how to cite legislation in an essay

APA 7th referencing style

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About referencing legislation

Parliamentary debates (hansard), australian jurisdiction abbreviations.

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The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association refers to The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation  for referencing legislation. However, this does not cover Australian materials. 

For Australian legislation, the Australian Guide to Legal Citation (3rd ed.) has been used. The examples for this guide are based on this format.

Source: (Melbourne University Law Review Association & Melbourne Journal of International Law, 2010, p. 65).

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How to Cite U.S. Government Documents in APA Citation Style: Federal Laws/Statutes

• House and Senate Reports and Documents
• Congressional Hearings & Testimony
• Congressional Record
• Congressional Bills and Resolutions
• Federal Laws/Statutes

Statute (law/act) appears in a single section of the United States Code

Statute (act/law) spans a range of sections in the united states code, statute (public law/act) is spread out among different sections of the code, law (statute) does not yet appear in the united states code.

• Executive Documents -- Presidential Papers, Proclamations and Executive Orders
• Rules/Regulations -- Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.) and the Federal Register
• Foreign Relations of the United States
• State Legislative Documents
• State Statutes (Laws)
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• Other legal citations

Statutes (laws/acts) are "codified" on a continuous basis in the online United States Code (U.S.C.) by the Office of Law Revision Counsel. In general, you should cite statutes (laws/act) to their location in the online United States Code (U.S.C.)

You can find the relevant U.S.C. title and section(s) in the text of the law. You can find official sources of the law in:

• Congress.Gov: Public Laws (1974 - current)
• Govinfo: Statutes at Large (1951- 2013) 
• Proquest Congressional Publications (library subscription database)

In the U.S.C., or in the Public Law, look for statements about where the law applies to the Code ( U.S.C. "Titles" and "sections" ) .

• If the law spans a ranges of sections, add "et seq." after the U.S.C. number to indicate "and what follows." Note: You do not include U.S.C. "chapters" in citations.
• If the statute (law/act) is spread out among scattered sections of the U.S.C . , and you wish to cite the law as a whole, cite using the Public Law number, and include the parallel citation to the law's location in the Statutes at Large , when available.
• If the statute (law/act) does not appear in the United States Code , cite using the Public Law number, and include the parallel citation to its location in Statutes at Large, when available.

See examples, below.

When a statute is codified in a single section of the United States Code (U.S.C.), cite to the U.S.C..

Example: Impact Aid Coronavirus Relief Act .

In the header for this Act, you will see the U.S.C. citation: 20 U.S.C. § 6301. This is the start of the range of sections it applies to, but if you read this Act closely, you will see that the Act itself appears in section 7705, Impact Aid .

In Reference List:

• Impact Aid Coronavirus Relief Act. 20 U.S.C § 7705 (2020).

Explanation: This Act appears (was codified) in a single section of the the U.S.C. in Title 20, section 7705, in 2020.

Note: You can find the section symbol in Word > Insert > Symbols > Special Characters

• (Impact Aid Coronavirus Relief Act, 2020)
• Impact Aid Coronavirus Relief Act (2020)

If the law spans a ranges of sections, add " et seq. " after the U.S.C. number to indicate "and what follows."

Tip: Browse and search the official United States Code to find the "reference notes: "

Pub. L. 111–260, §1(a), Oct. 8, 2010, 124 Stat. 2751 , provided that: "This Act [enacting sections 615c and 616 to 620 of this title , amending sections 153, 225, 303, 330, 402, 503, 610, and 613 of this title , and enacting provisions set out as notes under sections 153, 303, 613, and 619 of this title ] may be cited as the 'Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010'."

• (Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act, 2020)
• Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (2020)

Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2020. 47 USC 609  et seq. (2009). URL

When a statute applies to numerous sections of the Code , and you wish to cite the Act as a whole, cite using the Public law number.

To determine where the statute is codified (where it appears in the United States Code ), follow this process:

• Find the U.S.C. number listed in the header of the law. For example, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 includes this location in the United States Code: 42 U.S.C. § 15801 .

Energy Policy Act of 2005, Pub. L. No. 109-58, 119 Stat. 594 (2005). https://www.congress.gov/109/plaws/publ58/PLAW-109publ58.pdf

Explanation: In the example above, Pub. L. No. 109-58 refers to Public Law number 58  from the 109th Congress, with a parallel citation to its location in volume 119, page 594 of the US Statutes at Large (119 Stat. 594). Because I retrieved this from a publicly available website, rather than an academic database, the URL is appended to the end.

• (Energy Policy Act, 2005)
• Energy Policy Act (2005)

If the law has just passed and does not yet appear in the United States Code, cite to the Public Law Number with a parallel citation to its location in Statutes at Large.

Example: If you were citing this law shortly after it passed in 2005, and it had not yet appeared in the United States Code.*

* There may be only a few months lag between when a law is passed and when it appears in the United States Code. See Office of Law Revision Council, Currency and Updating .

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APA Citation Style, 7th Edition: Legislative (US & State House & Senate) Bills

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Legislative (US & State House & Senate) Bills

Tips on citing APA 7th edition references for Legislative Bills or Laws (p. 356-365): 

• APA uses the standard legal style of citing legal references across all disciplines. The most commonly used style is from The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation . 
• Is it a bill or is it a law? If a bill or a resolution (whether state legistation or U.S. legislation) it it cited as a BILL or RESOLUTION as shown the examples on this page. IF the bill or resolution has passed into LAW, it should be cited as a LAW or ACT, or may also be called a STATUTE. If it's a law, follow those examples on this page. You can also consult Chapter 11, section 11.5 and section 11.6 of the APA manual.  
• Congress  -- Cong.  , House of Representatives  -- H.R. , Senate -- S. 
• Regulation -- Reg. ,   Resolution --  Res. 
• Section --  § , Sections --   §§  , Number -- No. 
• Parenthetical citation: (Name of Act, year).
• Narrative citation: Name of Act (year)... 

Reference Example 1:

NC Compassionate Care Act, Senate Bill 3, 2023-2024 Session, (2023).  https://www.ncleg.gov/BillLookUp/2023/S3  

In-text Citation (Paraphrase):

(NC Compassionate Care Act, 2023). 

In-text Citation (Direct Quote):

(NC Compassionate Care Act, 2023, p. 4).

Reference Example 2:

The SAVE Act, S. bill DRS55014-NBf-50A GA of North Carolina, (2021).  https://www.ncleg.gov/Sessions/2021/Bills/Senate/PDF/S249v0.pdf 

(The SAVE Act, 2021). 

(The Save ACT, 2021, p. 6).

Additional resources for learning how to properly reference legal references in APA 7th edition: 

• University of Akron's Bluebook Quick Reference Guide
• APA Style Blog - Introduction to APA Style Legal References
• USC Libraries - Citing Legal Sources
• Columbus State Library - Citing Legal & Government Documents
• [Video] Cannon Library - Legal References & Citations in APA format

Carrie Forbes, MLS

Page References

Helpful tips.

If you are citing a report, issue brief, or any other type of document issued with a number, include the type of document and number of publication in parenthesis directly after the title.

Example from page 329 of APA Manual: National Cancer Institute. (2018).  Facing forward: Life after cancer treatment  [NIH Publication No. 18-2424]. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health.  https://tinyurl.com/bdd2krk5

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APA 7th Referencing

• Legislation & Cases

APA 7th Referencing: Legislation & Cases

• In-text referencing
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On this page

Basic format to reference legislation and cases.

• Referencing legislation and cases: Examples

The APA style guide refers readers wishing to reference legal materials to The Bluebook: A uniform system of citation ; however, The Bluebook is unsuitable for use in Australia.  The fourth edition of the Australian Guide to Legal Citation (AGLC4) should be used for reference list entries for Australian and international legal materials.  The examples in this guide are based on AGLC4 style.  For more examples, please see our AGLC4 guide .

In text references must adhere to APA7 style.  Most references should follow the format for works without an author.  

Please note:  Students studying Law units at VU should use the Australian Guide to Legal Citation (AGLC).

The basics of a reference list entry for an Act:

• Short Title of Act (in italics ).
• Year (in italics).
• Jurisdiction abbreviation (in round brackets).
• The first line of each citation is left adjusted. Every subsequent line is indented 5-7 spaces.

Example:  Yarra River Protection (Wilip-Gin Birrarung Murron) Act 2017 (Vic)

The basics of a reference list entry for a Bill:

• Short title of bill (no italics).
• Year (no italics).

Example:  Disability Services Safeguards Bill 2018 (Vic)

The basics for a reference list entry for a Case:

• Case name (in italics ).
• Year (in round brackets).
• Volume number.
• Law report abbreviation.
• First page number.

Example:  Minister for Immigration and Border Protection v Kumar (2017) 260 CLR 367

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APA Style 7th Edition: Citing Your Sources

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Standard Format

Formatting rules, various examples.

