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 has guidelines and samples of citations of government publications in MLA and APA format. You may also want to visit DocsCite, a service provided by the Arizona State University Libraries that allows you to enter the publication information and receive a citation in MLA or APA format. 

Here are some guides to citing specific types of government publications or using specific styles of citation:

• Scholarly and Professional Style Manuals
• Citing Legal Materials/Legal Style Manuals
• Citing Government Documents/Government Agency Style Manuals
• Citing Maps
• Citing Electronic Publications

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.