Public documents - Author-date style: citing specific types of sources - Source citation

A manual for writers of research papers, theses, and dissertations, Ninth edition - Kate L. Turabian 2018

Public documents
Author-date style: citing specific types of sources
Source citation

Public documents include a wide array of sources produced by governments at all levels throughout the world. This section presents basic principles for some common types of public documents available in English; if you need to cite other types, adapt the closest model.

Such documents involve more complicated and varied elements than most types of published sources. In your citations, include as much identifying information as you can, format the elements consistently, and adapt the general patterns outlined here as needed.

The bulk of this section is concerned with documents published by US governmental bodies and agencies. For documents published by the governments of Canada and the United Kingdom and by international bodies, see 19.11.9—11. For unpublished government documents, see 19.11.12.

19.11.1 Elements to Include, Their Order, and How to Format Them

In your reference list, include as many of the following elements as you can:

✵ ▪ name of the government (country, state, city, county, or other division) and government body (legislative body, executive department, court bureau, board, commission, or committee) that issued the document

✵ ▪ date of publication

✵ ▪ title, if any, of the document or collection

✵ ▪ name of individual author, editor, or compiler, if given

✵ ▪ report number or other identifying information (such as place of publication and publisher, for certain freestanding publications or for items in secondary sources)

✵ ▪ page numbers or other locators, if relevant

✵ ▪ a URL, or the name of the database, for sources consulted online (see 15.4.1 and, for examples, 19.11.2.2, 19.11.3, 19.11.7, and 19.11.11)

In general, list the relevant elements in the order given above. Exceptions for certain types of documents are explained in the following sections of 19.11.

R:

✵ US Congress, House of Representatives, Select Committee on Homeland Security. 2002. Homeland Security Act of 2002. 107th Cong., 2d sess. HR Rep. 107—609, pt. 1.

For parenthetical citations, treat the information listed before the date in your reference list as the author. If this information is lengthy, you may shorten it, as long as you do so logically and consistently in your citations. In many cases you may be able to include some or all of this information in the text instead of a parenthetical citation.

P:

✵ (US House 2002, 81—82)

. . . as the Select Committee decreed in its report accompanying the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (81—82).

Note that, by convention, ordinals in public documents end in d instead if nd (2d instead of 2d).

19.11.2 Congressional Publications

For congressional publications, reference list entries usually begin with the designation US Congress, followed by Senate or House of Representatives (or House). (You may also simplify this to US Senate or US 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.

19.11.2.1 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 editions of the Record. Begin parenthetical citations with the abbreviation Cong. Rec., and identify the volume and part numbers as well as the page numbers. (For citations of the daily House or Senate edition, retain the H or S in page numbers.)

R:

✵ US Congress. Congressional Record. 2008. 110th Cong., 1st sess. Vol. 153, pt. 8.

P:

✵ (Cong. Rec. 2008, 153, pt. 8: 11629—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), Register of Debates (1824—37), and Congressional Globe (1833—73). Cite these works similarly to the Congressional Record.

19.11.2.2 REPORTS AND DOCUMENTS. When you cite reports and documents of the Senate (abbreviated S.) and the House (H. or HR), include both the Congress and session numbers and, if possible, the series number. This example was consulted online using an official government resource (the US Government Publishing Office). See also 15.4.1.3.

R:

✵ US Congress, House. 2015. Blocking Property and Suspending Entry of Certain Persons Engaging in Significant Malicious Cyber-Enabled Activities. 114th Cong., 1st sess. H. Doc. 114—22. https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CDOC-114hdoc22.

P:

✵ (US House 2015, 1—2)

19.11.2.3 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 or H. Res. and those originating in the Senate, S. or S. Res. Include publication details in the Congressional Record (if available). If a bill has been enacted, cite it as a statute (see 19.11.2.5).

R:

✵ US Congress, House. 2016. Email Privacy Act. H. Res. 699. 114th Cong., 2d sess. Congressional Record 162, no. 65, daily ed. (April 27): H2022—28.

P:

✵ (US House 2016, H2022)

19.11.2.4 HEARINGS. Records of testimony given before congressional committees are usually published with formal titles, which should be included in reference list entries (in italics). The relevant committee is normally listed as part of the title.

R:

✵ US Congress, House. 2002. Hearing before the Select Committee on Homeland Security. HR 5005, Homeland Security Act of 2002, day 3. 107th Cong., 2d sess., July 17.