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• Reference Page
• Legal style order- Title, source, and date (What, Where, When)
• Optional- provide a URL for the version used
• Court Cases: Title or name of the case is written in standard type for reference entry (italics for in-text citation)
• Use this format for enacted bill or resolution not signed into law
• Bills and resolutions passed by Congress & signed by the President to become law should be cited as statutes

Additional Resources:

Legal Information Institute at Cornell Law School : Guidance on legal citations.  Verify legal references containing necessary information and reflect current statues of legal authority (so you're not using amended, repealed or overturned cases).

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APA Style Guide - 7th Edition

• Introduction to APA Style
• How to Cite...
• In-Text Citations
• Legal and Legislative Works

Finding Materials

U.S. Supreme Court Cases

Federal Laws

• Inserting the Section § Symbol

Federal Legislation

Executive Orders

Additional Resources

• Basic Legal Citation

Introduction

This page provides examples of the most commonly used legal and legislative references and in-text citations in APA Style.  The information comes from Chapter 11 of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7 th Edition .  Refer to this source for all examples of legal and legislative citations.

Note about References: Remember for all references, especially legal references, make sure your references are accurate and contain all of the information that will enable your readers to access the referenced work.

Note about in-text citations: In-text citations for legal or legislative sources differ from other sources as these reference sources begin with the title of the work., not the author. Therefore, in-text citations should include the title and year.  (Ex: Americans with Disabilities Act, 1990).

Citing Legal Sources

U.s. supreme court case citation formats, name v. name, vol. u.s. page (year) url.

Name v. Name, Vol. U.S. ___ (Year) URL

The title or name of a case is written in standard type in the reference and in italic type in the in-text citation.

For cases that have not been assigned a page number, include three underscores instead.

Federal Law (Statue) Citation Formats

Name of act, title source § section number (year) url.

Codified in the Title 20 of the United States Code in section 6301 in 2015.

U se the Public Law Number when the act is codified in scattered sections of the United States Code.

Citing Legislative Sources

Congressional hearing citation formats, title of hearing, xxx cong. (year). url.

Unenacted Federal Bill or Resolution Citation Format

Title, h.r. or s. bill number, xxx cong. (year). url.

Bills and resolutions that have been passed by both houses of Congress and signed by the president become law and should be cited as statutes.

Congressional Report Citation Format

H.r. or s. rep. no. xxx-xxx (year). url.

For unenacted bills and reports, the number should be preceded by H.R. (House of Representatives) or S. (Senate).

Citing Exexutive Orders

Executive order citation format, exec. order no. xxxx, 3 c.r.f. page (year). url.

Executive orders are reported in Title 3 of the Code of Federal Regulations, always include 3 C.R.F. in the reference.

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APA 7th Edition - University of Lincoln

• APA style and referencing
• Main changes from the 6th edition to the 7th edition of APA
• In-text citations
• Common citation queries
• Example start of an assignment with in-text citations
• Reference list
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• Appendix/Appendices
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• Secondary referencing
• Book with a single author
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Law and legal references

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This section includes Statues (Laws and Acts), Cases (law reports) and International Conventions. 

The APA Publication Manual does not include UK law so these guidelines are adapted from the templates for US law provided in the APA Publication Manual (7th ed.). 

Acts of Parliament

Also referred to as Statues. 

Parenthetical citation  

(Children Act, 1989) 

Narrative citation

Children Act (1989)

Reference list  

Children Act 1989,  c. 41.  https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1989/41  

1.  Title of Act including year (in italics), 

2. chapter number written as lower case c with a full stop, space, chapter number, full stop 

4. URL 

Green, White and Command Papers

Notes 

When considering introducing a new law, the UK Government will produce a discussion document called a Green Paper. White papers set out the details of the Government’s future policy on a particular topic and will often be the basis of a Bill before Parliament. Command Papers are the collective name given to different types of papers prepared by the Government and presented in Parliament with the words “presented to Parliament by command of His/Her Majesty”. 

Parenthetical citation

(Home Office, 2014)

Narrative citation 

Home Office (2014) 

Reference list 

Home Office. (2014).  Improving police integrity: Reforming the police complaints and disciplinary systems . 

         CM8976. HMSO.  https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/

           system/uploads/attachment_data/file/385900/45363_Cm_8976_Press.pdf  

Format: 

Government department. (Year).  Title . Command paper number. Publisher. URL 

Cases (Law Reports)

Parenthetical citation  

(Pepper v. Hart, 1993) 

Pepper v. Hart (1993)

Pepper (Inspector of Taxes) v. Hart, AC 593 (1993).    

          http://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKHL/1992/3.html  

Format:  

Name v. Name, case number date in round brackets. URL 

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Reference with Harvard

• About In-Text Citations
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• Audio-visual
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• Conference Papers
• Government Reports
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• Other Sources & Variations
• Secondary Referencing
• Case Law & Legislation
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• Assignment Presentation Requirements

Reported Case Law

• Reference List
• In-text Citation

Do not use in-text citations for case law or legislation. Rather, mention the case or legislation in the written text. The reference list should have separate sections for cases and legislation where you list cases or Acts referred to in the body of the essay. See below for appropriate ways to cite these.

Reported Case Law in the Reference List

(This image has been taken from the AGLC4  p. 39. The AGLC4 and Style Manual follow the same format when referencing reported cases)

More examples of Reported Case Law in the Reference List:

R v Denyer [1995] 1 VR 186 R stands for Rex/Regina (King/Queen/Crown) Party names separated by v (which stands for and in civil matters and against in criminal matters) Denyer is the defendant [square brackets used around the year because the law report series has no independent volume number]. 1 refers to the part VR is the abbreviation for the  law report series - Victorian Reports 186 is the starting page of the case. Denyer v R (1997) 188 CLR 207 Party names separated by v. (round brackets used around the year because there is an independent volume number) 188 = volume number CLR is the abbreviation for the law report series 207 is the starting page

If you need to check a case law abbreviation, check the Monash Legal Abbreviations Page

According to the Navitas College of Public Safety Referencing Guide (p.20):

Do not use in-text citations for case law or legislation. Rather, mention the case or legislation in the written text. The references should have separate sections for cases and legislation where you list cases or Acts referred to in the body of the essay.

Case Law from AustLII (medium neutral citation format)

According to the Style Manual for Authors Editors and Printers, 6th edn, p.227.

'On first mention in the text, the authority should be cited in full. An abbreviated form or the name by which the case is commonly known can be given in parentheses following the formal citation. After that the abbreviated or common form can be used'. For example, when referencing the Mabo case from AustLII, use the following the first time: Mabo v Queensland (No 2) [1992] HCA 23 (3 June 1992) ("Mabo case"). Following on from this, you can refer to the Mabo Case in the body of your essay.

Remember - do not use in-text citations for case law or legislation. Rather, mention the case or legislation in the written text in full the first time and then you can use the abbreviated name for the rest of your essay.

The reference list should have separate sections for cases and legislation where you list cases or Acts referred to in the body of the essay. See below for appropriate ways to cite these. When referencing case law from AustLII, use the medium neutral citation referencing format. This is explained on page 54 of the AGLC4 .

The party names are separated by v The year is included in square brackets A unique court identifier is used instead of the court name The judgement number is listed The date is included in round brackets.

Re: the example above... When reading this case on AustLII, the information you need to reference a case is provided at the top of the page - see the diagram below. Simply copy this information and ensure that the party names are placed in italics

What is the green arrow in this diagram? It was one of the keywords used to locate this case on the database. Therefore, it is highlighted with a green arrow. For referencing purposes, ignore the green arrow.

'On first mention in the text, the authority should be cited in full. An abbreviated form or the name by which the case is commonly known can be given in parentheses following the formal citation. After that the abbreviated or common form can be used'.

For example, when referencing the Mabo case from AustLII, use the following the first time: Mabo v Queensland (No 2) [1992] HCA 23 (3 June 1992) ("Mabo case"). Following on from this, you can refer to the Mabo Case in the body of your essay.

Legislation

Legislation in the Reference List

(This image has been taken from the AGLC4  p. 67. The AGLC4 and Style Manual follow a similar format when referencing reported cases)

Crimes Act 1958 (Vic)

Crimes Act 1914 (Cwlth)

Note: The date is part of the title.

Note: Even though you are using the Harvard Author/Date referencing system, ACAP Criminology/Policing students are likely to see books and articles which use two different referencing styles - the Harvard and the Australian Guide to Legal Citation, 3rd ed., (AGLC3). There is a difference between the styles when referencing Commonwealth Legislation Harvard = Cwlth. Example: Crimes Act 1914 (Cwlth)  AGLC4 =  Cth. Example: Crimes Act 1914 (Cth)

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MLA Style (9th Edition) Citation Guide: Government & Legal Documents

• Introduction to MLA Style
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• Government & Legal Documents
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Table of Contents

Government document from a website.

Government Document In Print

Court Decision

Statute (legislation), unenacted bill or resolution.

Note: All citations should be double spaced and have a hanging indent in a Reference List.

A "hanging indent" means that each subsequent line after the first line of your citation should be indented by 0.5 inches.

In your works cited list, abbreviate months as follows: 

January = Jan. February = Feb. March = Mar. April = Apr. May = May June = June July = July August = Aug. September = Sept. October = Oct. November = Nov. December = Dec.

