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SW 318: Policy, Programs, and Issues

Social Work- Policies, Programs, and Issues

A Guide to APA Style 7th Edition: Citing Government Documents

Citing a Congressional Report

Congressional Reports list their relevant citation information on their front page headers.  Your citation will say if the report is from the House (H) or Senate (S), give the number, part (if applicable--part number will be listed beneath the report number), and year.  If relevant, include "at [page number]" to signify a particular area.

Example (reference list):

  • S. Report No. 110-449, (2008).

Example (in-text):

  • (S. Rep. No. 110-449, at 34, 2008)

Citing a Hearing

The CIS Index has pointed you to a Congressional Hearing about your law.  You access the full text from the GPO database.  Now what?

To cite a hearing, list its title, including the committee it is presented before, whether it is a House or Senate hearing, the Congress number, page number if applicable, and date.  If citing a particular section, indicate after the date.

Example (reference list):

  • Battling the Backlog: Challenges Facing the VA Claims Adjudication and Appeal Process: A Hearing Before the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Senate, 109th Cong., 38 (2008) (statement of Robert Chisolm).

Example (in-text):

  • (Battling the Backlog, 38, 2008)

Congressional Research Services Reports

Example (reference list):

With author:

Sacco, L. (2014, March 6). Violence Against Women Act: Overview, legislation, and federal funding (CRS Report No. R42499). Hein Online.

Without author:

Congressional Research Services. (2015, May 26). Violence Against Women Act: Overview, legislation, and federal funding (CRS Report No. R42499). https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R42499

 

Example (in-text):

With author:

(Sacco, 2014)

Sacco (2014) stated that ... (p. 18)

Without author:

(Congressional Research Services, 2014)

Congressional Research Services (2014) stated that... (p. 18)

Citing Federal Statutes