Which citation format is correct for a committee report in legislative history?

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Which citation format is correct for a committee report in legislative history?

In legislative history, you cite a committee report with the source designation, then a pinpoint page if you’re pointing to a specific part, and you include the year in parentheses. The correct format shows the House committee report number, followed by a comma, the pinpoint page introduced by “at,” and the year in parentheses: H.R. Rep. No. 93-350, at 26 (1973). The pinpoint page (26) lets readers know exactly where the cited material appears, which is essential for precise references. Omitting the pinpoint page (as in H.R. Rep. No. 93-350 (1973)) loses the exact location. Adding a Senate report (as in including S. Rep. No. 93-47) is inappropriate when you are citing only the House committee report, unless you explicitly intend to reference both sources. And citing only the Senate report (S. Rep. No. 93-47 (1973)) would be wrong if the target material comes from the House committee report.

In legislative history, you cite a committee report with the source designation, then a pinpoint page if you’re pointing to a specific part, and you include the year in parentheses. The correct format shows the House committee report number, followed by a comma, the pinpoint page introduced by “at,” and the year in parentheses: H.R. Rep. No. 93-350, at 26 (1973). The pinpoint page (26) lets readers know exactly where the cited material appears, which is essential for precise references.

Omitting the pinpoint page (as in H.R. Rep. No. 93-350 (1973)) loses the exact location. Adding a Senate report (as in including S. Rep. No. 93-47) is inappropriate when you are citing only the House committee report, unless you explicitly intend to reference both sources. And citing only the Senate report (S. Rep. No. 93-47 (1973)) would be wrong if the target material comes from the House committee report.

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