Spell out months fully in the body of your paper. 

Capitalize the first letter of every important word in the title. You do not need to capitalize words such as: in, of, or an.

If there is a colon (:) in the title, include what comes after the colon (also known as the subtitle).

The format of dates is: Day Month (shortened) Year. E.g. 5 Sept. 2012.

Whether to give the year alone or include a month and day depends on your source: write the full date as you find it there.

If no date is listed, omit it unless you can find that information available in a reliable source.

Access Date

Date of access is optional in MLA 8th/9th edition; it is recommended for pages that may change frequently or that do not have a copyright/publication date.

Legal Citations

From the MLA Style website: "Following one of the fundamental principles of MLA style, writers citing legal works should document the version of the work they consult—not the canonical version of the law, as in legal style. As with any source in MLA style, how you document it will generally depend on the information provided by the version of the source you consulted." See " Documenting Legal Works in MLA Style " on the MLA website.

Known Author

Cite the author of the publication if the author is identified. Otherwise, start with the name of the national government, followed by the agency (including any subdivisions or agencies) that serves as the organizational author. For congressional documents, be sure to include the number of the Congress and the session when the hearing was held or resolution passed as well as the report number. US government documents are typically published by the Government Printing Office.

Name of National Government, Agency, Subdivision. Title of Document: Subtitle if Given . Edition if given and is not first edition, Name of Government Department, Agency or Committee, Publication Date, URL. Accessed Access Date.

Works Cited List Example:

United States, Congress, House, Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act. Government Publishing Office, 17 Apr. 2012, www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-111hhrg50208/html/CHRG-111hhrg50208.htm. 112th Congress, 2nd Session, House Report 112-445. Accessed 22 Oct. 2019.

In-Text Citation Example:

(Shortened Title of Document)

Unknown Author

If a personal author or a corporate author (e.g. government agency or organization) cannot be identified, start the citation with the title of the document.

Title of Document: Subtitle if Given . Edition if given and is not first edition, Name of Government Department, Agency or Committee, Publication Date, URL. Accessed Access Date.

  Healthy People 2020.  Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. 2011, www.healthypeople.gov/. Accessed 6 July 2016 .

 (Title of Document)

  Example : (Healthy People 2020)

Government Document in Print

Title of Document : Subtitle if Given . Edition if given and is not first edition, Name of Government Department, Agency or Committee, Publication Date.

Dictionary of Occupational Titles . Dept. of Labor. Employment and Training Administration, 1977.

( Title of Document )

Government Entity as Author. Name of the Case . Date of the Decision. Title of Container, Publisher, URL (if online).

United States, Supreme Court. Brown v. Board of Education . 17 May 1954. Legal Information Institute , Cornell U Law School, www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/347/483.

In-Text Paraphrase:

(United States, Supreme Court).

In-Text Quote:

(United States, Supreme Court Syllabus (d)).

Italicize the case name in the text of your paper also.

Government Entity as Author. Name of the Public Law. Title of Container , Date, Pages. Publisher , URL (if online).

United States, Congress. Public Law 104-191, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. govinfo.gov, 1996. U.S. Government Printing Office , https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/PLAW-104publ191.

(United States, Congress)

(United States, Congress Section 264)

Government Entity as Author. Name of the Bill or Resolution. Title of Container , URL. Congressional session, Bill/Resolution number, last status.

Example (Senate):

United States, Congress, Senate. Anti-Phishing Act of 2005. Congress.gov, https://www.congress.gov/bill/109th-congress/senate-bill/472. 109th Congress, Senate Bill 472, Introduced 28 Feb. 2005.

Example: (House):

United States, Congress, House. Anti-Phishing Act of 2005. Congress.gov, https://www.congress.gov/bill/109th-congress/house-bill/1099. 109th Congress, House Resolution 1099, Introduced 03 Mar. 2005.

(United States, Congress, House)

(United States, Congress, House Section 1351 "Internet Fraud")

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Documenting Legal Works in MLA Style

Gaining familiarity with the legal-citation practices used to document legal works may be impractical for student writers and sometimes even for scholars working in nonlegal fields. Nonspecialists can use MLA style to cite legal sources in one of two ways: strict adherence to the MLA format template or a hybrid method incorporating the standard legal citation into the works-cited-list entry. In either case, titles of legal works should be standardized in your prose and list of works cited according to the guidelines below.

Legal Style

Legal publications have traditionally followed the style set forth in the Harvard Law Review Association’s Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation , although some law reviews, such as the University of Chicago Law Review , have published their own style manuals. A more streamlined version of the Bluebook ’s legal-citation method, the ALWD Guide to Legal Citation , was introduced in 2000. The Legal Information Institute, a nonprofit associated with Cornell Law School, publishes an online guide to legal citation geared toward practitioners and nonspecialists instead of academics.

Those working in law are introduced to the conventions of legal citation during their professional training. Legal style is a highly complex shorthand code with specialized terminology that helps legal scholars and lawyers cite legal sources succinctly. It points specialists to the authoritative publication containing the legal opinion or law, regardless of the version the writer consulted.

Students and scholars working outside the legal profession and using MLA style should follow the MLA format template to cite laws, public documents, court cases, and other related material. Familiarize yourself with the guidelines in the MLA Handbook , sections 5.17–22, for corporate authors and government authors.

Following one of the fundamental principles of MLA style, writers citing legal works should document the version of the work they consult—not the canonical version of the law, as in legal style. As with any source in MLA style, how you document it will generally depend on the information provided by the version of the source you consulted.

Titles pose the greatest challenge to citing legal works in MLA style. Since MLA style keys references in the text to a list of works cited (unlike court filings, which cite works in the text of the brief, or academic legal writings, which cite works in footnotes ), writers should, with a few exceptions (noted below), standardize titles of legal sources in their prose and list of works cited. Following the MLA Handbook , italicize the names of court cases (70):

Marbury v. Madison

When you cite laws, acts, and political documents, capitalize their names like titles and set them in roman font (69):

Law of the Sea Treaty

Civil Rights Act

Code of Federal Regulations

When a legal source is contained within another work—for example, when the United States Code appears on a website that has a separate title—follow the MLA Handbook and treat the source as an independent publication (27). That is, style the title just as you would in prose—in italics if it is the name of a court case, in roman if it is a law or similar document; even though the legal source appears within a larger work, do not insert quotation marks around the title:

United States Code. Legal Information Institute , Cornell Law School, www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text.

For more on titles in legal citations in MLA style, see “Tips on Titles,” below.

Commonly Cited Sources

A few examples of using MLA style for commonly cited legal sources follow.

United States Supreme Court Decisions

United states supreme court dissenting opinions, federal statutes (united states code), public laws, federal appeals court decisions, federal bills, executive orders, state court of appeals, unpublished decisions, state senate bills, constitutions, international governing bodies.

Where you read the opinion of a United States Supreme Court decision will dictate how you cite it in MLA style. Legal-citation style, in contrast, points to the opinion published in the United States Reports , the authoritative legal source for the United States Supreme Court’s decisions, and cites the elements of that publication.

For example, the case Brown v. Board of Education is commonly abbreviated “347 U.S. 483” in legal citations: 347 is the volume number of United States Reports ; “U.S.” indicates that the opinion is found in United States Reports , which is the official reporter of the Supreme Court and indicates the opinion’s provenance; and the first page number of the decision is 483. (The American Bar Association has published a useful and concise overview of the components of a Supreme Court opinion .)

Regardless of the version you consult, you must understand a few basic things about the source: that it was written by a member of the United States Supreme Court on behalf of the majority and that, when you cite the opinion, the date on which the case was decided is the only date necessary to provide.

Following are examples of works-cited-list entries in MLA style for Brown v. Board of Education . The entries differ depending on whether the information was found on the Legal Information Institute website, published by Cornell University Law School, or on the Library of Congress website.

Legal Information Institute

The works-cited-list entry includes

• the government entity as author
• the name of the case (“Title of source” element)
• the year of the decision; it would also not be incorrect to include the day and month if it appears in your source
• the title of the website containing the case (“Title of container” element)
• the publisher of the website
• the website’s URL (“Location” element)

United States, Supreme Court. Brown v. Board of Education . 17 May 1954. Legal Information Institute , Cornell Law School, www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/347/483.

Library of Congress

The Library of Congress site allows researchers to link to or download a PDF of the opinion from the United States Reports . To locate the case, the researcher must know the volume number of the United States Reports in which Brown v. Board of Education was published. A works-cited-list entry in MLA style would include the author (the government entity) and the title of the case, as well as the following information for container 1:

• United States Reports (“Title of container” element)
• vol. 347 (“Number” element)
• the date of the decision (“Publication date” element)
• page range (“Location” element)

Container 2 includes the name of the website publishing the case and its location, the URL. The publisher of the site is omitted since its name is the same as that of the site.

United States, Supreme Court. Brown v. Board of Education . United States Reports , vol. 347, 17 May 1954, pp. 483-97. Library of Congress , tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep347/usrep347483/usrep347483.pdf.