P:

✵ (US House 2002, 119—20)

19.11.2.5 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 US Statutes, the US Code, or both. Section numbers in the Code are preceded by a section symbol (§; use §§ and et seq. to indicate more than one section).

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 of 1970. US Code 15 (2000), §§ 1681 et seq.

✵ Homeland Security Act of 2002. Public Law 107—296. US Statutes at Large 116 (2002): 2135—321. Codified at US Code 6 (2002), §§ 101 et seq.

P:

✵ (Atomic Energy Act of 1946, 12, 19)

✵ (Fair Credit Reporting Act of 1970)

✵ (Homeland Security Act of 2002, 2163—64)

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

19.11.3 Presidential Publications

Presidential proclamations, executive orders, vetoes, addresses, and the like are published in the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents and in Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States. Proclamations and executive orders are also carried in the daily Federal Register and then published in title 3 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Once they have been published in the Code, use that as your source. Put individual titles in quotation marks. The example of a proclamation was consulted online from an official government resource (see also 15.4.1.3).

R:

✵ US President. 1997. Executive Order 13067. “Blocking Sudanese Government Property and Prohibiting Transactions with Sudan.” Code of Federal Regulations, title 3 (1997 comp.): 230—31.

✵ US President. 2016. Proclamation 9465. “Establishment of the Stonewall National Monument.” Federal Register 81, no. 125 (June 29): 42215—20. https://federalregister.gov/a/2016-15536.

P:

✵ (US President 1997)

✵ (US President 2016)

The public papers of US presidents are collected in two multivolume works: Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents, 1789—1897 and, starting with the Hoover administration, Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States. (Papers not covered by either of these works are published elsewhere.) To cite items in these collections, follow the recommendations for multivolume books (see 19.1.5).

19.11.4 Publications of Government Departments and Agencies

Executive departments, bureaus, and agencies issue reports, bulletins, circulars, and other materials. Italicize the title, and include the name of any identified author(s) after the title.

R:

✵ US Department of the Interior, Minerals Management Service, Environmental Division. 2007. Oil-Spill Risk Analysis: Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Lease Sales, Central Planning Area and Western Planning Area, 2007—2012, and Gulfwide OCS Program, 2007—2046, by Zhen-Gang Ji, Walter R. Johnson, and Charles F. Marshall. Edited by Eileen M. Lear. MMS 2007—040, June 2007.

✵ US Department of the Treasury. 1850—51. Report of the Secretary of the Treasury Transmitting a Report from the Register of the Treasury of the Commerce and Navigation of the United States for the Year Ending the 30th of June, 1850. 31st Cong., 2d sess. House Executive Document 8. Washington, DC.

P:

✵ (US Department of the Interior 2007, 23)

✵ (US Department of the Treasury 1850—51, 15—16)

19.11.5 US Constitution

The US Constitution should be cited only in parenthetical citations; you need not include it in your reference list. Include the article or amendment, section, and, if relevant, clause. Use arabic numerals and, if you prefer, abbreviations for terms such as amendment and section.

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✵ (US Constitution, art. 2, sec. 1, cl. 3)

✵ (US Constitution, amend. 14, sec. 2)

In many cases you can include the identifying information in your text, but spell out the part designations. Capitalize the names of specific amendments when used in place of numbers.

The US Constitution, in article 1, section 9, forbids suspension of the writ “unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it.”

The First Amendment protects the right of free speech.

19.11.6 Treaties

The texts of treaties signed before 1950 are published in United States Statutes at Large; the unofficial citation is to the Treaty Series (TS) or the Executive Agreement Series (EAS). Those signed in 1950 or later appear in United States Treaties and Other International Agreements (UST, 1950—) or Treaties and Other International Acts Series (TIAS, 1945—). Treaties involving more than two nations may be found in the United Nations Treaty Series (UNTS, 1946—) or, from 1920 to 1946, in the League of Nations Treaty Series (LNTS).

Italicize titles of the publications mentioned above and their abbreviated forms. Unless they are named in the title of the treaty, list the parties subject to the agreement, separated by hyphens. An exact date indicates the date of signing and may be included in addition to the year the treaty was published. (You can repeat the year with the month and day in the reference list entry to avoid any confusion regarding the exact date.)

