PERRLA/Guides/MLA 9/State constitution

How to Cite a State Constitution in MLA 9

An MLA 9 Works Cited entry for a state constitution can name the constitution itself, in plain type, then the article and section you cite: The Constitution of Florida. Art. I, sec. 23. A constitution is a law, so MLA sets its name with no italics or quotation marks. The in-text citation drops the leading The and gives the same article and section: (Constitution of Florida, art. I, sec. 23).

The format

The Constitution of State Name. Art. #, sec. #. · In text: (Constitution of State Name, art. #, sec. #)

PERRLA MLA Experts · Updated October 30, 2026
Checked against the MLA Handbook, 9th edition. Every example is formatted by PERRLA's reference engine.

First, the easy way: PERRLA

Choose Constitutions & Charters (under Legal References), then A state Constitution, and pick Article of a state constitution (or the amendment choice, for a state that numbers its amendments). In State's Abbreviation, type the state's legal abbreviation, like Fla., or its full name, and PERRLA prints the full name: The Constitution of Florida. Then fill in the article and the section. Type a single article number as 7 or VII, and PERRLA prints VII either way. Citing several provisions? Leave the article box empty, and PERRLA builds one entry for the whole constitution. The form's note says this type cites the canonical document, the constitution itself rather than one copy of it, and that's the entry this page shows.

Have a legal citation like Fla. Const. art. I, § 23? Paste it into PERRLA's reference search, and PERRLA fills in the state, the article, and the section. Then, for each in-text citation, open Page or location, choose Other, type art. as the label, and type the rest as the value, like I, sec. 23. PERRLA keeps the title in plain type and drops the leading The in the citation.

Look up
Paste a constitution citation, get the reference

Fla. Const. art. I, § 23

The Constitution of Florida. Art. I, sec. 23.

Not using PERRLA yet? Here is how to build the same works cited entry by hand.

The parts of the works cited entry

1. Title: the constitution's name

Start with the constitution's name, in plain type, followed by a period. A constitution is a law, and MLA styles the titles of constitutions like the names of other laws: capitalized like a title, with no italics or quotation marks. PERRLA names a state's constitution by its state.

The Constitution of Florida.

Because the name includes the state, your reader can tell it apart from the U.S. Constitution and from other states' constitutions.

2. Article and section

Next comes the provision you cite: Art. and the article's Roman numeral, then sec. and the section, separated by a comma and ending with a period. Only the first label takes a capital, because it starts a new part of the entry.

Art. I, sec. 23.

Citing a whole article? Stop after the article number: Art. IX. Citing several provisions in one paper? An entry for the whole constitution stops after the title, and your in-text citations name each provision.

3. Article and section (in the text)

The provision you mean goes in your in-text citation, after the constitution's name without the leading The and a comma: art. and the article, then sec. and the section, in lowercase.

(Constitution of Florida, art. I, sec. 23)

Citing a whole article? Stop after the article number: (Constitution of Florida, art. IX). A few states keep numbered amendments at the end instead of rewriting the articles. For those, write amend. and the number.

Examples

An article and section: Florida's right of privacy

Article I, Section 23 of the Florida Constitution, added in 1980, gives every natural person "the right to be let alone" from government intrusion into their private life. It comes up in health privacy and patient rights papers. This is PERRLA's Constitutions & Charters entry for the provision: the state was typed as Fla., and PERRLA printed Florida.

  • In-text citation(Constitution of Florida, art. I, sec. 23)
  • Narrative citationThe Florida Constitution gives every natural person "the right to be let alone" … (art. I, sec. 23).

A public health provision: New York

Article XVII, Section 3 of the New York Constitution declares that protecting and promoting the health of the state's residents is a matter of public concern. It's a natural source for public health and community health nursing papers.

  • In-text citation(Constitution of New York, art. XVII, sec. 3)
  • Narrative citationThe New York Constitution names the health of the state's people a matter of public concern (art. XVII, sec. 3).

A state that numbers articles in Arabic: Texas

Article 7, Section 1 of the Texas Constitution makes it the Legislature's duty to support an efficient system of public free schools. The Texas Legislature's site prints "Article 7," so the article was typed into PERRLA as 7, and PERRLA printed VII.

  • In-text citation(Constitution of Texas, art. VII, sec. 1)
  • Narrative citationThe Texas Constitution makes it the Legislature's duty to support … public free schools (art. VII, sec. 1).

A whole article: Florida's education article

Article IX of the Florida Constitution covers education. When your point is about the article as a whole, leave the section box empty.

  • In-text citation(Constitution of Florida, art. IX)
  • Narrative citationThe Florida Constitution's education article … (art. IX).