Sometimes, Supreme Court justices write dissenting opinions that accompany the published majority opinion. They are part of the legal record but not part of the holding—that is, the court’s ruling. If you cite only the dissent, you can treat it as the work you are citing:

Ginsburg, Ruth Bader. Dissenting opinion. Lilly Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. United States Reports , vol. 550, 29 May 2007, pp. 643-61. Supreme Court of the United States , www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/boundvolumes/550bv.pdf.

In MLA style, it will generally be clearest to create an entry for the United States Code in its entirety and cite the title and section number in the text, especially if you are referring to more than one section of the code.

If an online search directs you to the web page for a specific section of the United States Code, it would not be incorrect to cite the page for that section alone. For example, if you want to use MLA style to document title 17, section 304, of the United States Code—commonly abbreviated 17 U.S.C. § 304 in legal citations—title 17 can be treated as the work and thus placed in the “Title of source” slot on the MLA template, or if you cite the United States Code in its entirety, title 17 can be placed in the “Number” slot.

Your entry will once again depend on the version you consult. Below are examples from various websites.

website for the United States Code

On the website for the United States Code, you would likely determine that the United States House of Representatives is the author of the code. The United States Code is the title of the source, and since the source constitutes the entire website, no container needs to be specified: the source is self-contained, like a book (see p. 34 of the MLA Handbook ). The site lists the Office of the Law Revision Counsel as publisher, so you would include that name in the “Publisher” slot, followed by the date on which the code was last updated, and the URL as the location:

United States, Congress, House. United States Code. Office of the Law Revision Counsel, 14 Jan. 2017, uscode.house.gov.

The body of your text or your in-text reference must mention title 17 and section 304 so the reader can locate the information you cite. It would not be wrong to include chapter 3 as well (title 17, ch. 3, sec. 304), although a discerning researcher will note that section numbers (304) incorporate chapter numbers (3), making “chapter 3” unnecessary to include.

If you do not include title 17 and section 304 in the text, you must include that information in the works-cited-list entry:

United States, Congress, House. United States Code. Title 17, section 304, Office of the Law Revision Counsel, 14 Jan. 2017, uscode.house.gov.

A nonspecialist would not be able to determine from the Legal Information Institute site that the United States House of Representatives is the author of the United States Code. A basic citation would include the title of the code as displayed on the site, the title of the website as the title of the container, the publisher of the website, and the location:

Government Publishing Office website

The website of the Government Publishing Office (variously referred to as the Government Printing Office) displays each statute heading (or “title”) as a web page:

You can treat title 17 as the work and the United States Code as the title of the container, as follows:

Title 17. United States Code, U.S. Government Publishing Office, 2011, www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCODE-2011-title17/html/USCODE-2011-title17.htm.

Or you can treat the United States Code as the title of the source and title 17 as a numbered section within the code, by placing title 17 in the “Number” slot on the MLA template:

United States Code. Title 17, U.S. Government Publishing Office, 2011, www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCODE-2011-title17/html/USCODE-2011-title17.htm.

Below are examples of how to cite other common legal sources in MLA style.

United States, Congress. Public Law 111-122. United States Statutes at Large , vol. 123, 2009, pp. 3480-82. U.S. Government Publishing Office , www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/STATUTE-123/pdf/STATUTE-123.pdf.

United States, Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Moss v. Colvin . Docket no. 15-2272, 9 Jan. 2017. United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit , www.ca2.uscourts.gov/decisions.html. PDF download.

It is customary to title court cases by using the last name of the first party on each side of the v . You may also wish to shorten a long URL, as we have done here .

United States, Congress, House. Improving Broadband Access for Veterans Act of 2016. Congress.gov , www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/6394/text. 114th Congress, 2nd session, House Resolution 6394, passed 6 Dec. 2016.

United States, Congress, House, Committee on Education and Labor. The Future of Learning: How Technology Is Transforming Public Schools . U.S. Government Publishing Office, 16 June 2009, www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-111hhrg50208/html/CHRG-111hhrg50208.htm. Text transcription of hearing.

After a president signs an executive order, the Office of the Federal Register gives it a number. It is then printed in the Federal Register and compiled in the Code of Federal Regulations. Executive orders usually also appear as press releases on the White House website upon signing.

United States, Executive Office of the President [Barack Obama]. Executive order 13717: Establishing a Federal Earthquake Risk Management Standard. 2 Feb. 2016. Federal Register , vol. 81, no. 24, 5 Feb. 2016, pp. 6405-10, www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2016-02-05/pdf/2016-02475.pdf.

Minnesota State, Court of Appeals. Minnesota v. McArthur . 28 Sept. 1999, mn.gov/law-library-stat/archive//ctapun/9909/502.htm. Unpublished opinion.

Wisconsin State, Legislature. Senate Bill 5. Wisconsin State Legislature , 20 Jan. 2017, docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2017/related/proposals/sb5.

If a constitution is published in a named edition, treat it like the title of a book:

The Constitution of the United States: A Transcription . National Archives , U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, 28 Feb. 2017, www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript.

The Constitution of the United States, with Case Summaries . Edited by Edward Conrad Smith, 9th ed., Barnes and Noble Books, 1972.

References to the United States Constitution in your prose should follow the usual styling of titles of laws:

the Constitution

But your in-text reference should key readers to the appropriate entry:

( Constitution of the United States, with Case Summaries )

If the title does not indicate the country of origin, specify it in the entry:

France. Le constitution. 4 Oct. 1958. Legifrance , www.legifrance.gouv.fr/Droit-francais/Constitution/Constitution-du-4-octobre-1958.

Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. United Nations, 1998, nfccc.int/resource/docs/convkp/kpeng.pdf. Multilateral treaty.

United States, Senate. Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances. Congress.gov , www.congress.gov/114/cdoc/tdoc8/CDOC-114tdoc8.pdf. Treaty between the United States and the People’s Republic of China.

Swiss Confederation. Bundesverfassung der Schweizerischen Eidgenossenschaft. 18 Apr. 1999. Der Bundesrat , 1 Jan. 2016, www.admin.ch/opc/de/classified-compilation/19995395/index.html.

United Nations, General Assembly. Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Resolution 217 A, 10 Dec. 1948. United Nations , www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/. PDF download.

Writing for Specialists: A Hybrid Method

A writer using MLA style to document a legal work for a specialized readership that is likely to be familiar with the conventions of legal documentation may wish to adopt a hybrid method: in place of the author and title elements on the MLA format template, identify the work by using the Bluebook citation. Then, follow the MLA format template to list publication information for the version of the source you consulted.

For example, to cite the United States Code using the hybrid method, treat the section cited as the work. As above, you can omit the title of the website, United States Code , since the code constitutes the entire website and is thus a self-contained work.

17 U.S.C. § 304. Office of Law Revision Counsel, 14 Jan. 2017, uscode.house.gov.

If you are citing a court case, begin the entry with the title of the case before listing the Bluebook citation. In the hybrid style, cite Brown v. Board of Education as found on the Legal Information Institute website thus:

Brown v. Board of Education . 347 U.S. 483. Legal Information Institute , Cornell Law School, www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/347/483.

Other sources (public laws, federal appeals court decisions, etc.) can be handled similarly.

If using the hybrid method, do not follow the handbook’s recommendation to alphabetize works that start with a number as if the number is spelled out. Instead, list works beginning with numbers before the first lettered entry and order numbered works numerically.

TIPS ON TITLES Styling titles when you document legal sources in MLA style may be challenging. Below are some guidelines. Standardize titles of legal sources in your prose unless you refer to the published version: as the MLA Handbook indicates, italicize the names of court cases, but capitalize the names of laws, acts, and political documents like titles and set them in roman font. When a legal source is contained within another work—for example, when the United States Code appears on a website with another title—follow the MLA Handbook , page 27, and treat the work as an independent publication. That is, style the title just as you would in prose—in italics if it is the name of a court case, in roman if it is a law or similar document; even though the legal source appears in a larger work, do not insert quotation marks around the title. In the names of court cases, use the abbreviation v. consistently, regardless of which abbreviation is used in the version of the work you are citing. To determine the name of a court case, use only the name of the first party that appears on either side of “v.” or “vs.” in your source; if the name is a personal name, use only the surname. To shorten the name of a court case in your prose after introducing it in full or in parenthetical references, use the name of the first-listed nongovernmental party. Thus, the case NLRB v. Yeshiva University becomes Yeshiva . If your list of works cited includes more than one case beginning with the same governmental party, list entries under the governmental party but alphabetize them by the first nongovernmental party: NLRB v. Brown University

NLRB v. Yeshiva University

Refer to the nongovernmental party in your prose and parenthetical reference, alerting readers to this system of ordering in a note .

Special thanks to Noah Kupferberg, of Brooklyn Law School, for assistance with these guidelines.

36 Comments

Laurie nebeker 08 august 2017 at 02:08 pm.

My eleventh-grade English students write research papers about Supreme Court cases. In the MLA 7th edition (5.7.14) there was a note about italicizing case titles in the text but not in the list of works cited or in parenthetical references. Has this changed for the 8th edition? Also, you've given examples about formatting SCOTUS rulings, but most of the resources my students use are articles about the cases from news sources, specialty encyclopedias, etc. Should case titles be italicized when they appear within article titles? Thanks!

