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How do I Cite the U.S. Constitution Using APA Format?

The American Psychological Association publishes and updates APA Style, widely used in the social and behavioral sciences, particularly psychology. The APA format governs most aspects of research paper writing, ranging from headings and subheadings to the citation of sources. While APA seemingly has an answer for everything, there are instances where you must look elsewhere. As the APA Style blog notes, most legal citations, including references to the United States Constitution, follow the direction of "The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation."

Instructions

- 1
  Mention the U.S. Constitution in the narrative of your text when "you simply want to make passing reference to" it, reports Chelsea Lee of the APA Style blog. For example, you could write: "The state appeals court decided the case, referring to the U.S. Constitution."
- 2
  Begin all U.S. Constitution citations with "U.S. Const." Order the article, amendment, section, and/or clause numbers, if applicable, next, abbreviating each word, as follows: art., amend., § and cl., respectively.
- 3
  Structure in-text U.S. Constitution citations as shown below, adapted from the APA Style blog.
  
  The protocol states had to follow to join the union came to be (U.S. Const. art. I, § 3).
- 4
  Format your reference list entry the same way as your in-text citation.
- 5
  Include a date at the end of your citation, only if the portion of the U.S. Constitution you are citing is no longer valid. Follow the examples for in-text and reference list citations, respectively, below, based on the APA Style blog.
  
  Liquor sales were outlawed during prohibition (U.S. Const. amend. XVIII, repealed 1933).
  
  U.S. Const. amend. XVIII (repealed 1933).

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