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POLI 346: Seminar on the U.S. Courts and Legal System

Citing Sources in Political Science

Political Science research generally uses the Chicago Manual of Style as the primary citation format.

The American Political Science Association (APSA) is a variation of the Chicago author-date system that provides guidance for citing US government documents.

Chicago Manual of Style Citation Quick Guide
Author-date samples for formatting in-text and reference list citations.

Chicago Manual of Style Online: Table of Contents

Bluebook Quick Style Guide
Associated with Chicago style, the Bluebook provides guidance on citing American legal resources, from the editors of
The Columbia Law Review, The Harvard Law Review, The University of Pennsylvania Law Review, and The Yale Law Journal.
Legal Citation Examples: CSUSM Library
Example citations for case files, briefs, and oral arguments.
APSA Style Manual
American Political Science Association Style Manual. Use the tabs at the top of the page to access guidelines and examples.
Chicago Example Paper with Formatting Guidelines
From the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL.)

QUICK CITATION TOOLS

ZoteroBib
Quickly generate a citation or reference list by entering a URL, ISBN, DOI, PMID, arXiv ID, or title into the search box and selecting your preferred citation format.
Google Scholar
Use the cite feature in Google Scholar to generate a citation. Search using the title of your source and click "cite under the item summary. Always double check database generated citations for accuracy.

CITATION MANAGEMENT

Zotero
A free easy-to-use citation management tool to help you collect, store, organize, cite, and share your research sources. Zotero can format in-text citations and generate references lists using your preferred citation style. Visit Intro to Zotero for account creation and user guides.