One entry for the whole constitution

Writing about several Florida provisions? Leave the article box empty, and PERRLA builds one entry for the whole constitution. Each in-text citation then names the provision, like Article I, Section 2, which declares all natural persons, female and male alike, equal before the law.

  • In-text citation(Constitution of Florida, art. I, sec. 2)
  • Narrative citationThe Florida Constitution declares that "All natural persons, female and male alike, are equal before the law" (art. I, sec. 2).

In-text citations

An MLA 9 in-text citation for a state constitution starts with the first words of its Works Cited entry, the constitution's name without the leading The, then gives the article and section in place of a page number, after a comma.

  • Parenthetical: (Constitution of Florida, art. I, sec. 23)
  • Constitution in your sentence: give only the location at the end: The Florida Constitution protects a person's right to be let alone (art. I, sec. 23).
  • A whole article: (Constitution of Florida, art. IX)
  • Comparing states: each state's constitution gets its own entry, and each citation names its own state: (Constitution of Florida, art. I, sec. 23; Constitution of Texas, art. VII, sec. 1)

Keep the state's name in the parentheses: if your list also cites the U.S. Constitution or another state's, Constitution alone could point to any of them. The name stays in plain type in the parentheses and in your sentences: the Florida Constitution. Writing about a state law instead of the constitution? See the guide to citing a state law.

Common mistakes

  • (Fla. Const. art. I, § 23)(Constitution of Florida, art. I, sec. 23)That's legal citation, the form APA uses. In MLA, the in-text citation starts with the first words of your Works Cited entry and spells the section as sec.
  • The Constitution of Florida. Art. I, sec. 23.The Constitution of Florida. Art. I, sec. 23.A constitution is a law, so MLA keeps its name in plain type, with no italics or quotation marks.
  • (Constitution, art. I, sec. 23)(Constitution of Florida, art. I, sec. 23)When your Works Cited list also has the U.S. Constitution or another state's, Constitution alone could point to any of them. Keep the state's name in the citation.
  • (The Constitution of Florida, art. I, sec. 23)(Constitution of Florida, art. I, sec. 23)MLA leaves a leading The out of a title in an in-text citation.
  • Under the Florida Constitution, every person has a right of privacy.Under the Florida Constitution, every person has a right of privacy.A constitution is a law, so its name is never italic in your sentences. It's capitalized like a title and set in plain type.
  • (Constitution of Texas, 1876, art. VII, sec. 1)(Constitution of Texas, art. VII, sec. 1)MLA in-text citations don't take a year. The title and the location are enough to find the passage.

Quick checklist

  • The constitution's name in plain type: The Constitution of Florida
  • Art. and sec. after the name, only the first label capitalized
  • Several provisions cited? One entry for the whole constitution works too
  • In-text: the name without The, a comma, art. and sec.
  • The state's name kept in the in-text citation
  • No year in the in-text citation

Questions students ask

Does a state constitution go on my Works Cited page in MLA?

Yes, if you quote it or point to a provision. The entry names the constitution in plain type, then the article and section: The Constitution of Florida. Art. I, sec. 23. Citing several provisions? One entry for the whole constitution covers them, and your in-text citations name each article and section.

Where should I read my state's constitution?

The state legislature's own site is a good choice, because it carries the current text, with amendments written into the articles. The entry on this page names the constitution itself, so the article and section numbers are what lead your reader to the passage.

My state's website numbers articles in Arabic numerals. Which do I use?

Texas's legislature prints "Article 7." PERRLA's Constitutions & Charters type prints the Roman numeral, Art. VII, either way you type it, so use art. VII in your in-text citations too, to match the entry.

What if my state's constitution has been amended?

In most states, an amendment rewrites the article itself, so cite the article and section as they read now. If your point is about an older version, say which one in your sentence.

How is MLA different from APA for a state constitution?

APA uses legal citation, like Fla. Const. art. I, § 23, with the state's legal abbreviation. MLA spells out the constitution's name in plain type, writes the labels as Art. and sec., and keys the in-text citation to the Works Cited entry: (Constitution of Florida, art. I, sec. 23).

Rules checked against the MLA Handbook (9th ed.), chapters 5 and 6 (the core elements and in-text citations, including short titles without a leading article), and the MLA Style Center's posts Should Titles of Constitutions Be Italicized? (3 Nov. 2021: titles of constitutions in roman type, like other laws) and Documenting Legal Works in MLA Style (5 Apr. 2017: names of laws and political documents in roman type, and in-text references that key to the entry). Example provisions verified on the Florida Senate's constitution page, the New York State Senate's Open Legislation site, and the Texas Legislature's constitution and statutes site.

PERRLA builds the state constitution entry from the state, article, and section you pick, and adds them to each in-text citation.

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