Isabella Carter
The Indian Constitution is the supreme law of the country, and it is important to be able to cite it correctly in academic writing. This is a guide on how to cite the Constitution of India using the APA (American Psychological Association) referencing style.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Author | The author is the person or organization responsible for the work. If there is no author, follow the "No Author" guidelines. |
| Date | Include the year, month, and day. If the date is unavailable, use "n.d." |
| Title | Include the title of the work being cited, enclosed in square brackets if there is no title. Clarify the format of the item in square brackets after the title. |
| Article, Amendment, Section, and/or Clause Numbers | Use Roman numerals for article and amendment numbers, and Arabic numbers for clause numbers. |
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What You'll Learn
Article, amendment, section, and/or clause numbers
Unfortunately, I do not have enough information to fulfil your request. Please provide me with the Article, Amendment, Section and/or Clause numbers that you would like me to include in your answer.
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No author guidelines
When citing the Constitution of India in APA style, the format depends on whether the source was accessed online or in print. If you accessed the Constitution of India online, your citation should include as much of the following information as possible:
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date of publication). *Title of document*. Retrieved from http://Web address
For example:
Government of India. (Date the Constitution was approved). *Constitution of India* or *Constitution of the Nation of India*. Retrieved from http://www.somesite.com/
If there is no listed author, the APA guidelines for a reference with no author apply. In this case, the basic format is as follows:
Using the example above, the citation would be:
Constitution of India or Constitution of the Nation of India (Date the Constitution was approved).
Note that the title of the work should be italicized. If there is no date, 'n.d.' can be used as a replacement.
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Date formatting
When citing the Constitution of India in APA style, the date format depends on whether you are referencing the date the Constitution was approved or an amendment date. The former should be written in full, while the latter may be written in parentheses with just the year.
> Government of India. (1950, January 26). Constitution of India. Retrieved from http://Web address
Note that the date format used here is "Year, Month Day". This is the standard date format for APA citations. However, if you are citing a part of the Constitution that has been amended or repealed, you should only include the year of the amendment or repeal in parentheses, like so:
> Government of India. (1950, January 26). Constitution of India. Retrieved from http://Web address (2007).
Here, the year "2007" indicates that this version of the Constitution of India is "as modified up to 1 December 2007". The month and date are not necessary in this case, as the Bluebook states that for parts of the Constitution currently in force, no date needs to be included.
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Title guidelines
When citing the Indian Constitution in APA style, it is important to follow the specific guidelines for title case and punctuation. Here are the detailed guidelines for formatting the title of your paper and the titles of the sources you cite:
Formatting the Title of Your Paper
The title of your paper should be in title case, which means that the first letter of major words is capitalised. Major words include all words that are four letters or longer, as well as any nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, and subordinate conjunctions. Articles, coordinating conjunctions, and prepositions are not capitalised unless they are the first or last word of the title. Here is an example of title case:
"How to Cite the Constitution of India in APA Style: A Step-by-Step Guide"
In this example, the majority of the words are capitalised because they are nouns or important words that convey the main idea of the title. The smaller words like "to," "in," and "a" are not capitalised because they are articles or prepositions.
Additionally, the title of your paper should be centred and placed in the upper half of the page. It should be in a bold font and use the same font style and size as the rest of your paper, typically 12-point font. If your paper has a subtitle, it should be separated from the main title by a colon, and the first letter of the subtitle should also be capitalised.
Formatting the Titles of Your Sources
When citing sources in APA style, the titles of books, journals, and reports are italicised, while the titles of articles, chapters, and web pages are placed in quotation marks. Here are some examples:
- Book: The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation
- Journal: APA Style 6th Edition Blog
- Report: AI-Powered APA Citation Checker
- Article: "How to Cite a Law in APA Style"
- Chapter: "How to Cite the U.S. Constitution in APA Style"
- Web page: "APA Legal References"
It is important to note that these guidelines are for general sources. When citing legal sources, such as the Indian Constitution, specific legal citation styles like Bluebook may be required. Always refer to the latest APA guidelines and adapt your references accordingly.
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Generic references
When creating a generic reference for the Indian Constitution in APA style, you should consider the following elements outlined in the Publication Manual:
Who/Author
Identify the author or organisation responsible for the work. In the case of the Indian Constitution, this would likely be "India" or "Republic of India" as the country that enacted the document.
When/Date
Specify the date the work was published. For the Indian Constitution, use the date "1950" as it was enacted on 26 January 1950.
What/Title
Provide the title of the work you are citing. In this case, the title would be "Constitution of India" or "The Constitution of India".
India. (1950). Constitution of India.
If you are citing a specific part of the Constitution, such as an article, amendment, or clause, include these details in your reference. Here is an example:
India. (1950). Constitution of India, Article I, Section 3.
Remember to consult the APA guidelines or the Publication Manual for further clarification and additional examples of generic referencing.
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Frequently asked questions
The APA format for citing the Constitution of India would be a generic reference, as the Constitution does not have a single author or a specific date. The generic reference format is as follows:
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of work.
In this case, the author would be "India," the year would be "1950," and the title would be "Constitution of India." The full reference would look like this:
India. (1950). Constitution of India.
If you are citing a specific article, amendment, section, or clause within the Constitution of India, you should include these numbers in your citation. Here is an example of how to format this reference:
India. (1950). Constitution of India, Article I, Section 3.
No, a retrieval date is not necessary for citing the Constitution of India. The document is a stable and official text that is not subject to change over time, so the date of access is not relevant.
When citing an online version of the Constitution of India, you would include the URL link to the document as well as a retrieval date. Here is an example of how the reference would look:
India. (1950). Constitution of India. https://www.loc.gov/item/57026883/ [Retrieved April 7, 2025].
