Government Documents, Data
& Maps

Note: For print citations, omit the medium (online), the URL and the date viewed.

General Guidelines

1. Follow the general rules for the style you are using for the rest of the paper. For example, if you are using the MLA style guide, use the same punctuation and placement rules for government publications as you would for other materials cited.

2. The function of footnotes is to guide your reader to the sources of your information, and to attribute the contribution of the work of others properly. Include as much information as is needed to describe the resource accurately.

3. The standard elements that are part of an electronic bibliographic citation are:

Personal Author(s) or Corporate Author(s). Title (online). (Agency report number, if applicable). Edition. Place of publication: Publisher or Supplier, Date (if available). Series information. Available: [Accessed date accessed].

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Bills, Acts (Statutes) and Regulations
2. Records of Legislative Bodies: Debates and Committee Proceedings
3. Reports and Publications of Government Departments
4. Statistics Canada
5. United Nations
6. Maps
7. Data
8. Related citation guides

1. Bills, Acts (Statutes), and Regulations

• Bills

  Bills are proposed laws for a legislative body to consider; they do not have legal authority. Bill numbering usually starts anew with each legislative session.

  General form:

  Jurisdiction. Title. Bill number, Parliament, session and date. (Online). Place of publication: Publisher/provider, date (if available). Status of bill. Available: URL [Accessed access date].

  Examples:

  • Canada. Parliament. House of Commons. An Act providing for the Ratification and the Bringing into Effect of the Framework Agreement on First Nation Land Management. Bill C-49, 36th Parliament, 1st Session, 1997-1998. (Online). Ottawa: Public Works and Government Services Canada, 1998. 1st Reading, June 11, 1998. Available: http://www.parl.gc.ca/common/Bills_House_Government.asp?Language=E&Parl=36&Ses=1#C-49 [Accessed July 30, 2004].

  • New Brunswick. Legislative Assembly. An Act to Amend the Coroner’s Act. Bill C-53, 55th Legislature, 2nd Session, 2005-2006. (Online). Fredericton: Queen’s Printer, 2005. 1st Reading, May 31, 2005. Available: http://www1.gnb.ca/legis/bill/editform-e.asp?ID=359&legi=55&num=2 [Accessed 5 Sept. 2006].

  • United States. Congress. Senate. A Bill to Amend the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982. S608, 106th Congress, 1st Session, 1999. (Online). GPO Access, Congressional Bills, 1999. Introduced in the U.S. Senate; 15 March 1999. Available: http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/cong009.html; DOCID: f:s608is.txt [Accessed 24 May 1999].

You may see references to the following abbreviated format if the context of the paper or article makes the legislative authority evident.
• Bill C-207: An Act to Recognize Hockey as a National Sport. 1st reading, December 22, 1988, 34th Parl., 1st sess., 1988. Ottawa: Queen's Printer, 1988.
• Acts/Statutes

  Acts are bills that have successfully passed through the legislative process, becoming a “law of the land.” The term “act” is often used interchangeably with “laws” or “statutes.” There are two conventions for citing an act; one uses common abbreviations for jurisdiction and statute volumes, with minimal publishing information. This abbreviated version is often used in legal articles or documents. The following examples provide more detailed information and are helpful for readers who are not familiar with legal citation.

  General form:

  Name of Act. (Online). In Title/edition of the publication in which the act was printed, followed by chapter or act number. Available: URL [Accessed date accessed].

  Examples:

  • "An Act to Amend the Copyright Act" (Online). In Statutes of Canada, 1997, Chapter 24. Available: http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/1997/24/index.html [Accessed 4 August 2005].

  • “Mental Health Act.” (Online). In Consolidated Statutes of New Brunswick, 1996, Chapter M-10. Available: http://www.gnb.ca/0062/acts/acts/m-10.htm [Accessed 6 Sept. 2006].

  • "Protection of Bald and Golden Eagles." (Online) U.S. Code, 1988 ed., Title 16, Sec. 668. Available: http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode16/usc_sec_16_00000668----000-.html [AccessedJuly 4, 2006].

• Regulations

  Regulations provide details relating to the application of an act and do not require the scrutiny of the legislative process.

  General form:

  “Name of regulation.” Title of compendium of regulations. Year. Regulation number. Available: URL [Accessed date accessed].

