How to Cite U.S. Government Documents in APA Citation Style: Rules/Regulations -- Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.) and the Federal Register

If you found your reference in an academic database (like Proquest Congressional Publications, or Hein Online), the database URL is not included.

If you found your reference on the open web (for example, govinfo.gov, add the DOI (or, if a DOI is not available, the URL), after the final period.

See page 296 of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, (2020) for more information.

Rules/Regulations

• Regulations are first published in the Federal Register before being codified in the Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.).
• If the regulation does not yet appear in the C.F.R, cite to the Federal Register.
• The Federal Register entry will include information about where the regulation will appear in the C.F.R. This information should also be included at the end of your citation, in parentheses.

Note: The C.F.R. is organized by titles, chapters, parts, and sections. The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association provides an example of citing to a specific section, using the section symbol. If you are citing to the entire part, you may wish to use the The Bluebook guidelines, by adding pt. or pts. Chapters are not included in citations.

Regulation published in the Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.):

In text:

• (Filing Copies of Campaign Finance Reports and Statements With State Officers, 2000)
• Filing Copies of Campaign Finance Reports and Statements With State Officers (2000)

Reference list:

• Filing Copies of Campaign Finance Reports and Statements With State Officers, 11 C.F.R. pt.108 (2000). URL
• Filing Copies of Campaign Finance Reports and Statements With State Officers, Duties of State Officers, 11 C.F.R. § 108.6 (2000). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2000-title11-vol1/pdf/CFR-2000-title11-vol1.pdf

Regulation that has appeared in the Federal Register as a Final Rule but has not yet been published in the Code of Federal Regulations:

In text:

Provide the title or number (or other descriptive information) and the date published.

• (Energy Efficiency and Conservation Loan Program, 2013)
• Energy Efficiency and Conservation Loan Program (2013)

Reference list:

• Energy Efficiency and Conservation Loan Program, 78 Fed. Reg. 73356 (2013) (to be codified at 7 C.F.R. pts. 1710, 1717, 1721, 1724, 1730). https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/FR-2013-12-05/2013-29158

Explanation: The official posting of this new rule appears on page 73355 of the 78th volume of the Federal Register, affecting parts 1710, 1717, et. al. in the Code of Federal Regulations. The Federal Register does not point to specific sections of the parts.

Regulation proposed in the Federal Register for comments.

In Text:

• (Endangered and Threatened Species, 2021)
• Endangered and Threatened Species; Critical Habitat for the Threatened Indo-Pacific Corals (2021)

Note: It is generally permissible to shorten long titles when included in a parenthetical reference. The important point is to lead your reader to the location of the reference in the reference list.