How to cite a committee report
Bluebook (22d ed.) citation format · B13 / R13.4 · Statutes & legislation
Example
H.R. Rep. No. 99-253, pt. 1, at 54 (1985).
More examples
Each of these is checked against the rules on every change to the tool.
- S. Rep. No. 95-601, at 5 (1977) (Conf. Rep.).
- Carlton Koepge, The Road to Industrial Peace, H.R. Doc. No. 82-563, at 29–30 (1953).
What the citation needs
Required
- Congress — The number of the Congress (“104th”).
- Number — The number that identifies the document in its series.
- Year — The year that goes in the date parenthetical at the end of the citation.
When they apply
- House — The chamber the report is from: “H.R.” or “S.”.
- Kind — Which form of this source you are citing. The fields that matter change with it.
- Part — The part cited.
- Page — The page the source begins on. The page you are citing goes in the pincite.
- Title — The title as it appears on the source. R8(a): capitalize every word except articles, conjunctions and prepositions of four or fewer letters, unless they begin the title or follow a colon.
- Author — The author’s full name as it appears on the publication (R15.1; R16.2).
- Session parenthetical — The session, where the rule calls for it: “1st Sess.”.
- Reprinted in — Where the material is reprinted.
- Database citation — A commercial-database citation, where the source is cited to one — “2010 WL 12345”.
In a brief and in a law review
The Bluebook sets citations two ways: the Bluepages for court documents and legal memoranda, the Whitepages for law review footnotes. Here is the first example above as each one prints it, in its typeface.
Court documents (Bluepages)
H.R. Rep. No. 99-253, pt. 1, at 54 (1985).
Law review footnotes (Whitepages)
H.R. Rep. No. 99-253, pt. 1, at 54 (1985).
The words are the same in both; only the typeface changes.
Common mistakes
Each of these is a citation the checker refuses, with what it says is wrong and the corrected form.
Wrong
H. Rep. No. 99-253, pt. 1, p. 54 (1985).
Why
A House report or document is “H.R. Rep. No.” / “H.R. Doc. No.”; bare “H.” abbreviates “House” for committee names (T9; R13.4(a)).
A pinpoint page in a report follows “at”, not “p.” (R3.2(a); R13.4(a)).
Right
H.R. Rep. No. 99-253, pt. 1, at 54 (1985).
Wrong
S. Rep. No. 95-601, at 5 (1977) Conf. Rep.
Right
S. Rep. No. 95-601, at 5 (1977) (Conf. Rep.).
Wrong
The Road to Industrial Peace, H.R. Doc. No. 82-563, at 29–30 (1953).
Why
If the title of a numbered report is given, name the author as well (R13.4(b); R15.1(c)).
If the title of a numbered report is given, the author must be named too (R13.4(b); R15.1(c)).
Right
Carlton Koepge, The Road to Industrial Peace, H.R. Doc. No. 82-563, at 29–30 (1953).
Governing rules
B13 / R13.4
- 13 — legislative materials.
- 13.4(a) — numbered federal reports and documents.
- T9 — legislative-document abbreviations.
Build this citation with the generator, check one you have already written, or paste a whole list of footnotes to check them in order.
Related source types
Statutes & legislation: