How do I cite a government document in my term paper bibliography?

Our Citation Guides and Style Manuals Web page provides general guidelines for citing various types of publication, including government documents.

The University of Nebraska Government Documents Department Web site has guidelines and samples of citations of government publications in MLA and APA format.

DocsCite, a service provided by the Arizona State University Libraries, automatically constructs a citation for you in MLA or APA format, based on information you enter. 

The Government Documents Department also has some style manuals you may find helpful on reserve at the Government Documents Service Desk. Our Service Desk is located on the Third Floor of Willis Library.

If you are writing for a class or for publication, your instructor or publisher is always the final authority to consult for determining which style to use as well as for determining the proper format for a specific citation.

In order to avoid last-minute deadline crises, we recommend that you always make a photocopy of the title page, and/or write down the call number of any government publication you use for research projects. Without this information, it is extremely difficult to relocate a document you may need for writing your bibliography.