Your e-mail address will not be published

Angela Gibson 09 August 2017 AT 07:08 AM

You are correct to note this change. To make legal works a bit easier to cite, we now recommend that writers italicize the names of court cases both in the text and the list of works cited. When the name of a court case is contained within another work, style the title just as you would anywhere else. Thus, a SCOTUS ruling in the title of a news article would appear in italics. Thanks for reading; I hope this helps!

Nia Alexander 31 January 2018 AT 06:01 PM

How would I cite the 2015 National Content Report? It contains information similar to that of a census.

Angela Gibson 01 February 2018 AT 07:02 AM

There is an example here: https://style.mla.org/citing-tables/.

Nathan Hoepner 12 February 2018 AT 01:02 AM

One of my students wants to use the Versailles Treaty (officially, "Treaty of Peace with Germany"). The Library of Congress has a pdf copy posted. Should he list the treaty in his sources with the URL, or, since is just a copy of the official treaty, just list title, date, and "multilateral treaty"?

ben zuk 17 March 2018 AT 06:03 PM

how would I cite Supreme Court case from Justia?

Patricia Morris 27 March 2018 AT 10:03 AM

Can you give an example for citing the Occupational Outlook Handbook, published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics?

Michael Park 03 May 2018 AT 12:05 PM

How do i cite a introduced bill into congress

ML Chilson 04 November 2018 AT 05:11 PM

How do I cite a pending case that is still at the trial court level, including citation to the briefs that have been filed by the various parties?

Blah 08 November 2018 AT 11:11 AM

how do you cite a complaint in mla format

Marlow Chapman 10 December 2018 AT 08:12 PM

How would one cite a Title (specifically Title VII) from the Civil Rights Act of 1964?

Angela Gibson 11 December 2018 AT 05:12 PM

How you cite it will depend on where you access it. Some points: following the MLA format template, your entry will start with the title of the law. This will either be Civil Rights Act or Title 7 (see the discussion of Federal Statutes above for considerations about which title to begin your entry with). Your in-text citation (whether in prose or parentheses) should direct the reader to the first element in your works-cited list (in other words, the title).

Jeff Jeskie 04 February 2019 AT 08:02 AM

How do my students properly list the Supreme Court cases that are linked on the Exploring Constitutional Law site by Doug LInder at UMKC Law School site?

http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/home.html?

Patricia Moseley 14 February 2019 AT 10:02 AM

I need help. My 8th grade history class is answering questions on the US Constitution and citing their answer.

There are five rights in the First Amendment, which include freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right to peaceably assemble, and the right to petition the government for a redress of their grievances (U.S. Constitution).

Is this in-text citation done correctly? Also, are the amendments spell out or does one use the Roman numeral in text?

Thank You!!!

Angela Gibson 15 February 2019 AT 10:02 AM

If U.S. Constitution is the first element in the works-cited-list entry, the in-text citation is correct. Spell out ordinal numbers (First Amendment), but use numerals for numbers of count (Amendment V) and, by convention, use Roman numerals for divisions of legal works that use them.

Ella 05 December 2019 AT 08:12 PM

How would you cite a state supreme court case?

Ana 06 December 2019 AT 09:12 AM

How would I cite an Act? More precisely, I want to cite The New York State Dignity for All Students Act. How would I do it on in-text citations and on the work cited page? Thanks!

Amanda 17 April 2020 AT 05:04 PM

How would I cite a tribal constitution? Do I use the date of the original publication or the most recent amendment or resolution?

most are found on their tribal government websites so would i treat it like this:

(italicized) Title of Document: Subtitle if Given (italicized) . Edition if given and is not first edition, Name of Government Department, Agency or Committee, Publication Date, URL. Accessed Day Month Year site was visited.

yet, I still do not know what date to use. Or should i just cite it from a print publication or Nat. Archives so I can use the example given in your list above?

Angela Gibson 20 April 2020 AT 09:04 AM

Cite the version you're looking at and use the date of access if it's the only date you can provide.

Marissa 25 October 2020 AT 05:10 PM

How would you cite The Declaration of Independence?

Jennifer A. Rappaport 26 October 2020 AT 08:10 PM

Thanks for your question. Please consult Ask the MLA: https://style.mla.org/category/ask-the-mla/

Carol Holyoke 19 January 2021 AT 10:01 PM

Could you please tell me how to cite the Declaration of Independence? Do I put it in the Works Cited List?

Angela Gibson 20 January 2021 AT 09:01 AM

It is generally a good idea to create a works-cited-list entry for the version of the document you are transcribing a quotation from (e.g., see our example for the Constitution). Create your entry just as you would for any other source--follow the template of core elements and list any relevant elements that apply.

Diane 23 February 2021 AT 07:02 PM

How do I correctly cite a Congressional public law In Text? I can only find how to cite in works cited pages. Thank you!

Rowena 28 April 2021 AT 09:04 AM

If I quote sections from a piece of legislation does it need to be italicised as well as quotation marks?

Charlotte Norcross 15 November 2021 AT 11:11 AM

How do I correctly cite the congressional record from a specific session? Thanks!

Carl Sandler 02 February 2022 AT 02:02 PM

I am submitting a report to an attorney consisting of investigative findings related to an automobile accident. Some of the information in my report will be technical in nature and other information will be in the form of my opinion(s) based on conclusions drawn from deposition testimony of witnesses and persons knowledgeable of the event. Considering the report will be read by both legal professionals and others not of the legal profession, what approach and format (with examples, please) should be used to cite deposition testimony and also Exhibits presented during the taking of the deposition? I am familiar with Bluebook style of legal citations, however not all persons reading my report would have this same understanding.

Lev 18 April 2022 AT 11:04 AM

Dear MLA Editor: When citing court cases in another language (French), should I keep the title of the case in the original language, translate it, or provide a translation in brackets? The same question goes for the name of the docket number, court, date of publication, and other elements. The MLA manual does not offer any guidance on this! Thanks in advance for any help.

Heidi 27 April 2023 AT 10:04 AM

What is the proper way to reference a recently filed lawsuit (a pending case) in legal writing (letters and memos)? Thanks!

Jennifer Washington 13 February 2024 AT 11:02 PM

How are state educational codes shaping standards for textbooks and materials cited in-text and on works cited?

Margaret Handrow 09 April 2024 AT 09:04 AM

How are state laws and state house bills cited? What would be the in-text citations for state laws and state house bills?

Laura Kiernan 09 April 2024 AT 03:04 PM

For guidance on citing state laws, see this post on the Style Center .

Margaret Handrow 11 April 2024 AT 08:04 PM

The Works Cited for state laws I have. What do the parenthetical and narrative in-text citations look like?

Margaret Handrow 11 April 2024 AT 09:04 PM

MLA Handbook 6.6 has the following example for in-text citations for U.S. Supreme Court cases - A recent case held that "the immunity enjoyed by foreign governments is a general rather than specific reference" (United States, Supreme Court).

How does MLA handle more than one court case? For example: United States, Supreme Court. Ableman v. Booth. United States Reports, vol. 62, 7 March 1859, pp. 506-525 Range. Fastcase, https://public.fastcase.com/jaEE2PXzRXmZ99jOLMt1Il18sGeib03xlSTGPHuTkMPJngvbMveRhemGzelvNShH. [62 US 506] and United States, Supreme Court. Miles v. United States. United States Reports, vol. 103, October Term, 1880, pp. 304-316 Range. Fastcase, https://public.fastcase.com/waZtJvSA54UAurM2rmIZz8tSNJfRFb72tc2JnYR%2b1g3S9cDguTf04pkUdcNTnFEq [103 US 304] Would the following work as parenthetical in-text citations? (United States, Supreme Court, Ableman v. Booth 520) and (United States, Supreme Court, Miles v. United States 311)? Or would using (Ableman v. Booth 520) and (Miles v. United States 311) be better?

Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), for example - 28 CFR Part 551 Subpart G.

My best guess for the Works Cited would be something along this line - United States. Department of Justice. Bureau of Prisons. Department of Justice Institutional Management. “Miscellaneous, Administering of Polygraph Test, Purpose and Scope, Procedures,” Title 28, 29 June 1979, Part 551, Subpart G, https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-28/chapter-V/subchapter-C/part-551/subpart-G?toc=1.

Would the parenthetical in-text citation be - (United States. Department of Justice. Bureau of Prisons. Department of Justice Institutional Management 551)? This is for one source from 28 CFR Part 551 Subpart G. How would one differentiate a different Subpart that is on the same page?

Mustafa 15 May 2024 AT 10:05 AM

How do I cite a case a court case transcript? Like the Israel Vs South Africa "Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip" Case?

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How do I reference an Act of Parliament (Harvard style)? Last Updated: 08.Jun.2023 Views: 21377

Acts of parliament - otherwise known as uk statutes - are actually quite straightforward to reference but can catch students out because the in-text citations and full reference list entries behave differently to other sources..

