How to Reference an Administrative Code in a Thesis

Sources of information such as books and articles are relatively straightforward to cite, especially by the time you are writing your college thesis. Other sources, such as legal materials, can be tricky. MLA (Modern Language Association) style does not provide guidelines for the citation of laws. However, APA (American Psychological Association) style does provide guidelines for the citation of legal materials, including administrative codes.

Instructions

    • 1

      Begin your reference list entry with the title of the law you are citing, followed by a comma. For example:

      An Act Limiting Library Fees,

    • 2

      List the code from which the law comes from, followed by a period. Abbreviate "administrative" to "admin." and abbreviate the name of the state or municipality that promulgates the code. For example, list the Nebraska Administrative Code as follows:

      An Act Limiting Library Fees, Neb. Admin. Code.

    • 3

      List the title number, section number, and chapter number in which the law appears. Place an abbreviation for the name of the code in between the title and chapter. Place a period between the chapter and section. For example, a law that appears in title 45, chapter 2 and section 114 of the Nebraska Administrative Code would be cited as follows:

      An Act Limiting Library Fees, Neb. Admin. Code. 45 NAC 2.114

    • 4

      Conclude your reference list entry with the year of the act in parentheses, followed by a period. For example:

      An Act Limiting Library Fees, Neb. Admin. Code. 45 NAC 2.114 (1999).

    • 5

      Cite the code within the text of your paper by listing the name of the law and the year in parentheses. For example:

      One Nebraska law prohibits overdue book fines "in excess of three dollars per day" (An Act Limiting Library Fees, 1999).

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