Government Publications

Government publications are official documents issued by government bodies at various levels—local, state, national, and international. These can include laws, statutes, treaties, legislative reports, court decisions, statistical data, policy briefs, and reports from government agencies or committees. As authoritative sources of information, they are crucial for research in many fields, including political science, law, history, public policy, and economics. Accurately citing government publications in MLA style is essential to acknowledge their official nature, ensure the credibility of your research, and enable readers to locate these often vital documents.

This section provides detailed guidelines on how to cite various types of government publications according to MLA 9th Edition conventions. The focus is on identifying the government entity as the author and correctly listing other necessary elements such as titles, dates, report numbers, and online access information.

Basic Format (General):
Name of Government. Name of Issuing Agency, Department, Committee, or Branch. Title of Document: Subtitle if Any. Report Number, Bill Number, or Series Information (if applicable), Publisher (often the agency itself or a specific government printing office), Date of Publication. URL (if accessed online). Accessed Date (if accessed online).
Detailed Explanation of Elements:
  • Name of Government:
    • Start with the name of the government that issued the document (e.g., United States, Canada, California, United Nations, India).
  • Name of Issuing Agency, Department, Committee, or Branch:
    • Follow with the name of the specific body responsible for the document. List from the largest to the smallest division if multiple levels are involved (e.g., Congress, House, Committee on Energy and Commerce; Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
    • This entire government and agency structure typically functions as the "author" element in the citation.
  • Title of Document: Subtitle if Any:
    • Italicize the full title of the publication. Include any subtitle, separated by a colon.
    • Capitalize major words in the title.
    • Examples: Economic Report of the President, The National Security Strategy of the United States of America, Annual Report to Congress.
  • Report Number, Bill Number, Document Number, or Series Information:
    • Include any official numbers or legislative information that helps identify the specific document (e.g., Report No. 117-25, S. Res. 438, 118th Congress). This information usually follows the title.
  • Publisher:
    • This is the entity responsible for making the document available.
    • Often, the issuing agency itself is also the publisher. In such cases, you can list the agency again.
    • For U.S. federal documents, the publisher is frequently the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) or, historically, the Government Printing Office.
    • If the authoring agency and the publisher are identical and clearly the primary entity, you might list the agency only once as the publisher, especially if the author element is already extensive. However, for clarity with government documents, explicitly stating the publisher is often helpful.
  • Date of Publication:
    • Provide the date the document was published. Be as specific as possible (day, month, year if available; year is essential).
  • URL (if accessed online):
    • If you accessed the document online, provide the direct URL. Omit "http://" or "https://" unless necessary for the link to work.
  • Accessed Date (if accessed online):
    • It's highly recommended to include the date you accessed an online government document, as these can sometimes be updated or moved.
    • Format: Precede the date with "Accessed" and use Day Month Year (e.g., Accessed 27 May 2025).
Detailed Examples:
U.S. Federal Document – Congressional Report (Online):
United States, Congress, House, Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Report on the Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election. 115th Congress, 2nd session, House Report 115-613, Government Publishing Office, 22 Mar. 2018, www.congress.gov/115/crpt/hrpt613/CRPT-115hrpt613.pdf. Accessed 15 Jan. 2025.
U.S. Federal Document – Executive Agency Report (Online):
United States, Environmental Protection Agency. Climate Change Indicators in the United States. Office of Atmospheric Programs, May 2023, www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/downloads/climate-indicators-report-2023.pdf. Accessed 10 Feb. 2025.
(Note: The "Office of Atmospheric Programs" could be considered part of the author agency, or the EPA itself is the primary agency and publisher.)
U.S. Public Law/Statute (Online):
United States, Congress. Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Public Law 101-336, 101st Congress, 26 July 1990. U.S. Statutes at Large, vol. 104, Government Publishing Office, pp. 327-78, www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-104/pdf/STATUTE-104-Pg327.pdf. Accessed 5 Mar. 2025.
Alternatively, a streamlined approach: Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Public Law 101-336, 104 Stat. 327. 26 July 1990.
State Government Document (Online):
California, Department of Justice. California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) Regulations. Office of the Attorney General, Aug. 2020, oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/privacy/ccpa-regs-text-1020.pdf. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.
Local Government Document (City Council Minutes):
City of Metropolis. City Council. Minutes of the Regular Meeting. 15 May 2025, www.metropolis.gov/council/minutes/2025-05-15.pdf. Accessed 27 May 2025.
International Government Document (UN Report):
United Nations, Human Rights Council. Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in the Context of Climate Change. A/HRC/50/47, 28 Apr. 2022, documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/g22/321/65/pdf/g2232165.pdf?OpenElement. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Government of India Document:
India, Ministry of Finance, Department of Economic Affairs. Economic Survey 2024-25, Volume 1. Government of India, Jan. 2025, www.indiabudget.gov.in/economicsurvey/doc/vol1chapter/echap00.pdf. Accessed 27 May 2025.
In-Text Citation (Detailed):
Basic Format: Use the government and the primary agency, followed by the page number if available.
(United States, Environmental Protection Agency 22)
(California, Department of Justice 5)
(United Nations, Human Rights Council, para. 15)
Shortened Forms: If the full name is cumbersome and you refer to the source multiple times, you can use a shortened, clear form after the first full parenthetical citation, provided the context is clear. Or, if the government and agency are mentioned in your prose, the parenthetical citation might only need the page number.
The report further states... (Environmental Protection Agency 3).
The Environmental Protection Agency's report indicates that trends are worsening (3).
No Page Numbers: If the online document does not have stable page numbers, cite the government and agency. You can also use section headings, chapter numbers, or paragraph numbers if present to help locate the information.
(United States, Congress, House, Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, ch. 4)
Laws/Statutes: For laws, you might cite them by their common name and section in your text, with the full citation in the Works Cited list.
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 prohibits discrimination based on disability (Sec. 102).