Citation Guides

General rules:

• Most often, government documents are found online, and they follow the basic format for a website.
• The author of a government document could be a person or multiple people, but is most often a department. The author is usually formatted like this: Name of country, comma, Department followed by a period. You may also include department subdivisions if given. Write out the full department name even if the abbreviation is given.
  • Examples:
    • United States, National Institutes of Health.
    • United States, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute.
• Citing legislative information, such as laws or bills, can be tricky. See the examples below for guidance, and remember the general rule that always applies in MLA citations: be consistent from one entry to the next when you make decisions about what should be the title, how much additional information should be included, etc. 
• See the links below these examples for additional detailed directions on citing legal works (for example: Supreme Court Decisions, Statutes, Laws, Bills, Hearings, Treaties, Executive Orders) in MLA format. We have included only the most common example types.

Government website

Basic format

Country, Department or Local Name of Government Body. "Title of Page or Article." Title of Website, Publication date, URL.

Examples

United States, Census Bureau. "Income and Poverty in the United States: 2020." United States Census Bureau, Sept. 2021, www.census.gov/data/tables/2021/demo/income-poverty/p60-273.html.

United States, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute. "What is Cancer?" National Cancer Institute, 11 Oct. 2021, https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/understanding/what-is-cancer. 

Public Law, Congress

Example

United States, Congress. Public Law 114-325. United States Statues at Large, vol. 162, 2016, pp. 1965-7. U.S. Government Printing Office, www.congress.gov/114/statute/STATUTE-130/STATUTE-130-Pg1965.pdf.

Bill or Resolution

Basic format

Government Author. Name of Bill or Resolution. Title of Website or Container, URL. Congressional session, Bill or Resolution number, last status.

Example (Senate)

United States, Congress, Senate. To Prohibit Funds for the Armed Forces to Engage in Operations to Invade or Seize Territory from Canada, the Republic of Panama, or the Self-Governing Territory of Greenland. Congress.gov, www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1936/text. 119th Congress, H.R. 1936, Introduced 6 Mar. 2025. 

Example (Resolution)

United States, Congress, House. Establishing the Congressional Budget for the United States Government for Fiscal Year 2025 and Setting Forth the Appropriate Budgetary Levels for Fiscal Years 2026 Through 2034. Congress.gov, www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-concurrent-resolution/14. 119th Congress, H.Con.Res.14, Agreed to in House 25 Feb. 2025.

Example (State Legislature)

Iowa State Legislature, Senate. Senate File 12. BillBook, www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=91&ba=SF%2012. 91st General Assembly, Senate File 12, Introduced 13 Jan. 2025.