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Government Documents

Citation Resources in Wilson Library

Citation Tips for Government Documents and Records

As per the MLA guidelines and also true for most other citation formats, the key items to look for in a government document are:  Author or government agency, title of document, title of the publication, the number and session of Congress (refer to abbreviations listed below), place, publisher, date and medium of the publication.

Common Abbreviations Used in Legal Documents

  • Cong.              Congress
  • H.R.                 House of Representatives
  • S.                     Senate
  • Reg.                Regulations
  • Res.                Resolutions
  • F                      Federal Reporter
  • F.2d                 Federal Reporter, Second Series
  • F.3d                 Federal Reporter, Third Series
  • F. Supp.          Federal Supplement
  • U.S.C.             United States Code
  • Cong. Rec.     Congressional Record
  • Fed. Reg.        Federal Register
  • v.                       versus (court cases)

As per APA Publication Manual which follows Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation for legal documents.