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Chicago Style (17th Edition) Citation Guide: Government & Legal Documents

A citation guide for Chicago Style 17th Edition. Includes Author-Date style and Notes & Bibliography style.

Important Notes

Cite the author of the publication if the author is identified. Otherwise, start with the name of the national government, followed by the agency (including any subdivisions or agencies) that serves as the organizational author. For congressional documents, be sure to include the number of the Congress and the session when the hearing was held or resolution passed as well as the report number. US government documents are typically published by the Government Printing Office.

Government Document From a Website

Bibliography:

U.S. Congress. House. Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act. 112th Cong., 2d sess., H. Rep.112-445. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-111hhrg50208/html/CHRG-111hhrg50208.htm.

Footnote.

1. U.S. Congress, House, Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, 112th Cong., 2d sess., H. Rep.112-445, https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-111hhrg50208/html/CHRG-111hhrg50208.htm.

Court Decision

Bibliography:

Legal documents are only cited in the footnotes or within the text of your paper; they are not cited in the bibliography (unless the case is included in a secondary publication such as a book, in which case you would cite the book in the bibliography).

Footnote:

1. Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954).

Unenacted Bill or Resolution

Bibliography:

Bills and resolutions are only cited in the footnotes or within the text of your paper; they are not cited in the bibliography (unless the bill/resolution is included in a secondary publication such as a book, in which case you would cite the book in the bibliography).

Footnote:

1. Anti-Phishing Act, H.R. 1099, 109th Cong. (2005).

Government Document in Print

Bibliography:

Fletcher, Thomas C. Report of the Special Commission Appointed to Investigate the Affairs of the Red Cloud Indian Agency, July, 1875: Together with the Testimony and Accompanying Documents. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1875.

Footnote:

1. Thomas C. Fletcher, Report of the Special Commission Appointed to Investigate the Affairs of the Red Cloud Indian Agency, July, 1875: Together with the Testimony and Accompanying Documents (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1875): 25.

Statute

Bibliography:

Statutes are only cited in the footnotes or within the text of your paper; they are not cited in the bibliography (unless the statute is included in a secondary publication such as a book, in which case you would cite the book in the bibliography).

Footnote:

1. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Pub. L. No. 104-191, § 264, 110 Stat.1936.

Common Abbreviations

  • House document (H. Doc.)
  • Senate document (S. Doc.)
  • House report (H. Rep.)
  • Senate report (S. Rep.)
  • Congress (Cong.)
  • Session (sess.)

Author-Date Style

Reference List: Name of Author(s)/Organization. Title of Work. [Identifier if provided]. Place of Publication: Name of Publisher, Year of Publication. URL [if online].

In-Text Citation: (KewalRamani et al., 2007, 44) OR (World Health Organization, 2006, 33