R:

✵ United States. 1922. Naval Armament Limitation Treaty with the British Empire, France, Italy, and Japan. February 6, 1922. US Statutes at Large 43, pt. 2.

✵ US Department of State. 1963. Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space, and Under Water. US-UK-USSR. August 5, 1963. UST 14, pt. 2.

P:

✵ (United States 1922)

✵ (US Department of State 1963, 1313)

19.11.7 Legal Cases

Citations of legal cases generally take the same form for courts at all levels. In your reference list, italicize the full case name (including the abbreviation v.). Include the volume number (arabic), name of the reporter (abbreviated; see below), ordinal series number (if applicable), opening page number of the decision, abbreviated name of the court and date (together in parentheses), and other relevant information, such as the name of the state or local court (if not identified by the reporter title).

R:

Profit Sharing Plan v. Mbank Dallas, N.A. 683 F. Supp. 592 (N.D. Tex. 1988).

United States v. Christmas. 222 F.3d 141 (4th Cir. 2000).

The one element that depends on the level of the court is the name of the reporter. The most common ones are as follows.

✵ ▪ US Supreme Court. For Supreme Court decisions, cite United States Supreme Court Reports (abbreviated US) or, if not yet published there, Supreme Court Reporter (abbreviated S. Ct.).

R:

o AT&T Corp. v. Iowa Utilities Bd. 525 US 366 (1999).

o Brendlin v. California. 127 S. Ct. 2400 (2007).

✵ ▪ Lower federal courts. For lower federal-court decisions, cite Federal Reporter (F.) or Federal Supplement (F. Supp.).

R:

o Eaton v. IBM Corp. 925 F. Supp. 487 (S.D. Tex. 1996).

o United States v. Dennis. 183 F. 201 (2d Cir. 1950).

✵ ▪ State and local courts. For state and local court decisions, cite official state reporters whenever possible. If you use a commercial reporter, cite it as in the first example below. If the reporter does not identify the court’s name, include it before the date, within parentheses.

R:

o Bivens v. Mobley. 724 So. 2d 458 (Miss. Ct. App. 1998).

o Williams v. Davis. 27 Cal. 2d 746 (1946).

To cite a legal case in your text, give the name of the case and the date (if citing specific language, provide the page number as well). In many instances you may be able to include either or both elements in the text.

P:

✵ (United States v. Christmas 2000)

. . . this principle was best exemplified by United States v. Christmas (2000).

Cases consulted online should normally be cited to the appropriate reporter(s) as described above. A URL that points directly to an official resource may be added as the final element (see also 15.4.1.3).

R:

State v. Griffin. 211 W. Va. 508, 566 S.E.2d 645 (2002). http://www.courtswv.gov/supreme-court/docs/spring2002/30433.htm.

Many researchers use Lexis or Westlaw to research court cases and other legal materials. To cite a case in one of those databases, add any identifying date and number supplied by the database (see also 15.4.1.4). Page or screen numbers are typically preceded by an asterisk.

R:

Family Service Association of Steubenville v. Wells Township. 2015 US Dist. LEXIS 75017, *7 (SD Ohio, June 10, 2015). LexisNexis Academic.

19.11.8 State and Local Government Documents

Cite state and local government documents as you would federal documents. Use roman type (no quotation marks) for state laws and municipal ordinances; use italics for codes (compilations) and the titles of freestanding publications. State constitutions are cited only in parenthetical citations or in the text (see also 19.11.5).

R:

✵ Illinois Institute for Environmental Quality (IIEQ). 1977. Review and Synopsis of Public Participation regarding Sulfur Dioxide and Particulate Emissions. By Sidney M. Marder. IIEQ Document 77/21. Chicago.

✵ Methamphetamine Control and Community Protection Act. 2005. Illinois Compiled Statutes, chap. 720, no. 646 (2005).

Page’s Ohio Revised Code Annotated. 2011. Title 35, Elections.

P:

✵ (IIEQ 1977, 44—45)

✵ (Methamphetamine Control and Community Protection Act 2005, sec. 10)

✵ (Page’s Ohio Revised Code Annotated 2011, sec. 3599.01)

✵ (New Mexico Constitution, art. 4, sec. 7)

19.11.9 Canadian Government Documents

Cite Canadian government documents similarly to US public documents. End citations with the word Canada (in parentheses) unless it is obvious from the context.