  Examples:

  • “Rules of Court of New Brunswick Regulation.” (Online). New Brunswick Royal Gazette v. 164 (10 July 2006), 1179. Reg. 2006-46. Available: http://www.gnb.ca/0062/gazette/RG20060719.pdf [Accessed 4 Sept. 2006].

  • “Cosmetic Regulations.” (Online). Consolidated Regulations of Canada (C.R.C.), 2006. c.869. Available: http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/f-27/c.r.c.-c.869/122960.html [Accessed 20 Sept. 2006].

  • "Admission of Refugees." (Online). U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, 1992. Title 8, pt. 207. Available: http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=c233f1f75b8aceefca1b6242cbc91355&rgn=div5&view=text&node=8:1.0.1.2.10&idno=8 [Accessed 11 November 2005].

2. Records of the Legislative Body

Depending on the jurisdiction involved, there may be a variety of publications recording the work of the legislative body. At the Canadian federal and provincial level, there are often daily/sessional journals recounting the events of the legislative body; daily/sessional accounts of the debates of the legislative body; proceedings and/or evidence of legislative committees; and records of the status of bills and motions before the legislative body.

• Debates

  General form:

  Legislative body. Title of the publication in which the debates appeared followed by name of legislative body, session, issue and date. (Online). Place of publication: Publisher/provider, date (if available). Available URL [Accessed date accessed].

  Examples:

  • Canada. Parliament. House of Commons. Debates, 36th Parliament, 1st Session, vol. 135, issue 121A, June 18, 1998. (Online). Available: http://www.parl.gc.ca/common/Chamber_House_Debates_load.asp?Language=E&Parl=36&Ses=1&Dte=121A_1998-06-18-E [Accessed July 30, 2004].

  • Canada. Parliament. House of Commons. Debates, 28th Parliament, 1st Session, vol. 4, 1968-1969. Ottawa: Queen's Printer, 1969.

  • New Brunswick. Legislative Assembly. Journal of Debates (Hansard), 54th Assembly, 4th session, Daily sitting 12, (December 7, 2001). Fredericton, NB: Queen’s Printer, 2001.

  For a specific speech in the legislative body for endnote or footnote reference, cite the speaker, an indication of the topic (in square brackets), as well as the location of the speech.
  • Myers, Lynn. "[Victims' Rights]." In Canada. Parliament. House of Commons. Debates. 36th Parliament, 1st Session, Vol. 135 (May 26, 1998), pp. 7239-7241.

• Committee proceedings and reports

  General form: proceedings/evidence

  Legislative Body. Committee Name. Title and edition of the committee document. Name of legislative body, session, issue and date. (Online). Available: URL [Accessed date accessed].

  Examples:

  • Canada. Parliament. House of Commons. Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development. Minutes of Proceedings. (Meeting No. 60, June 8, 1998) 36th Parliament, 1st Session. (Online). Available: http://www.parl.gc.ca/InfoCom/CommitteeMinute.asp?Language=E&Parliament=1&Joint=0&CommitteeID=110 [Accessed July 30, 2004].

  General form: reports

  Legislative Body. Committee Name. Title of the committee document. Place of publication: Publisher, date. (Series; issue number). Available: URL [Accessed date accessed].

  Examples:

  • Canada. Parliament. House of Commons. Standing Committee on Natural Resources. Streamlining Environmental Regulation for Mining: Final Report. Ottawa: Publishing, Public Works and Government Services, Canada, 1996. (Minutes of proceedings of the Standing Committee on Natural Resources; issue no. 4).

  • United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Governmental Affairs. Pentagon Rules on Media Access to the Persian Gulf War. Hearing, 20 Feb. 1991. 102nd Cong., 1st sess. (microfiche). Washington: Government Printing Office, 1991.

3. Reports and Publications

Government reports do not often indicate the writer of the report by name; authorship is usually attributed to the department or agency responsible for the report. If a report does have a personal author, the work as a unit is regarded as a product of the agency itself.

• Corporate authorship

  General form

  In the case of corporate authorship, use the following format:

  Issuing agency or entity. Title of report, personal author (if applicable). Edition. Online. (Report number). Place of publication: publisher, date. (Series title, number). Available URL [Accessed date accessed].

• Personal authorship

  General form

  If a disclaimer is provided indicating that the views in the report do not necessarily reflect those of the department or issuing agency, use the more standard bibliographic format:

  Personal author. Title of report. Edition. (Online). (Report number), if applicable. Place of publication: publisher, date of publication.(Series title; number). Available: URL [Accessed date accessed].

