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Citation Style Guides: Government Information

General Form

Be sure to look at examples.  The facts of publication (city published, published, etc.) are often not included in endnotes/ footnotes, especially with federal publications.

 

Bibliography:

Name of government agency. Title. Name of author, editor [if given].

     Place of publication: Publisher's name, Date. Other locators [if relevant].

 

Endnote/ footnote:

     Name of government agency, Title, (Place of publication:

Publisher, Date of publication), Locator information [page number, section number, etc.].

Examples

Agency Document Sec. 17.9.4:

Bibliography:                                                                                    Online:

U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Incognito                                   U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Incognito

     but Honest. By Blair Brainard. Washington,                                          but Honest. By Blair Brainard. Washington,

     D.C.: GPO, 2008.                                                                                          D.C.: GPO, 2008. http://www.gpo.gov:80/

                                                                                                                             fdsys/pkg/fbi-honest.html (accessed

                                                                                                                             July 15, 2008).

 

Endnotes/ Footnotes:

     U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation,                                                   U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation,

Incognito but Honest, by Blair Brainard,                                         Incognito but Honest, by Blair Brainard,

 (Washington, D.C.: GPO, 2008), 1-10.                                            (Washington, D.C.: GPO, 2008), http:

                                                                                                                 //www.gpo.gov:80/fdsys/pkg/fbi-honest

                                                                                                                .html (accessed July 15, 2008).


Congressional Bill or Resolution Sec. 17.19.2

 

Bibliography:                                                           Online:

U.S. Congress. Senate. To Provide for                              U.S. Congress. Senate. To Provide for the  

     the Acknowledgment to the Lumbee Tribe                              Acknowledgment to the Lumbee Tribe

     of North Carolina, and for other   Purposes,                             of North Carolina, and for other   Purposes,

     S 333, 110th Cong., 1st sess., 2007.                                         S 333, 110th Cong., 1st sess., 2007.

                                                                                                                http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/

                                                                                                                 getdoc.cgi?dbname=110_Cong_bills&docid

                                                                                                                 =f:s333is.txt (accessed June 10, 2008).

 

Endnotes/ Footnotes:

     To Provide for the Acknowledgment                                              To Provide for the Acknowledgement to the Lumbee

to the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina,                                   Tribe of North Carolina, and for other Purposes, S 333

and for other Purposes. S 333. 110th                                       110th Cong., 1st sess., 2007, http://frwebgate.

Cong., 1st sess., 2007.                                                               access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=110_

                                                                                                         Cong_bills&docid=f:s333is.txt (accessed June 10, 2008).


Congressional Hearing Sec. 17.9.2:

Bibliography:                                                                                            Online:

U.S. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland                              Follow the same format as above.

     Security and Government Affairs. Hurricane

     Katrina: The Role of the Governors in Managing                        Notes:

     the Catastrophe: Hearings before the Committee                           If published in a medium other than print or online, you

     on Homeland Security and Government Affairs.                              will need to add that medium to the end of your reference. 

     109th Cong., 2d sess., February 26, 2006.                                       For example, if on microfilm, you would add "Microfilm." to

                                                                                                                        the end of the reference. 

Endnotes/ Footnotes:

     Senate Committee on Homeland Security and

Government Affairs, Hurricane Katrina: The Role

of the Governors in Managing the Catastrophe:

Hearings before the Committee on Homeland

Security and Government Affairs, 109th Cong.,

2d sess., February 26, 2006, 56. 

 


 

Presidential Publications Sec 17.9.3:

Both Turabian and the Chicago Style Manual organize by "President" or "U.S. President" rather than the individual's name; however, you may organize by the President's personal name. 

Bibliography:

U.S. President. "Interview with Richard Engel of NBC

     News in Sharm el-Sheikh." Weekly Compilation

     of Presidential Documents 44 (May 18, 2008):

     275-230.

 

Endnotes/ Footnotes:

     President, "Interview with Richard Engel of

NBC News in Sharm el-Sheikh. Weekly

Compilation of Presidential Documents 44 (May

18, 2008: 725.

 


Treaties - print Sec. 17.9.6:

Bibliography:

United States. "Naval Armament Limitation

     Treaty." February 26, 1922. U.S. Statutes

     at Large 43, pt. 2 (1922).

 

Endnotes/ Footnotes:

     "Naval Armament Limitation Treaty,"

February 26, 1922, U.S. Statutes at Large

43, pt. 2.

 


 

Treaties - online Sec. 17.9.6:

Bibliography:

Avalon Project at Yale Law School. "The Paris

     Peace Treaty of September 3, 1783."

     Lillian Goldman Law Library. http://www.

     yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/diplomacy/britain/

     paris.htm (accessed June 11, 2008).

 

Endnotes/ Footnotes:

     "Paris Peace Treaty," September 3, 1783,

Avalon Project at Yale Law School, http://www.

yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/diplomacy/britain/paris.

htm (accessed June 11, 2008). 

 


 

U.S. Constitution Sec. 17.9.5:

The U.S. Constitution should only be cited in the endnotes/ footnotes.  In fact, most references could be made in-text.

 

Endnotes/ Footnotes:

     U.S. Constitution, art. 2, sec. 1, cl. 3.

 

     U.S. Constitution, amend. 14, sec. 2.

 


U.S. Statutes Sec. 17.9.2:

 

The U.S. Statutes and Public Laws should only be cited in the endnotes/ footnotes. 

The second example includes a reference to the U.S. Code; this is encouraged, but not necessary. 

 

Endnotes/ Footnotes:

     Atomic Energy Act of 1946, Public Law

585, 79th Cong., 2d sess. (August 1, 1946),

12, 19.

 

     National Environmental Policy Act of 1969,

Public Law 91-190, sec. 102, U.S. Statutes at

Large 83 (1970): 853, codified at U.S. Code 42

(2000), sec. 4332.

 


 

Legal Decisions - Sec. 17.9.7:

Cite legal cases in endnotes/ footnotes only.  They do not need to be included in the bibliography.

 

Endnotes/ Footnotes:                                                Notes:

     United States v. Christmas, 222 F.3d 141,                 This can be shortened to:

145 (4th Cir. 2000), 146                                                  United States v. Christmas, 146.

 

Supreme Court:

Endnotes/ Footnotes:

     AT&T Corp. v. Iowa Utilities Bd.,

525 U.S. 366 (1999).

 


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