How to cite a court case in APA Style

Published on February 4, 2021 by Jack Caulfield. Revised on December 27, 2023.

Legal citations (e.g. court cases, laws) in APA Style look somewhat different from other APA citations. They generally don’t list authors, and abbreviations are used to make them more concise.

Citations for court cases refer to reporters, the publications in which cases are documented. To cite a court case or decision, list the name of the case, the volume and abbreviated name of the reporter, the page number, the name of the court, the year, and optionally the URL.

The case name is italicized in the in-text citation, but not in the reference list. In the reference, specify only a single page number—the page where the coverage of that case begins—instead of a full page range.

You can easily create citations for court cases using our free APA Citation Generator.

APA format Name v. Name, Volume number Reporter Page number (Court Year). URL
APA reference entry Thorne v. Deas, 4 Johns. 84 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. 1809). https://www.casebriefs.com/blog/law/torts/torts-keyed-to-dobbs/contract-and-duty/thorne-v-deas/
APA in-text citation (Thorne v. Deas, 1809)

Format variations for specific levels of court are explained in the sections below.

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How to cite a magazine article in APA Style

Published on February 1, 2021 by Jack Caulfield. Revised on December 27, 2023.

To cite a print magazine article in APA Style, list the author’s name, the publication date, the article title, the magazine name, the volume and issue numbers if available, and the page range of the article.

Our free APA Citation Generator can help you create accurate citations for magazine articles.

APA format Last name, Initials. (Year, Month Day). Article title. Magazine Name, Volume(Issue), page range.
APA reference entry Mogelson, L. (2021, January 25). The storm. The New Yorker, 5–12.
APA in-text citation (Mogelson, 2021)
Cite a magazine article in APA Style now:

The same format is used for a magazine found in a database, since APA recommends against including database information in your reference entries.

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How to cite the Constitution in MLA

Published on January 26, 2021 by Jack Caulfield. Revised on June 16, 2022.

To cite the Constitution of the United States in MLA style, include information about where you accessed it in the Works Cited entry. In the in-text citation, use article/amendment and section numbers instead of page numbers.

The example below shows how to cite an online version of the constitution.

MLA format Page Title. Website Name, Publisher, Day Month Year, URL. or URL.
MLA Works Cited entry The Constitution of the United States: A Transcription. National Archives, U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, 4 May 2020, www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript.
MLA in-text citation (“Constitution of the United States,” art. 1, sec. 4)

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How to cite Shakespeare in MLA

Published on January 22, 2021 by Jack Caulfield. Revised on March 5, 2024.

The works of Shakespeare, like many plays, have consistently numbered acts, scenes, and lines. These numbers should be used in your MLA in-text citations, separated by periods, instead of page numbers.

The Works Cited entry follows the format for a book, but varies depending on whether you cite from a standalone edition or a collection. The example below is for a standalone edition of Hamlet.

If you cite multiple Shakespeare plays in your paper, replace the author’s name with an abbreviation of the play title in your in-text citation.

MLA format Shakespeare, William. Play Title. Edited by Editor first name Last name, Publisher, Year.
MLA Works Cited entry Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Edited by G. R. Hibbard, Oxford UP, 2008.
MLA in-text citation (Shakespeare 5.2.201–204) or (Ham. 1.2.321–324)

Scribbr’s free MLA Citation Generator can help you quickly and easily create accurate citations.

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How to cite the Bible in MLA

Published on January 21, 2021 by Jack Caulfield. Revised on March 5, 2024.

MLA in-text citations of the Bible differ from other book citations in that they list the book, chapter, and verse rather than the page number.

In the Works Cited entry, it’s important to list the version of the Bible you used, not just “The Bible.” Include a URL if you accessed an online version of the Bible.

MLA format Bible Title. Edited by Editor first name Last name, Publisher, Year, URL.
MLA Works Cited entry The ESV Bible. Crossway, 2001, www.esv.org/.
MLA in-text citation (ESV Bible, Matt. 1.2)

You can use our free MLA Citation Generator to create accurate citations for your sources.

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How to cite a TED Talk in MLA

Published on January 15, 2021 by Jack Caulfield. Revised on March 5, 2024.

To cite a TED Talk from the TED website in MLA, list the name of the speaker, the talk title, the site name TED, the month and year, and the URL.

In an in-text citation, you can use a timestamp to highlight a specific quote where necessary.

MLA format Speaker last name, First name. “Talk Title.” TED, Month Year, URL.
MLA Works Cited entry Jacobs, A. J. “The Life Cycle of a Cup of Coffee.” TED, Jan. 2021, www.ted.com/talks/a_j_jacobs_the_life_cycle_of_a_cup_of_coffee.
MLA in-text citation (Jacobs 3:15)

For help creating your citations, you can use Scribbr’s free MLA Citation Generator.

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How to cite a PDF in MLA

Published on January 14, 2021 by Jack Caulfield. Revised on March 5, 2024.

MLA doesn’t treat PDFs as their own source type. When you want to cite a PDF, you should determine what type of source it contains (e.g. a book or journal article) and cite it in the appropriate format. You can use our free MLA Citation Generator to do this easily.

If you feel it’s relevant, you may mention in your reference that the source was accessed as a PDF by adding “PDF file.” Note that you can write “PDF download” instead if you link to a page where the PDF can be downloaded (rather than directly to the PDF).

If you’re unsure about the source type, look for clues in the PDF (e.g. the name of the larger publication it comes from), or ask the instructor who provided you with it. This article gives examples of citations for several source types you might encounter in PDF form.

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How to cite a newspaper article in MLA

Published on January 14, 2021 by Jack Caulfield. Revised on March 5, 2024.

To cite a newspaper article in MLA style, list the author, title, name of the newspaper, date of publication, and URL (for online articles) or page number (for print articles). Use the interactive example below to explore the format.

You can also use Scribbr’s free MLA Citation Generator to effortlessly create MLA citations for newspaper articles.

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How to cite a TV show in MLA

Published on January 11, 2021 by Jack Caulfield. Revised on March 5, 2024.

To cite an episode of a TV show in MLA style, list the episode title, the name of the show (in italics), the names and roles of any relevant contributors, the season and episode numbers, main production or distribution company, and year.

In an in-text citation, cite the name of the episode in quotation marks. You can use a timestamp to highlight a specific moment in the episode.

You can also use our free MLA Citation Generator to create MLA citations for TV shows.

MLA format “Episode Title.” TV Show Title, created by Creator first name Last name, season Number, episode Number, Production Company or Distribution Company, Year.
MLA Works Cited entry “Fly.” Breaking Bad, created by Vince Gilligan, season 3, episode 10, High Bridge Productions, 2010.
MLA in-text citation (“Fly” 22:34)

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How to cite a podcast in MLA

Published on January 4, 2021 by Jack Caulfield. Revised on March 5, 2024.

To cite a podcast episode accessed online in MLA style, list the host of the episode as the author, followed by the episode title, podcast name, the season and episode numbers if available, the publisher, the date, and the URL.

If you need to highlight a specific quote in an in-text citation, use a timestamp.

MLA format Host last name, First name, host. “Episode Title.” Podcast Name, season number, episode number, Publisher, Day Month Year, URL.
MLA Works Cited entry Vogt, P. J., and Alex Goldman, hosts. “On the Inside.” Reply All, episode 64, Gimlet, 12 May 2016, gimletmedia.com/shows/reply-all/brho4v/64-on-the-inside.
MLA in-text citation (Vogt and Goldman 11:34)

You can also try our free MLA Citation Generator to create MLA citations for podcasts.

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