  Examples

  • Royal Commissions and Task Force Publications
    • Canada. Royal Commission on New Reproductive Technologies. Proceed With Care. Ottawa: Canada Government Publishing, 1993.

    • Canada. Task Force on Spam. Stopping Spam: Creating a Stronger, Safer Internet. (Online). Ottawa: Industry Canada, 2005. Available: http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/epic/internet/inecic-ceac.nsf/vwapj/stopping_spam_May2005.pdf/ [Accessed 20 September 2006.]

  • Departmental reports
    • Canada. Environment Canada. Canadian Ice Service. Annual Arctic Ice Atlas. 2003 ed.(CD-ROM). [Ottawa: Environment Canada, 2003].

    • Canadian Wildlife Service. Atlantic Region. Partners in Flight Canada: Maritime Canada Landbird Conservation Plan / Dan Busby … [et al.] Ottawa: The Service, 2006. (Technical Report Series; no. 449)

    • U.S. General Accounting Office. Homeland Security: Progress Made; More Direction and Partnership Sought. (Online). GPO Access. 12 March 2002. Available: http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/aces/aces160.shtml [Accessed 3 May 2002].

    • U.S. Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service. Shared Housing: A Possible Alternative for Housing the Elderly? / Susan Vanhorenbeck. (Microfilm). Washington: The Service, 1983. (1983/84 CRSI Reel 10, Frame 681).

    With departmental/governmental disclaimer on verso of title page:
    • Rude, Darlene and Deiter, Connie. From the Fur Trade to Free Trade: Forestry and First Nations Women in Canada. Ottawa: Status of Women, 2004. Available: http://www.swc-cfc.gc.ca/pubs/pubspr/0662363779/index_e.html [Accessed: 16 December 2005].

4. Statistics Canada

You will see many variations in the citation of Statistics Canada products but the most recent development for users is Statistics Canada’s How to Cite Statistics Canada Products, from which these examples are taken.

Examples:

• Statistics Canada. Labour Markets, Social Institutions, and the Future of Canada's Children. Corak, Miles (ed.). Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 89-553-XIB. Ottawa: Industry Canada, 1998.. Available: http://www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/89-553-XIB/89-553-XIB00098.pdf [Accessed August 16, 2005].

• Milan, Anne and Brian Hamm. “Mixed unions.” Canadian Social Trends. No. 73 (2004); 2-6. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 11-008-XIE.Available: http://www.statcan.ca/english/studies/11-008/feature/11-008-XIE20040016882.pdf [Accessed August 16, 2005].

• Statistics Canada. Gross Domestic Product, Income-based (table) Canadian Statistics. Version updated May 31, 2005. Available: http://www.statcan.ca/english/Pgdb/econ03.htm [Accessed August 19, 2005].

Citing a CANSIM table from E-STAT

• Statistics Canada. Table 326-0001 Consumer Price Index (CPI), 2001 Basket Content, Monthly (table). CANSIM (database). Using E-STAT (distributor). Version updated July 2004. Available: http://estat.statcan.ca/cgi-win/CNSMCGI.EXE?CANSIMFILE=EStat\English\CII_1_E.htm [Accessed August 19, 2005].

Citing a CANSIM data table extracted using CHASS

• Statistics Canada. Table 326-0001 Consumer Price Index (CPI), 2001 Basket Content, Monthly (table). CANSIM (database). Using CHASS (distributor). Version updated August 18, 2005. Available: http://datacenter2.chass.utoronto.ca/cansim2/index.jsp [Accessed August 19, 2005].

Citing a table from 2001 Census Cumulative Electronic Profiles

• Statistics Canada. "Profile for Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions, 2001 Census" (table). Cumulative Electronic Profiles. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 95F0495XCB01001. Ottawa. October 22. Available: http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/products/standard/profiles/ ListProducts.cfm? Temporal=2001&APATH=3&RL=9&FREE=0 [Accessed August 16, 2005].

Citing a table from 2001 Census Print Profiles

• Statistics Canada. “Selected Characteristics for Census Tracts, 2001 Census, 100% Data and 20% Sample Data.” (Table). Profile of Census Tracts in Hamilton, 2001 Census. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 95-236-XPB. Ottawa: Statistics Canada, 2004.