Canadian statutes appeared through 1985 in the Revised Statutes of Canada, a consolidation that was published every fifteen to thirty years; federal statutes enacted since then are cited as session laws in the annual Statutes of Canada. Identify the statute by title, reporter, year of compilation, chapter, and section.

R:

✵ Assisted Human Reproduction Act. Statutes of Canada 2004, chap. 2, sec. 2.

✵ Canada Wildlife Act. Revised Statutes of Canada 1985, chap. W-9, sec. 1.

P:

✵ (Canada Wildlife Act 1985)

Canadian Supreme Court cases since 1876 are published in Supreme Court Reports (SCR). Federal Court cases are published in Federal Courts Reports (FC, 1971—2003; FCR, 2004—) or Exchequer Court Reports (Ex. CR, 1875—1971). Cases not found in any of these sources may be found in Dominion Law Reports (DLR). Include the name of the case (in italics), followed by the date (in parentheses), the volume number (if any), the abbreviated name of the reporter, and the opening page of the decision.

R:

Canada v. CBC/Radio-Canada. (2014) 1 FCR 142.

Robertson v. Thomson Corp. (2006) 2 SCR 363 (Canada).

19.11.10 British Government Documents

Cite British government documents similarly to US public documents. End citations with the phrase United Kingdom (in parentheses or brackets) unless it is obvious from the context.

Acts of Parliament should usually be cited only in parenthetical citations or in the text. Include a specific act in your reference list only if it is critical to your argument or frequently cited. Identify acts by title, date, and chapter number (arabic numeral for national number, lowercase roman for local). Acts from before 1963 are cited by regnal year and monarch’s name (abbreviated) and ordinal (arabic numeral).

P:

✵ (Act of Settlement 1701, 12 & 13 Will. 3, c. 2)

✵ (Consolidated Fund Act 1963, chap. 1 [United Kingdom])

✵ (Manchester Corporation Act 1967, chap. xl)

Most British legal cases can be found in the applicable report in the Law Reports, among these the Appeal Cases (AC), Queen’s (King’s) Bench (QB, KB), Chancery (Ch.), Family (Fam.), and Probate (P.) reports. Until recently the courts of highest appeal in the United Kingdom (except for criminal cases in Scotland) had been the House of Lords (HL) and the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (PC). In 2005 the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom (UKSC) was established.

Include the name of the case, in italics (cases involving the Crown refer to Rex or Regina); the date, in parentheses; the volume number (if any) and abbreviated name of the reporter; and the opening page of the decision. If the court is not apparent from the name of the reporter, or if the jurisdiction is not clear from context, include either or both, as necessary, in parentheses.

R:

NML Capital Limited (Appellant) v. Republic of Argentina (Respondent). (2011) UKSC 31.

Regal (Hastings) Ltd. v. Gulliver. (1967) 2 AC 134 (HL) (appeal taken from Eng.).

Regina v. Dudley and Stephens. (1884) 14 QBD 273 (DC).

19.11.11 Publications of International Bodies

Documents published by international bodies such as the United Nations can be cited much like books. Identify the authorizing body (and any author or editor), the date, the title or topic of the document, and the publisher or place of publication (or both). Also include any series or other identifying publication information. For documents consulted online, include a URL (see 15.4.1.3).

R:

✵ League of Arab States and United Nations. 2010. The Third Arab Report on the Millennium Development Goals 2010 and the Impact of the Global Economic Crises. Beirut: Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia.

✵ United Nations Security Council. 2015. Resolution 2222, Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict. S/RES/2222. New York: UN, May 27. http://www.un.org/en/sc/documents/resolutions/2015.shtml.

P:

✵ League of Arab States and United Nations 2010, 82)

✵ (UN General Assembly 2015)

19.11.12 Unpublished Government Documents

If you cite unpublished government documents, follow the patterns given for unpublished manuscripts in 19.7.4.

Most unpublished documents of the US government are housed in the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in Washington, DC, or in one of its branches, and cataloged online. Cite them all, including films, photographs, and sound recordings as well as written materials, by record group (RG) number.

The comparable institution for unpublished Canadian government documents is the Library and Archives Canada (LAC) in Ottawa, Ontario. The United Kingdom has a number of depositories of unpublished government documents, most notably the National Archives (NA) and the British Library (BL), both in London. Each of these resources has been cataloged online.