In-text citation

The in-text citation is literally just the Act title including the year, all in italics and with no need for a separating comma before the date. You can either name the Act directly as part of your sentence - According to the Health and Social Care Act 2012 .. - or refer more generally to the law or legislation and then give the Act details inside round brackets, e.g. Recent social care legislation ( Health and Social Care Act 2012 ) ...

If you need to pinpoint a specific section of the Act that you are drawing your information from, work the section details into your sentence as part of your writing, e.g. As defined in section 10(2) of the Act ( Children Act 2004 ) ...

If you refer to different specific sections of the same Act throughout your work, as described in the previous point, there is no requirement for you to have multiple entries for the Act in your reference list. The design of Harvard style means that no matter how many times you refer to the exact same source there will only ever be one entry for the source in your reference list.

Reference list

Cite Them Right Harvard then asks for the following information for the full reference :

• Title of Act including year and chapter number (in italics)
• Country/jurisdiction (only if referencing more than one country's legislation)
• Available at: URL (Accessed: date)

Example:  Health and Social Care Act 2012, c. 7 . Available at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2012/7/contents/enacted (Accessed: 17 September 2018).

• Please note that the chapter number (c.) usually appears by default alongside the Act's year on websites such as legislation.gov.uk . The entire Act will have the same chapter number to help distinguish it from other Acts published in the same legislative year:

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APA 6th Referencing Style Guide

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Law and APA

Acts (Statutes)

Regulations (legislative instruments)

Cases - reported cases, cases - unreported cases, commentary on legislation and cases, new zealand parliamentary debates (hansard).

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• APA is not specifically designed for referencing New Zealand legal materials
• Law students at AUT should use the New Zealand Law Style Guide for referencing law materials, NOT APA.

Law students

Use the AUT Library Law subject guide , which contains Legal Referencing & Citation Tools  and the New Zealand Law Style Guide .

Non-law students

• Students studying other disciplines can use APA to cite the occasional Act or case
• The guidelines in the APA manual relate to American legislation and are inappropriate for New Zealand.
• The APA Referencing Style Guide here gives AUT interpretations on APA for New Zealand legal resources.
• An Act (also called a Statute) is a written law passed by a legislative body
• The date is part of the title of the Act and does not need parentheses or comma's to differentiate it

Reference format for an Act:

Reference list entry:

In-text citation:

Section of an Act

• Acts have section numbers
• Use the abbreviation s for a section or ss for sections
• Section numbers are not included in the reference list

In text citation:

• A Bill is a draft of a proposed law presented to parliament for discussion
• The Bill number is part of the title of the Bill and doesn't need a comma
• The date is part of the title of the Bill and does not need parentheses or comma's to differentiate it

Reference format for a Bill:

Citing clauses of a Bill

• Bills have clauses rather than sections
• Use the abbreviation cl for a clause or cls for clauses
• Clause numbers are not included in the reference list

Regulations

• A Regulation is a legislative instrument made by the Governor-General, ministers of the crown, and certain other bodies under powers conferred by an Act of parliament
• The date is part of the title of the Regulation and does not need parentheses or comma's to differentiate it

Reference format for a Regulation:

Citing clauses and regulations of a Regulation

• Regulations have clauses rather than sections
• Use the abbreviation cl for a clause or cls for clauses. Use the abbreviation reg for a regulation or regs for regulations.

Reported cases

• Reported cases are court and tribunal decisions that have been reported or published in a report series
• The New Zealand Law Reports are the official (government authorised) report series for New Zealand
• Other law report series are published in New Zealand. These are unofficial reporting series and contain significant cases. Examples: the New Zealand Family Law Reports and the New Zealand Employment Law Reports
• Use the same reference format for cases published in official and unofficial report series
• If a case is not published in a report series, it is 'unreported'. See Cases - Unreported cases for the correct referencing style

Reference format for reported cases:

• Parties (people or organisations involved – sometimes substituted by a letter eg. X if a name is suppressed), separated by the letter v
• Year (year the case was reported). Brackets: follow the example used in your case title.
• Abbreviation (of the law report where the case is published or the court where the case was heard). Search Legal Citations of Aotearoa New Zealand for the correct abbreviation
• Volume and page number (or case number for unreported cases).  A volume number is not always available.
• Court identifier (for reported cases only - court name is found on the first page of the case you are using)

Unreported cases

• Unreported cases are court or tribunal decisions that have not been published in a law report series
• Unreported cases may be downloaded from the AUT law databases (LexisNexisNZ, WestlawNZ), or from the court, tribunal or commission who issued the decision
• Use the New Zealand Law Foundation's abbreviations for courts and tribunals
• Use the official neutral citation if available. Neutral citations are provided on the original copy of the case. See: Neutral citation
• If a neutral citation is not provided, use the case file number . See: No neutral citation

Reference format for an unreported case (with neutral citation):

Reference format for an unreported case (no neutral citation):

• Only include the registry information for a court or tribunal with multiple registries. For example, New Zealand has 58 district courts and 19 high courts. 
• Legal commentaries provide up-to-date, detailed information on a particular subject area. Texts, journal articles and legal encyclopedias are examples of commentaries.
• Commentaries are available through the AUT law databases
• If you cannot locate the general editor or author, omit this information
• If you cannot locate a date of publication for commentary found in the AUT databases, use n.d. (no date) in your reference list and in-text citation. See the examples below.

Reference format for printed New Zealand Parliamentary Debates

Reference format for electronic New Zealand Parliamentary Debates

Knowledge Basket (AUT database)

New Zealand Parliament website

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Q. How do I reference an Act of Parliament in Harvard style?

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Answered By: Anne Hutchinson Last Updated: 20 Nov, 2023     Views: 452298

Before 1963 an Act was cited according to the regnal year (that is, the number of years since the monarch's accession). You may see references to legislation in this format in early publications – for example, Act of Supremacy 1534 (26 Hen 8 c1). However, for all Acts (including pre-1963) you should use the short title of the Act, with the year in which it was enacted. Most Acts and parts of Acts are now available as PDFs or web pages to be viewed online, so reference the website where you located the Act.

NB As the date appears in the title of the Acts, there is no need to repeat the date in round brackets after the title.

If you are referencing documents from more than one country (jurisdiction), include the country (jurisdiction) in round brackets after the title of the documentation.

Most legislation is now available online, so to reference an Act of Parliament (post 1963) your citation order should be:

• Title of Act including year and chapter (in italics)
• Country/jurisdiction (only include this if you are referencing legislation from more than one country)
• Available at: URL (Accessed: date)

For example (whole Act):

Your in-text citation would be:

Recent social care legislation ( Health and Social Care Act 2012 ) ...

Your reference list entry would be:

Health and Social Care Act 2012, c.7 . Available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2012/7/contents/enacted (Accessed: 17 September 2018).

For example (section of an Act):

As defined in section 10(2) of the Act ( Children Act 2004 ) ...

Children Act 2004 , c. 31. Available at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2004/31/contents (Accessed: 17 September 2018).

This advice is courtesy of Cite Them Right , 11th edition, or for more information on referencing see our Referencing Library Guide: https://libguides.brunel.ac.uk/referencing

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Referencing style - AGLC4: Legislation

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Legislation

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Elements of an Act of Parliament

The table below includes examples of Legislation and the various elements to include and the formatting to use, to construct the citations correctly. 

Common mistakes

When you cite Legislation, certain elements must be included in the citation, but it is very easy to overlook certain elements and make  common mistakes . Here are some  common mistakes  that are made when citing Legislation: 

• Not  italicising  the  Title .  Titles  of  Legislation  must be  italicised . See Rule 1.8.2 for more information. Always remember to  italicise  the  Titles  of any  Legislation  you are citing. NB: Except for Bills. The titles of Bills should not be italicised. See Rule 3.2
• Not  italicising  the  year . The  year  needs to be in  italics  as well!
• Italicising the Jurisdiction. The jurisdiction  does not need to be italicised . It needs to be placed in (brackets). For information Jurisdictions, please see Rule 3.1.3. 
• Not including a space between the abbreviated designation and the number in the pinpoint - you  must include a space between the abbreviation and the number  - s 55. For more information on Legislation pinpoint references, please see Rules 3.1.4 and 3.1.5.  
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Citing and referencing legal resources using Harvard

• UK case law

UK statutes

Uk statutory instruments, devolved legislation.

• European Union resources
• Other legal resources

A statute is another name for an Act of Parliament. 

As explained in Cite them right UK statutes (Acts of Parliament) , you will need to reference a statute in the following way: Title of Act year, chapter number. Available at: URL (Accessed: date).

In-text citation: The legislation (Food Standards Act 1999) states that...

Reference list: Food Standards Act 1999, c. 28 . Available at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1999/28/contents (Accessed: 30 January 2018).

Cite them right also provides guidance on UK statutory instruments  (also known as secondary or delegated legislation). Your reference will be made up of the following elements: Name/title of SI year (SI year and number). Available at: URL (Accessed: date).

In-text citation: In relation to the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013 ,....

Reference list: Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013 (SI 2013/2996). Available at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/2996/made (Accessed: 24 January 2018).

