Research Guides: Government Resources: Citing Government Information

Citing Government Information Resources

The Complete Guide to Citing Government Information Resources: A Manual for Social Science & Business by Debora Cheney, Diane L. Garner, Diane H. Smith
Call Number: Ready Reference Z7164.G7 C38 2002

Publication Date: Third edition (2002)
The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation by the editors of the Columbia Law Review, the Harvard Law Review, the University of Pennsylvania Law Review, and the Yale Law Journal
Call Number: Ready Reference KF245 .B58 2016

Publication Date: Twentieth edition (2016)

The Bluebook outlines the main reporters for international courts (such as the International Court of Justice), commissions, and tribunals. Also included are abbreviations for intergovernmental bodies such as the United Nations (and its principal organs), the European Union, and those devoted to specific areas such as human rights, trade, and health. In addition to intergovernmental bodies, The Bluebook covers about three dozen jurisdictions outside the United States.

American Memory Citation Guide, Library of Congress
Provides sample citations to the legislative information in the American Memory Project.
The Chicago Manual of Style Online
Click Part III · Source Citations and Indexes. Scroll down to "Legal and Public Documents."
Citing Records in the National Archives of the United States
General Information Leaflet 17 (Revised 2010)
Common Abbreviations and Legal Citation Examples for Selected Federal Government Documents: Legislative, Regulatory and Statutory
The work lists some 50 alphabetically arranged document abbreviations and what they stand for and also provides legal citation examples for each type of document listed. In addition, commonly used alternative abbreviations are often listed as well as very brief explanations about many of the documents. Finally, as the work is merely a quick listing of a limited number of documents, it includes lists and links to legal citation manuals and practices which provide substantive rules and more comprehensive information. (By Rick McKinney on behalf of and with assistance from members of the Legislative Research Special Interest Section, Law Librarians’ Society of Washington, D.C., Inc. Last update - September 2017)
How to Cite US Government Documents in MLA, APA Citation Style (Cornell University Library)
This guide provides general principles for citing US Government documents in student research papers in MLA or APA format, along with examples by type of document.
Introduction to Basic Legal Citation
Online edition 2020 by Peter W. Martin. Legal Information Institute, Cornell University Law School.

Webinars

Cite It with Style! How to Cite Government Information Resources like a Pro
This webinar provides an overview of the principles of scholarly citation and focus on the specific problems and peculiarities involved in citing Government documents. We examine each of the parts of a complete Government information resource citation and discuss the best ways to present that information in accordance with the most frequently used style manuals. Viewers will learn tips and tricks to simplify the citation process and render it a little less daunting. This is the same material that was presented in a 2016 webinar, but revised and updated to reflect the latest research trends and current editions of the most popular style manuals.

more... less...

Presenter: Bobby Griffith, Government Information Reference Specialist, University of North Texas Libraries
Date recorded: 15 September 2020
Duration: 66 minutes

Additional Resources

Citing Your Sources
A general guide to citations and styles commonly used at USNA.
The Writing Center
Nimitz Library, First Floor