Malcolm Rivera
Citing the constitution in a bibliography depends on the style guide being used. In APA style, citations are constructed 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. In MLA style, use art. for Article, amend. for Amendment, and sec. for Section in your citations. Convert any Roman numerals used in the text to Arabic numerals.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Cite the federal constitution by | "U.S." or the abbreviated name of the state |
| Article number | In Roman numerals |
| Section number | Arabic numerals |
| Amendment number | In Roman numerals |
| Part number | In Roman numerals |
| In-text citation | Use article/amendment and section numbers instead of page numbers |
| In-text citation | Use the abbreviations "art." (Article), "amend." (Amendment), and "sec." (Section) |
| In-text citation | Convert any Roman numerals to Arabic numerals |
| In-text citation | Do not include a date for parts of the Constitution currently in force |
| Works Cited entry | Include information about where you accessed it |
| Book citation | Write the title of the book in italics and list any editors, annotators, or contributors |
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What You'll Learn
Citing the US Constitution in APA style
When citing the US Constitution in APA style, the Bluebook style guide is the standard reference. The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (18th ed., 2005; www.legalbluebook.com) is the go-to source for legal citation style. The Publication Manual for APA style (6th edition) does not include specific guidance on citing constitutions, so the Bluebook is the best source for this information.
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 Constitution as evidence, you should cite it using Bluebook Rule 11, which covers federal and state constitutions.
All citations of the US 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 are abbreviated as "art.," "amend.," "§," and "cl.," respectively. The 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 parts of the Constitution currently in force, a date is not included.
> U.S. Const. art. I, § 3.
This citation refers to Article I, Section 3 of the US Constitution.
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Citing the US Constitution in MLA style
To cite the US Constitution in MLA style, you should 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.
For example, if you are citing an online version of the US Constitution, your citation should look like this:
> (“Constitution of the United States,” art. 1, sec. 4).
Use the abbreviations “art.” (Article), “amend.” (Amendment), and “sec.” (Section) as appropriate in your citations; convert any roman numerals used in the text to Arabic numerals (e.g. “XIV” becomes “14”).
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 other main contributors to the edition after the title.
When mentioning the Constitution in your paper, you can generally just call it the Constitution without italicization or quotation marks. In the parenthetical citation, you should specify the version cited (to match the first words of the Works Cited entry).
Note that you should generally cite the specific pieces of the Constitution that you are using, instead of the whole document.
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Citing a printed version of the Constitution
When citing a printed version of the US Constitution in a bibliography, there are a few standard styles that can be used. These include MLA, APA, and Bluebook style. Here is an overview of how to cite a printed version of the US Constitution in each of these styles:
MLA Style
In MLA style, the in-text citation should include the 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 appropriate in your citations and convert any Roman numerals used in the text to Arabic numerals (e.g., “XIV” becomes “14”).
If citing a specific book edition of the Constitution, 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 Constitution of the United States: A Transcription*. When mentioning the Constitution in your paper, you can generally just call it the Constitution without using italics or quotation marks.
APA Style
In APA style, 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 specific part of the Constitution as evidence, you should follow Bluebook Rule 11, which covers federal and state constitutions. All citations of the US Constitution in APA style should begin with "U.S. Const." followed by the relevant article, amendment, section, and/or clause numbers.
Bluebook Style
The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation is the standard reference for legal citations. In the 18th edition of The Bluebook, citations of the US Constitution begin with "U.S. Const." followed by the article, amendment, section, and/or clause numbers as relevant. 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 general, when citing a printed version of the US Constitution, it is important to include the relevant article, amendment, section, and/or clause numbers to allow others to easily locate the referenced portion of the document.
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Using Bluebook Rule 11 for federal/state constitutions
The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation, is the go-to style guide for legal citations. It sets the standard for all legal citations and is the source of the style for legal citations in the Publication Manual.
When referencing the U.S. Constitution in an APA Style paper, you can simply 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 use Bluebook Rule 11, which covers federal and state constitutions.
- Begin with U.S. Const. or the abbreviated name of the state, e.g., "Mass. Const."
- Use the appropriate abbreviations for the different parts of the Constitution: "art." for Article, "amend." for Amendment, "§" for Section, and "cl." for Clause. Preamble is abbreviated as "pmbl."
- Convert Roman numerals to Arabic numerals for article and amendment numbers (e.g., "I, II, III"), and use Arabic numerals for section and clause numbers (e.g., "1, 2, 3").
- For parts of the Constitution that are currently in force, do not include a date.
- Capitalize subdivisions and names for the U.S. Constitution and keep them in regular typeface. For state constitutions, do not capitalize subdivisions and use regular typeface.
For example, the citation for the Full Faith and Credit Clause in Article IV, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution would be: U.S. CONST. art. IV, § 1.
Additionally, when citing the Constitution of the United States 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.
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Citing a state constitution
When citing a state constitution in a bibliography, there are a few standard formats you can follow. The style you choose depends on the type of citation guide you are using. The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation, for example, is a standard reference guide for legal citations. The APA Style 6th Edition Blog is another popular style guide that offers guidance on citing sources, including the U.S. Constitution.
The Bluebook Style
The Bluebook style for citing a state constitution is as follows:
> Abbreviated name of state Const. amend. Amendment number in Roman numerals, § Section number
For example, to cite the Hawaii Constitution, Article 9, Section 1, Clause 2, the citation would be:
> Haw. Const. art. IX, § 1, cl. 2.
APA Style
The APA style for citing the U.S. Constitution is as follows:
> U.S. Const. followed by the article, amendment, section, and/or clause numbers as relevant
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, a citation of the U.S. Constitution, 14th Amendment, Section 2, would look like this:
> U.S. Const. amend. XIV, § 2.
Note that the APA style guide specifically refers to the U.S. Constitution, and it is unclear if this style would be appropriate for citing state constitutions.
General Format
A general format for citing state constitutions is to cite the abbreviated name of the state followed by "Const." and then the relevant article, amendment, section, and/or clause numbers. Article and amendment numbers are typically given in Roman numerals, while section and clause numbers are given in Arabic numerals.
For example, a citation of the Massachusetts Constitution, Article IX, Part IV, would look like this:
> Mass. Const. art. IX, pt. IV.
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Frequently asked questions
In-text citations should 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).
All citations of the U.S. Constitution begin with U.S. Const., followed by the article, amendment, section, and/or clause numbers as relevant. For example, U.S. Const. art. I,§9,cl.2.
If you are citing a printed version, write the title of the book in italics, and list any editors, annotators, or other main contributors to the edition after the title.
