Isabella Carter
Citing the US Constitution in an essay depends on the style guide you are using. In APA style, 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 to art., amend., §, and cl. respectively, with Roman numerals used for article and amendment numbers, and Arabic numerals for section and clause numbers. If you are citing the Constitution as a whole, you may simply mention it in your paper without a citation. In MLA style, you should include information about where you accessed the Constitution in the Works Cited entry. When mentioning the Constitution in your paper, you can generally just call it the Constitution without using italics or quotation marks.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Style | MLA or APA |
| Book form | Italicize the title and list editors, annotators, or contributors |
| In-text mention | Generally, just "Constitution" without italics or quotes |
| In-text citation | Specify the version, e.g., "Constitution of the United States" |
| Abbreviations | Use "art." for Article, "amend." for Amendment, "sec." for Section, and "cl." for Clause |
| Numerals | Use Roman numerals for Article and Amendment numbers, and Arabic numerals for Section and Clause numbers |
| Date | Include the year in parentheses if referring to a repealed or amended part of the Constitution |
| Reference list | The Bluebook is the standard for legal citations |
| Generic reference | Include author/editor, date, and title |
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What You'll Learn
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.
> “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 to Arabic numerals (e.g. “XIV” becomes “14”).
If you are citing a book version 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.
When mentioning the Constitution in your paper, you can generally just call it the Constitution without using italics or quotation marks. However, in the parenthetical citation, you should specify the version cited to match the first words of the Works Cited entry.
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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 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 to support your argument, you should follow the citation format outlined in Bluebook Rule 11, which covers federal and state constitutions.
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. Preamble is abbreviated as "pmbl." Article and amendment numbers are denoted by Roman numerals (I, II, III), while section and clause numbers use Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3). For example, the correct citation format for Article IX, Section 3 of the South Carolina Constitution is "U.S. Const. art. IX, § 3."
It is important to note that when citing a state constitution, you should use the legal state abbreviation, such as "Md. Const." for the Maryland Constitution. State constitution article numbers are denoted by Roman numerals, while amendment numbers use Arabic numerals.
Additionally, when including the Declaration of Independence in an in-text citation, do not italicize the name of the document or place it in quotation marks. If you are referencing the Declaration of Independence from a website, include the name and publication date of the webpage in your APA in-text citation.
If you cannot find specific guidelines for citing the US Constitution in APA style, you can create a generic reference using the elements provided in the Publication Manual. These elements include the author or organization responsible for the work, the publication date, and the title of the work.
By following these guidelines, you can ensure that your citations of the US Constitution in APA style are accurate and conform to the established standards for legal citations.
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Citing the US Constitution as a whole
When citing the US Constitution as a whole, there are a few standard styles you can use, depending on the citation style required for your essay.
APA Style
The APA (American Psychological Association) style is commonly used in the social sciences. To cite the US Constitution in APA style, you can refer to The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation. All citations of the US Constitution in APA style 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. Article and amendment numbers are given in Roman numerals (e.g., I, II, III), while section and clause numbers are given in Arabic numerals (e.g., 1, 2, 3).
Here's an example of an APA citation for the US Constitution:
> U.S. Const. art. VI, § 1
MLA Style
MLA (Modern Language Association) style is often used in the humanities. To cite the US Constitution in MLA style, you can follow these guidelines:
- Do not italicize or put quotation marks around the name of the document when mentioning it in your paper. Simply refer to it as "the Constitution."
- In your parenthetical citation, specify the version cited.
- In your Works Cited entry, include information about where you accessed the Constitution. If you are citing an online version, use the example below as a guide:
> “Constitution of the United States.” The National Archives, National Archives and Records Administration, 17 Sept. 2017, www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript.
Chicago Style and Harvard Referencing
While I couldn't find specific examples for Chicago style and Harvard referencing, you can use a citation generator like the one provided by Chegg Writing to create citations in these styles.
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Citing a book edition of the Constitution
The US Constitution has been published in book form in various editions. When citing a book edition of the Constitution in an essay, there are a few standard styles you can use, depending on the type of essay you are writing.
MLA Style
To cite the Constitution of the United States in MLA style, you should include information about where you accessed it in the Works Cited entry. When mentioning the Constitution in your paper, you can generally just call it the Constitution without italicization or quotation marks. However, in the parenthetical citation, you should specify the version cited. For example:
> As stated in “The Constitution of the United States: A Transcription,” … (art. 1, sec. 4).
> As stated in the Constitution, … (“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.
APA Style
If you are writing in APA style, the Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation is the standard reference. The Bluebook states that for parts of the Constitution currently in force, do not include a date. 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. All citations of the U.S. 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 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).
Chicago Manual of Style
The Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) is another widely used citation style. CMS recommends citing the US Constitution as follows:
> U.S. Const. art. I, § 9, cl. 2.
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The Bluebook citation system
The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation is a style guide that prescribes how to cite a variety of legal documents, including the US Constitution and state constitutions. The citation format for the US Constitution is "U.S. Const." followed by the relevant article, amendment, section, and clause numbers. For example, to cite Article I, Section 9, Clause 2 of the US Constitution, the correct citation would be "U.S. Const. art. I, § 9, cl. 2".
When citing a state constitution, use the abbreviated name of the state followed by "Const.". For example, the Texas Constitution would be cited as "Tex. Const." with the relevant article, section, and clause numbers. Similarly, the Hawaii Constitution would be cited as "Haw. Const.".
It is important to note that The Bluebook specifies that you cannot use a short cite other than "Id." for constitutions. Additionally, when citing a specific provision of the constitution, such as an article or amendment, use Roman numerals (I, II, III) for article and amendment numbers, and Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3) for section and clause numbers.
The Bluebook also provides rules for citing other resources, such as federal regulations, books, law reviews, journals, and online sources. For example, Rule 15 covers how to cite books, and Rule 16 addresses the citation format for law reviews, journals, and other periodic materials. When citing online sources, refer to Rule 18 for guidance as the formats can vary.
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Frequently asked questions
All citations of the US Constitution in APA style 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 to "art.", "amend.", "§", and "cl." respectively. Article and amendment numbers are written in Roman numerals, while section and clause numbers are written in Arabic numerals.
If you are citing a printed version of the Constitution, cite it as you would cite a book. Write the title of the book in italics, and list any editors, annotators, or other main contributors to the edition after the title.
If you are referring to the US Constitution as a whole, you may simply mention it in your paper without including a citation in the references list. However, if you are citing a specific part of the Constitution, you should include the article, amendment, section, and/or clause numbers.
The Bluebook is a style guide that sets the standard for all legal citations. It is the source to consult if you need guidance on legal citations, including how to cite the US Constitution.