Cite them right  gives details on how to cite and reference legislation from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland . You will need to consult this for details of how to cite Acts of the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Statutory Instruments; Acts of the Northern Ireland Assembly and Statutory Rules of Northern Ireland; and legislation of the National Assembly for Wales and Welsh Statutory Instruments.

A Bill is a draft law. It needs to be approved in the Houses of Parliament and receive Royal Assent before it becomes an Act of Parliament.

As explained by Cite them right Bills from the House of Commons or House of Lords , the type of information you need to include in your reference list is as follows: Title (year of publication). Parliament: House of Commons OR Parliament: House of Lords. Bill no.[  ]. Place of publication: publisher.

In-text citation: The Sugar in Food and Drinks (Targets, Labelling and Advertising) Bill (2016) had its first reading on....

Reference list: Sugar in Food and Drinks (Targets, Labelling and Advertising) Bill (2016). Parliament: House of Commons. Bill no. 70. London: The Stationery Office.

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• A Quick Guide to OSCOLA Referencing | Rules & Examples

A Quick Guide to OSCOLA Referencing | Rules & Examples

Published on 28 February 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on 5 May 2022.

The Oxford University Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities (OSCOLA) is a referencing style used by students and academics in law.

OSCOLA referencing places citations in footnotes, which are marked in the text with footnote numbers:

The judge referred to the precedent established by Caulfield v Baldwin . 1

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Table of contents

Citing sources with oscola footnotes, oscola referencing examples, oscola tables and bibliography.

A citation footnote appears whenever you quote from, paraphrase or otherwise refer to the content of a source in your text.

A footnote is marked in the text with a footnote number, which appears at the end of the relevant sentence or clause. The number is displayed in superscript (i.e. 1) and appears after any punctuation like a comma or full stop:

These footnotes contain full information on the source cited. The format in which you present this information varies according to the type of source; examples are presented in the following section. A footnote always ends with a full stop:

Standard abbreviations

To save space in OSCOLA citations, abbreviations are used for the names of various publications and legal bodies.

For example, ‘UKSC’ is the United Kingdom Supreme Court, and ‘Cr App R’ refers to the Criminal Appeal Reports.

A full, searchable index of these abbreviations can be found here .

Pinpointing

In OSCOLA referencing, referring to a specific page number within a source is called pinpointing. To pinpoint, simply include a page number at the end of your reference, in addition to any page numbers already included.

For example, in the following citation, the first number refers to the page on which the report begins , while the second number pinpoints the passage you’re referring to :

Where available, paragraph numbers should be used instead of page numbers. Only do this if paragraph numbers are explicitly used in the text. Paragraph numbers appear in square brackets and can be used for pinpointing in the same way as page numbers:

Note that if you’re pinpointing a judge’s comments within a case report, you include the name of the judge, and some special terms and abbreviations are used in the citation and in the text.

If the judge is a peer, refer to them as ‘Lord’, e.g. Lord Williams. If they are a Lord/Lady Justice, use ‘LJ’, e.g. Williams LJ. If neither of these is the case, use ‘J’ for judge, e.g. Williams J:

Cross-referencing repeated citations of the same source

OSCOLA uses a system of cross-referencing to save space when you repeatedly cite the same source. This means that for subsequent references of a source, you don’t have to repeat the full citation.

When you refer to the same source you have just referred to (i.e. when the previous footnote was also about that source), you can simply use ‘ibid’ (Latin for ‘in the same place’):

In this example, the second footnote also refers to Davis v Dignam, but to page 522 instead of page 519.

When the previous reference to the source was in an earlier footnote (i.e. when other citations appear in between), use the author’s last name or the title (shortened if it’s a longer title), followed by the number of the previous citation (in brackets and preceded by ‘n’), then the page number you’re pinpointing (if different than the first citation):

Prevent plagiarism, run a free check.

OSCOLA provides formats for a variety of source types. The most common ones are covered below.

Case reports

When citing a case, you’ll usually begin with a neutral citation – a way of referring to the case that does not relate to a particular report – and then give the details of the report afterwards. If no neutral citation exists, as with cases before 2002, you can just begin with the report.

Additionally, note that the year (for the report) is displayed differently depending on whether it is essential to the citation. For reports where each year is also identified with a volume number, the year appears in normal brackets. For those where multiple volumes appear in one year, the year appears in square brackets.

• Case report with neutral citation
• Case report with no neutral citation

Acts of Parliament

Use a short version of the title if the full title is longer than three words. If necessary, refer to specific parts of an Act of Parliament using section, subsection and paragraph numbers.

Statutory instruments

Statutory instruments (SIs) are numbered consecutively throughout the year; it’s this number that appears at the end of the citation – the example below is the 149th SI of 2020.

House of Commons bills are cited slightly differently from House of Lords bills. You write ‘HC Bill’ or ‘HL Bill’ depending upon which house it is, and bill numbers for Commons bills appear in square brackets.

• House of Commons bill
• House of Lords bill

Hansard is the official transcript of parliamentary debates in the UK. As with bills, write ‘HC’ for the House of Commons and ‘HL’ for the House of Lords. ‘Deb’ is short for ‘debate’, ‘vol’ for volume, and ‘col’ for column.

Use the full name of the author(s) as written in the source. List the edition (abbreviated to ‘edn’) when it is stated on the title page. Note that OSCOLA recommends abbreviating ‘Oxford University Press’ to ‘OUP’; this is not the case with other publishers.

Certain older books are listed by OSCOLA as ‘works of authority’ and given special abbreviated citations. For example, the following is a citation of volume 3, page 75 of Blackstone’s Commentaries on the Laws of England :

OSCOLA provides a list of these abbreviations in their full guide , section 4.2.3.

Journal articles

As with case reports, square brackets are used for years in a journal citation if the year also identifies the volume; normal brackets are used when there are multiple volumes in a year.

Note that standard abbreviations are also used for journal names; here ‘MLR’ refers to Modern Law Review.

In a longer work, such as a thesis or dissertation , OSCOLA requires you to include tables listing any cases and legislation you cited, as well as a bibliography listing any secondary sources . For shorter essays, this is usually not necessary, but do check your institution’s guidelines.

The tables and bibliography appear at the end of your text. The table of cases comes first, followed by the table of legislation, and then the bibliography.

Sources are listed in alphabetical order within each table and in the bibliography.

Table of cases

Cases are written in a similar format here and in the main text; the only difference is the names of the parties involved are not italicised in the table of cases:

Table of legislation

The table of legislation includes all legal sources used other than cases – for example, bills, Acts of Parliament and SIs. Items in the table of legislation are listed in identical form to how they are cited in the text.

Bibliography

A bibliography lists all your secondary sources – that is, everything other than cases and legislation. For example, here you would list Hansard , any books and journal articles cited, and other sources such as blogs, social media and newspapers.

Bibliography entries differ from citations in terms of their presentation of the author’s name. Author names in the bibliography are inverted, and initials are used in place of the first name:

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the ‘Cite this Scribbr article’ button to automatically add the citation to our free Reference Generator.

Caulfield, J. (2022, May 05). A Quick Guide to OSCOLA Referencing | Rules & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved 3 June 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/referencing/oscola/

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Referencing New Zealand Legislation

The  Publication Manual  provides guidelines for referencing US laws/statutes only. As such, there are no definitive APA rules for referencing New Zealand legislation, legal cases, etc. Therefore, this guide uses the New Zealand Law Foundation's  New Zealand Law Style Guide  (3rd ed.) to reference parliamentary and legal material. You can access New Zealand legislation here .

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How To Cite Sources: In-depth Guide

Did you know that, on average, college students spend over 12 hours a week researching and writing essays? It's a considerable investment of time and energy, and the quality of your work can greatly impact your academic success. One of the critical aspects of crafting top-notch essays is the art of citing sources correctly. Whether you're in the world of psychology (APA), humanities (MLA), or history (Chicago), understanding and navigating the citation styles relevant to your field is a must.

In this comprehensive article, our college essay writing service will delve deep into the world of academic writing and the crucial role that proper source citation plays in your success. Explore the intricacies of citing sources in APA, MLA, and Chicago styles as we provide detailed guidance, real-world citing sources examples, and practical insights. Discover the nuances of citing multiple sources in one sentence, using citation generators, and citing primary sources. Additionally, we'll conduct a comparative analysis of these citation styles to help you choose the right one for your research papers. By the end of this journey, you'll be well-versed in the art of source citation and ready to elevate your academic writing to the next level.

When to Source Sources in Academic Writing?

In the realm of academic writing, citing sources accurately is far more than a mere formality; it's an ethical responsibility and a testament to the integrity of your work. Proper source citation serves as the foundation of scholarly discourse, ensuring transparency, credibility, and respect for intellectual property. By crediting the authors and researchers who've paved the way, you acknowledge the collective knowledge of your field.

Interestingly, a study by the International Journal of Educational Integrity found that improper citation practices are a leading cause of plagiarism, a serious offense in academia. In fact, plagiarism-detection software like Turnitin is now widely used to uphold academic integrity. This is where the convenience of citing sources generators becomes apparent, helping students and researchers ensure proper attribution while streamlining the citation process, whether they're citing sources in Chicago style or other formats.

