Congressional publications - Parenthetical citations–reference list style: citing specific types of sources - Part II. Source Citation

A manual for writers of research papers, theses, and dissertations, 7th edition - Kate L. Turabian 2007

Congressional publications
Parenthetical citations–reference list style: citing specific types of sources
Part II. Source Citation

For congressional publications, reference list entries usually begin with the designation U.S. Congress, followed by Senate or House. (You may also simplify this to U.S. Senate or U.S. House.) Other common elements include committee and subcommittee, if any; date of publication; title of document; number of the Congress and session (abbreviated Cong. and sess. respectively in this position); and number and description of the document (for example, H. Doc. 487), if available.

DEBATES. Since 1873, congressional debates have been published by the government in the Congressional Record. Whenever possible, cite the permanent volumes, which often reflect changes from the daily issues of the Record. Begin parenthetical citations with the abbreviation Cong. Rec., and identify the volume and part numbers as well as the page numbers.

R: U.S. Congress. Congressional Record. 1930. 71st Cong., 2d sess. Vol. 72, pt. 10.

P: (Cong. Rec. 1930, 72, pt. 10: 10828—30)

If you need to identify a speaker and the subject in a debate, do so in text, and include a parenthetical citation for the publication only.

Senator Kennedy of Massachusetts spoke for the Joint Resolution on Nuclear Weapons Freeze and Reductions (Cong. Rec. 1982, 128, pt. 3: 3832—34).

Before 1874, congressional debates were published in Annals of the Congress of the United States (also known by other names and covering the years 1789—1824), Congressional Debates (1824—37), and Congressional Globe (1833—73). Cite these works similarly to the Congressional Record.

REPORTS AND DOCUMENTS. When you cite reports and documents of the Senate (abbreviated S.) and the House (H.), include both the Congress and session numbers and, if possible, the series number.

R: U.S. Congress. House. 1947. Report of Activities of the National Advisory Council on International Monetary and Financial Problems to March 31, 1947. 80th Cong., 1st sess. H. Doc. 365.

P: (U.S. House 1947, 4)

HEARINGS. Records of testimony given before congressional committees are usually published with titles, which should be included in reference list entries. List the relevant committee as author.

R: U.S. Congress. Senate. Committee on Foreign Relations. 1985. Famine in Africa: Hearing before the Committee on Foreign Relations. 99th Cong., 1st sess., January 17.

P: (U.S. Senate 1985, 53)

BILLS AND RESOLUTIONS. Congressional bills (proposed laws) and resolutions are published in pamphlet form. In citations, bills and resolutions originating in the House of Representatives are abbreviated HR and those originating in the Senate, S. Include publication details in the Congressional Record (if available).

R: U.S. Congress. House. 1985. Food Security Act of 1985. HR 2100. 99th Cong., 1st sess., Congressional Record 131, no. 132, daily ed. (October 8): H 8353—8486.

P: (U.S. House 1985, H 8461)

STATUTES. Statutes, which are bills or resolutions that have been passed into law, are first published separately and then collected in the annual bound volumes of the United States Statutes at Large, which began publication in 1874. Later they are incorporated into the United States Code. Cite U.S. Statutes, the U.S. Code, or both; cite specific provisions by section (preceded by a section symbol and a space) and, in Statutes, by page.

In a parenthetical citation, indicate the year the act was passed; in your reference list, also include the publication date of the statutory compilation, which may differ from the year of passage.

R: Atomic Energy Act of 1946. Public Law 585. 79th Cong., 2d sess. August 1.

Fair Credit Reporting Act. 1970. U.S. Code 15 (2000), §§ 1681 et seq.

National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. Public Law 91—190. U.S. Statutes at Large 83 (1970): 852. Codified at U.S. Code 42 (2000), §§ 4321 et seq.

P: (Atomic Energy Act of 1946)

(Fair Credit Reporting Act 1970)

(National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, sec. 102)

Before 1874, laws were published in the seventeen-volume Statutes at Large of the United States of America, 1789—1873. Citations to this collection include the volume number and its publication date.