How do I cite a federal regulation in the APA style?

Answer

Executive agencies issue regulations or rules.  They are first published in the Federal Register (Fed. Reg.), a daily publication.  Each year, the rules are codified (put into a subject arrangement) and published in the Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.).  Examples of Reference lists and in-text citations for both the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations are available in the APA Guide, References tab, Legal materials subtab.

Federal Register:

Federal Regulations in Federal Register APA citation examples

Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.):

Federal Regulation in Code of Federal Regulations APA examples

Also, see examples in APA Academic Writer > Learn tab > Reference examples

Topics

  • Last Updated Jun 03, 2021
  • Views 55514
  • Answered By Suzanne Schriefer, Librarian

FAQ Actions

Was this helpful? 17 29

Comments (1)

  1. Please provide guidance for citing and referencing this CFR:
    TITLE 45: PUBLIC WELFARE; DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
    PART 46: PROTECTION OF HUMAN SUBJECTS
    Subpart A. Basic HHS Policy for Protection of Human Research Subjects
    Sec. §46.101 To what does this policy apply?
    ************
    Would the reference be...?
    1) To what does this policy apply? 45 C.F.R. §46.101 (2009)
    2) PROTECTION OF HUMAN SUBJECTS 45 C.F.R. §46.101 (2009)
    3) PROTECTION OF HUMAN SUBJECTS: To what does this policy apply? 45 C.F.R. §46.101 (2009)

    Sara, Librarian Reply: Hi Pat, based on the examples given in the Answer above, the APA-style citation for this CFR would be your second option, only the capitalization/punctuation should look like this:

    Protection of Human Subjects, 45 C.F.R. §46.101 (2009).

    And the in-text citation would look like this:

    (Protection of Human Subjects, 2009)
    by PatP on Feb 21, 2018

Hello! We're here to help! Please log in to ask your question.

Log in
Ask Us!

Need an answer now? Search our FAQs!

How can I find my course textbook?

You can expect a prompt response, Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM-4:00 PM Central Time (by the next business day on weekends and holidays).

Questions may be answered by a Librarian, Learning Services Coordinator, Instructor, or Tutor. 

Fields marked with * are required.