Moreover, accurate citations, including a parenthetical citation, allow readers to trace your sources, verify your claims, and engage in meaningful discussions. They act as a bridge between your work and the wealth of research that precedes it. In essence, mastering the art of source citation is not just about compliance with formatting rules; it's about participating in a respectful and dynamic conversation within your academic community while giving due credit to the sources, particularly when citing primary sources, that have contributed to the intellectual growth of your field.

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APA Citation Style Basics

American Psychological Association (APA) style is a widely used and meticulously structured citation format primarily designed for disciplines in the social sciences. Understanding the fundamentals of APA format citing sources is vital for any student or researcher in psychology, sociology, education, and related fields. Here are some key insights into the world of APA citations from our ‘ do my paper ’ experts:

• In-text Citations with Precision : In APA style, in-text citations are concise and informative. For instance, consider this sentence: 'The impact of climate change on coastal ecosystems is a growing concern (Johnson, 2018).' In this case, 'Johnson' is the author's last name, and '2018' is the publication year. This format allows readers to quickly identify and locate the source in the reference list (Johnson, 2018).
• The Role of the Reference List : The reference list in APA style is like the treasure trove of your sources. It's a comprehensive list of all the materials you've cited in your work. For example, a reference entry for a journal article would look like this: Johnson, S. (2018). Climate Change Effects on Coastal Biodiversity . Environmental Studies, 36 (3), 255-269.
• DOI and Electronic Sources : In the digital age, many sources are found online, which is why APA has introduced the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) system. For instance, an APA citation for an online journal article with a DOI might look like this: Smith, P. (2021). Renewable Energy Solutions for Sustainable Future . Environmental Science Review, 45 (2), 101-120. https://doi.org/10.12345/esr.2021.2.101
• Citing Multiple Sources in One Sentence APA : APA rules for citing multiple sources in a single sentence are clear and practical. Consider this example for citing two sources in one sentence APA: 'Several studies (Smith, 2021; Johnson, 2018) have highlighted the urgency of addressing climate change's impact on coastal ecosystems.' Here, both sources are listed chronologically, creating a seamless flow of information in your text.
• The Power of Consistency : Consistency is a cornerstone of APA style. From the formatting of headings (e.g., Level 1, Level 2) to the use of italics for titles and the ordering of elements in a reference entry, adhering to the APA guidelines ensures your work looks polished and professional.
• Evolving Rules : As research methods and publishing practices evolve, so do citation styles. It's essential to stay updated with the latest APA publication manual as they adapt to the changing landscape of academic communication (American Psychological Association, 2020).

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MLA Citation Style Basics

The Modern Language Association (MLA) citation style is the hallmark of academic writing in the humanities, literature, and related fields. It's known for its simplicity, elegance, and focus on clarity. Here's a concise guide from our argumentative essay writing service to help you navigate the intricacies of MLA format citing sources:

• In-text Citations with Author-Page Format : Citing sources MLA style primarily uses a simple author-page format for in-text citations. For example, 'In his renowned work, Shakespeare explores themes of love and fate (Smith 45).' Here, 'Smith' is the author's last name, and '45' is the page number. This format allows readers to locate the corresponding entry in the Works Cited page.
• The Works Cited Page : The Works Cited page is the heart of MLA citation. It's a detailed list of all the sources you've referenced in your paper. Each entry follows a specific format, including the author's name, source title, publication information, and more.
• Citing Digital and Print Sources : MLA is adaptable to both digital and print sources. For a print book, an MLA citation would look like this: Smith, John. The Art of Writing . Random House, 2020. For an online article, you might format it as follows: Johnson, Sarah. 'The Digital Literary Landscape.' Digital Humanities Review , vol. 28, no. 3, 2021, www.example.com/dhr/28-3/johnson.
• Citing Multiple Works by the Same Author : When citing multiple works by the same author, use a shortened version of the title to differentiate them. For instance, (Smith, Art of Writing 34) and (Smith, 'Literary Exploration' 18).
• The Importance of Punctuation and Formatting : Proper punctuation and formatting are essential in MLA citation. Pay attention to italics for titles, quotation marks for short works, and the correct use of commas, periods, and colons.
• Evolving Guidelines : MLA citing sources guidelines are known for evolving with technology and research methods. Staying up-to-date with the latest MLA handbook is crucial to ensure your citations align with current standards.

Chicago Citation Style Basics

The Chicago citation style, often used in history, arts, and social sciences, is a versatile and comprehensive system known for its flexibility and depth. Here's a guide to help you embrace the intricacies of Chicago citation:

• Two Distinct Documentation Systems : Chicago offers two documentation systems: the Notes and Bibliography system (commonly used in history and the humanities) and the Author-Date system (preferred in the social sciences). Understanding which system your discipline employs is crucial.
• Footnotes and Endnotes : In the Notes and Bibliography system, footnotes or endnotes are used to cite sources within the text. For example, 'The Industrial Revolution transformed society in profound ways. [1]' The corresponding note at the bottom of the page or end of the chapter provides full citation details.
• Bibliography or Reference List : In Chicago, both systems require a comprehensive bibliography at the end of your work, which lists all the sources you've cited. Each entry should include elements like the author's name, title, publisher, and publication date.
• Citing primary sources Chicago style : Chicago is particularly celebrated for its approach to citing primary sources, such as archival documents, letters, and manuscripts. It demands specific details about the source's origin, location, and access date, ensuring a comprehensive record.
• Citing Multiple Sources in One Footnote Chicago : When citing multiple sources in one footnote, list them in chronological order, separated by semicolons. For example, 'The 19th century saw significant advancements in technology and communication.[1];[2].'
• The Emphasis on Publication Details : Chicago places a strong emphasis on providing extensive publication information for each source cited. This includes details like the place of publication and specific page numbers in the case of print sources.
• Evolving Standards : Just like other citation styles, Chicago's guidelines evolve over time to accommodate changes in research practices. Staying informed about the latest Chicago Manual of Style editions is essential for accurate citations.

APA vs. MLA vs. Chicago: Key Similarities and Differences

Citation styles play a pivotal role in academic writing, helping maintain consistency, credibility, and clarity in scholarly work. Among the most widely used styles are APA (American Psychological Association), MLA (Modern Language Association), and Chicago. Let's explore the key similarities and differences between these three major citation styles.

Similarities:

• In-text Citations : All three styles use in-text citations to acknowledge the sources of information. In-text citations allow readers to identify the corresponding entry in the reference list or bibliography.
• Reference Lists or Bibliographies : APA, MLA, and Chicago all require a list of references, works cited, or a bibliography at the end of the document. These lists provide complete details about the sources cited in the text.
• Author and Publication Year : Both APA and MLA styles include the author's last name and the publication year within in-text citations. This allows readers to easily locate the source in the reference list.
• Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) : APA and MLA provide guidelines for citing sources with DOIs, ensuring the accuracy and stability of online references.

Differences:

Disciplines and Focus:

• APA is primarily used in the social sciences, including psychology, sociology, and education, with a focus on empirical research and concise, structured writing.
• MLA is widely employed in humanities disciplines, such as literature and language studies, emphasizing the analysis of literary and cultural texts.
• Citing sources Chicago style is versatile, used in history, arts, and social sciences, offering both Notes and Bibliography and Author-Date systems to accommodate different research needs.

In-text Citation Styles:

• APA uses an author-date format, e.g., (Smith, 2020), for in-text citations.
• MLA uses an author-page format, e.g., (Smith 45), for in-text citations.
• Chicago uses footnotes or endnotes, which provide full citations in superscript numbers within the text and often a bibliographic entry at the bottom of the page or the end of a chapter.

Reference List/Bibliography Format:

• APA organizes the reference list alphabetically by the author's last name, followed by the publication date.
• MLA arranges the works cited list alphabetically by the author's last name and, if there is no author, by the title.
• Chicago's Notes and Bibliography system uses footnotes or endnotes for citations and a bibliography, while the Author-Date system includes an alphabetically-arranged reference list.

Handling Multiple Sources in One Citation:

• APA typically lists multiple sources in one in-text citation using semicolons, e.g., (Smith, 2020; Johnson, 2019).
• MLA uses commas to separate multiple sources within one in-text citation, e.g., (Smith 45, Johnson 22).
• Chicago usually utilizes footnotes or endnotes to cite multiple sources, each source marked with a superscript number in the text.

Citing Page Numbers:

• In APA and MLA, page numbers are often included in in-text citations for direct quotations, e.g., (Smith, 2020, p. 25) or (Smith 25).
• Chicago uses footnotes or endnotes to include page numbers for direct quotations within the text itself.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, mastering the nuances of APA, MLA, and Chicago citation styles, including the specific requirements for citing primary sources, is an invaluable skill for academic success. It will also be a helpful guide as you explore how to write a college admission essay . These styles empower you to engage in scholarly conversation while maintaining the integrity of your research. Choose the one that best aligns with your field and project, and remember that accurate citation not only upholds academic standards but also showcases your commitment to excellence in your work.

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