Research Guides: Government Documents: Citing Government Documents

Citing Government Documents

Government documents can be more difficult to cite properly than standard books and journals, due to the specific nature of some of the documents. There are several resources for help.

Chicago-Style Citation Quick Guide
Provides Chicago citation style examples.
Complete Guide to Citing Government Information Resources: A Manual for Writers and Librarians
Reference print book located in the 2nd Floor Reference Collection.
Government Documents Round Table (GODORT) Guide to Citing Government Information sources
Points to information for citing government documents using common citation styles
Treaty Research
A guide developed by the Georgetown Law Library and provides resources on citing treaties in the United States.

APA Citation Guide (7th Edition) and Government Documents

The APA Style Guide includes reference examples for fact sheets.

Fact sheets follow the same format as reports.
Include the description “[Fact sheet]” in square brackets after the title of the fact sheet.
When the multiple layers of government agencies are credited (as in the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry example), provide the most specific agency in the author element of the reference. Provide the parent agency in the source element of the reference as the publisher.
When only one agency is credited as the author (as in the American Association of Colleges of Nursing example), provide that agency as the author. Omit the agency name from the source element to avoid repetition.

The APA Citation Guide (7th Edition): Government Documents library guide from Columbia College in Vancouver, Canada explains how to cite government materials using the APA 7th Edition citation style. The guide covers government documents from a website and documents in print format. For example:

MLA Citation Guide (8th Edition) and Government Documents

The MLA Citation Guide (8th Edition): Government Documents library guide from Columbia College in Vancouver, Canada explains how to cite government materials using the MLA 8th Edition citation style. The guide covers government documents from a website and documents in print format. For example: