution.
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Frequently asked questions
If you are citing the US Constitution as a whole, you can simply mention it in your paper without including a citation in the references list.
If you are citing a part of the US Constitution, you should use the article, amendment, section, and/or clause numbers. Article = art. [use Roman numerals: I, II, III]; Amendment = amend. [use Roman numerals: I, II, III]; Clause = cl. [use Arabic numbers: 1, 2, 3]. All citations of the US Constitution begin with "U.S. Const." followed by the relevant details.
No, according to the Bluebook, do not include a date for parts of the Constitution that are currently in force.
The Bluebook is a uniform system of citation for legal materials. The APA recommends following the Bluebook for legal citations.
