GOVERNMENT
PUBLICATIONS
Guide for Citing Government Information Sources
in a Bibliography (MLA Style)
Report of a U.S. Presidential Commission
United States. Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident. Report to the President. 5 vols.
Washington: The Commission, 1986.
U.S. Supreme Court Decision
Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas. U.S. Reports 347 (17 May 1954): 483-500.
U.S. Congressional Hearing
United States. Cong. Senate. Committee on Governmental Affairs. Pentagon Rules on Media Access to the Persian Gulf
War. Hearing, 20 Feb. 1991. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1991. microfiche.
Federal Register
"Equal Employment Opportunity for Individuals with Disabilities, Final Rule." Federal Register 56 (26 July 1991):
35725-35755.
Code of Federal Regulations
"Admission of Refugees." Code of Federal Regulations. 1996 ed. Title 8, Pt. 207, 135-137.
United States Code
"Protection of Bald and Golden Eagles." U.S. Code. 1994 Ed. Title 16, Sec. 668, 957-966.
Statistical Table
"Public High School Graduates, by State: 1969-70 to 1994-95." Digest of Education Statistics, 1995. Washington:
Government Printing Office, 1995.
Paper Within a Published Conference Proceedings
Rust, Charles H. "Current and New Marketing Technology (Electronic)." Proceedings of the International Beef Cattle
Symposium, January 15-17, 1991, Heritage Inn, Great Falls, Montana. Special Report (Montana Agricultural
Experiment Station) 42. Bozeman: Montana State University, 1991. 171-183.
File from a Compact Disc (Cd-rom)
"Mexico." The World Factbook 1995. Available on U.S. Dept. of Commerce, NTDB: The Export Connection [The
National Trade Data Bank] (CD-ROM disc.). Washington, September 1996.
For further explanation and other examples of bibliographic citations, see: Diane L. Garner and Diane H. Smith, The
Complete Guide to Citing Government Publications: A Manual for Writers & Librarians (Bethesda, MD: Congressional
Information Service, 1993). Call number: Ref PE1478.G37 1993, and the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research
Papers, 4th ed. (New York: Modern Language Association of America, 1995). Call number Ref PE1478.G52 1995.
Guide for Citing Government Information Sources
in Footnotes and Endnotes
Note: For term papers and other written work your instructor may require you to use traditional footnotes or endnotes
(samples of which appear below) or another style, known as "parenthetical documentation." See Chapter 5 of the MLA
Handbook for further information.
Report of a U.S. Presidential Commission
1
United States. Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident. Report to the President vol. 1
(Washington: The Commission, 1986) 35.
U.S. Supreme Court Decision
2
Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas. U. S. Reports 347 (17 May 1954): 483-485.
U.S. Congressional Hearing
3
United States. Cong. Senate. Committee on Governmental Affairs. Pentagon Rules on Media Access to the Persian
Gulf War Hearing, 20 Feb. 1991. (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1991) (microfiche) 3-5.
Federal Register
4
"Equal Employment Opportunity for Individuals with Disabilities, Final Rule," Federal Register 56 (26 July 1991):
35725-35755.
Code of Federal Regulations
5
"Admission of Refugees," Code of Federal Regulations 1996 ed. Title 8, Pt. 207, 135-137.
United States Code
6
"Protection of Bald and Golden Eagles," U.S. Code 1994 ed. Title 16, Sec. 668, 957-966.
Statistical Table
7
"Public High School Graduates, by State: 1969-70 to 1994-95," Digest of Education Statistics, 1995 (Washington:
Government Printing Office, 1995) 109.
Paper Within a Published Conference Proceedings
8
Rust, Charles H. "Current and New Marketing Technology (Electronic)," Proceedings of the International Beef Cattle
Symposium, January 15-17, 1991, Heritage Inn, Great Falls, Montana Special Report (Montana Agricultural Experiment
Station) 42. (Bozeman: Montana State University, 1991) 171.
File from a Compact Disc (CD-ROM)
9
"Mexico," The World Factbook 1995. Available on U.S. Dept. of Commerce, NTDB: The Export Connection [The
National Trade Data Bank] (CD-ROM disc). Washington, September 1996.
The above citations to U.S. Reports, U.S. Code, Federal Register, and Code of Federal Regulations are not typical
citation styles found in legal literature. Samples of legal citations are included in Webster's Legal Secretaries' Handbook.
Springfield, MA: G. & C. Merriam Co., 1981. Call number Ref KF319.W42.
11/96 (vy)