5. United Nations

General Form:

Name of main U.N. body, session number or year (if one). Subsidiary body and session (if one). Title and meeting number (if one), meeting date (if one) (document number). Document type, i.e. Official Record. Place and date of publication (if given). (Notes, e.g. microform collection note)

Examples:

• U.N. General Assembly, 52nd Session. Strengthening the Coordination of Humanitarian and Disaster Relief...Emergency Assistance to the Sudan: Report of the Secretary-General (A/52/525). 24 October 1997. (Masthead). (1997 Readex microfiche).

• U.N. Security Council. Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission (S/1998/269). 25 March 1998. (Masthead).

• U.N. General Assembly, 52nd Session. [ Provisional Verbatim Record ], 83rd Plenary Meeting, 27 April 1998 (A/52/PV.83). Official Record.

• U.N. Security Council, 49th Year. "Resolution 940 [On the Question Concerning Haiti]" 31 July 1994, pp. 51-52. In Resolutions and Decisions of the Security Council 1994 (S/INF/50). Official Record. New York, 1996.

6. Maps

Maps created using geographic information system (GIS) software

• Statistics Canada. 2004. Ottawa–Hull Urban Area, Highest Level of Education, University Degree (map). Using 2001 Census, Ottawa–Hull CMA Census Tract (cartographic boundary file, gct_505b02a_e.exe) and E-STAT, 2001 Census (data file). Using ArcGIS, Version 9.0 (Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc., Redlands, Calif.). Ottawa: University of Ottawa Geographic Information and Data Centre. Scale: 2 cm = 1 km, approximately.

E-STAT Search map

• Statistics Canada. Punjabi, Non-official Languages, Single Responses, Population by Mother Tongue, British Columbia Lower Mainland, Showing Census Metropolitan Area / Census Agglomeration Boundaries (map). E-STAT. Learning Resources. Search map 2001. Version updated December 17, 2003. http://geodepot.statcan.ca/Diss/E-Stat/E-stat.cfm?LANG=E&CFID=194163&CFTOKEN= 45218370 (accessed August 16, 2005).

For other examples of citing maps:

Peoples, Deborah Carter. Citing Maps . (Online). Delaware: Ohio Wesleyan University, 2005. Version updated 5/02/05. Accessible: http://library.owu.edu/citing222.html [Accessed 20 Sept. 2006].

7. Data Files

Public Use Microdata Files:
• Statistics Canada. Survey of Consumer Finances 1998, Individuals, Aged 15 Years and Over, With and Without Income, 1997 Income (public-use microdata file). Statistics Canada (producer). Using UNB Data Services (distributor). Available http://www.lib.unb.ca/gddm/data (accessed August 16, 2005). One data file, 68,633 records, 22.8 MB uncompressed, 3.5 MB zipped. Accompanying documentation: user guide (PDF), SPSS command file (TXT). http://www.statcan.ca/english/Dli/Data/Ftp/scf.htm (accessed August 16, 2005).

• Statistics Canada. User Guide, Public-use Microdata File, Survey of Household Spending, 2002. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 62M0004XCB. Ottawa. Available http://www.statcan.ca/english/Dli/Metadata/shs/2002/shs2002gid.pdf [Accessed August 16, 2005].

For other examples of citing data files:

• Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR). Citing Electronic Data Files. (Online). Ann Arbor: ICPSR, 2005. Available: http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/org/citation.html [Accessed 20 Sept. 2006].

8. Related Citation Guides

Cheney, Debora. The Complete Guide to Citing Government Information Resources: a Manual for Social Science and Business Research. 3rd ed. Bethesda, MD: Congressional Information Service, 2002. (HIL-GOVDSK J 9.5 .G37 2002 )

Li, Xia and Nancy B. Crane. Electronic Styles: a Handbook for Citing Electronic Information. 2nd ed. Medford, N.J.:

Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. 6th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996.

Page, Melvin A Brief Citation Guide for Internet Sources in History and the Humanities. Ver. 2.1. H-Net, Humanities & Social Sciences Online and East Tennessee State Universty. Available: http://www.h-net.org/about/citation/ [Accessed 24 Sept. 2006].

Williams, Saundra. Brief Guide to Citing Government Publications. Tennessee: University of Memphis, 2006. Available: http://exlibris.memphis.edu/resource/unclesam/citeweb.html [Accessed 20 Sept. 2006].

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Revised 25 Sept. 2006
Elizabeth Hamilton