How to Cite the ADA

The Americans with Disabilities Act is a landmark piece of legislation passed in the United States in 1990. When citing this law in a reference list at the end of a term paper, for example, you should follow the general rules for citing federal legislation. The exact format of your citation will depend on the citation style you are using, and whether you retrieved the ADA from an Internet database.

APA Style

Step 1

Format your citation as follows if you are citing the ADA as a whole: Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, Pub. L. No. 101-336, 104 Stat. 328 (1990).

Step 2

Format your citation as follows if you are citing a specific section of the ADA: Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, Pub. L. No. 101-336, § 1, 104 Stat. 328 (1990). The symbol § stands for section while §§ is the plural form.

Step 3

List the full date and the name of the database if you retrieved the text of the ADA from an Internet database. For example: Retrieved July 19, 2005, from LexisNexis Academic database.

MLA Style

Step 1

Format your citation as follows if you are citing the ADA as a whole: Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990. Pub. L. 101-336. 26 July 1990. 104 Stat. 328.

Step 2

Format your citation as follows if you are citing a specific section of the ADA: Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990. Pub. L. 101-336. § 1. 26 July 1990. 104 Stat. 328. The symbol § stands for section while §§ is the plural form.

Step 3

List the full date and the name of the database if you retrieved the text of the ADA from an Internet database. For example: LexisNexis Academic. Web. 19 Jul. 2005. Be sure to italicize the name of the database.

Chicago Style

Step 1

Format your citation as follows if you are citing the ADA as a whole: Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990. Public Law 101-336. 108th Congress, 2nd session (July 26, 1990).

Step 2

Format your citation as follows if you are citing a specific section of the ADA: Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990. Public Law 101-336. § 1. 108th Congress, 2nd session (July 26, 1990). The symbol § stands for section while §§ is the plural form.

Step 3

List the web address after your citation if you retrieved the text of the ADA from an Internet database. For example: http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe/.