PERRLA/Guides/MLA 9/U.S. Constitution

How to Cite the U.S. Constitution in MLA 9

An MLA 9 Works Cited entry for the U.S. Constitution can name the document itself, in plain type, then the part you cite: The Constitution of the United States. Art. I, sec. 8, cl. 3. MLA styles the titles of constitutions like the names of other laws, with no italics or quotation marks. The in-text citation drops the leading The and gives the article, section, and clause: (Constitution of the United States, art. I, sec. 8, cl. 3). In your own sentences, write the Constitution with no italics.

The format

The Constitution of the United States. Art. #, sec. #, cl. #. · In text: (Constitution of the United States, art. #, sec. #, cl. #)

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 The U.S. Constitution, and pick Article of the U.S. Constitution or Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Fill in the article or amendment, plus the section and the clause if you're pointing to one. You can type a single number as 14 or XIV, and PERRLA prints the Roman numeral either way. Citing several parts of the Constitution? Leave Article Number(s) empty, and PERRLA builds one entry for the whole document. 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.

Already have a legal citation from your reading, like U.S. Const. art. I, § 8, cl. 3? Paste it into PERRLA's reference search, and PERRLA fills in the article, the section, and the clause. Then, for each in-text citation, open Page or location, choose Other, type art. (or amend., for an amendment) as the label, and type the rest as the value, like I, sec. 8, cl. 3. PERRLA keeps the title in plain type, drops the leading The in the citation, and writes the labels after the first in lowercase.

Look up
Paste a constitution citation, get the reference

U.S. Const. art. I, § 8, cl. 3

The Constitution of the United States. Art. I, sec. 8, cl. 3.

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. MLA styles the titles of constitutions like the names of other laws: capitalized like a title, with no italics or quotation marks. There's no author and no date: the entry starts with the title.

The Constitution of the United States.

Don't add 1787. The year the Constitution was written isn't part of this entry.

2. Article, section, and clause

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

Art. I, sec. 8, cl. 3.

Articles V, VI, and VII have no sections, so they go straight from the article to the clause: Art. VI, cl. 2. An amendment takes Amend. and its number instead: Amend. XIV, sec. 1. Citing several parts in one paper? An entry for the whole Constitution stops after the title, and your in-text citations name each part.

3. Article, section, and clause (in the text)

Your in-text citation names the Constitution without the leading The, then a comma and the part you mean, with every label in lowercase.

(Constitution of the United States, art. I, sec. 8, cl. 3)

Cite as narrowly as your point needs: the whole article, one section, or one clause. Clauses aren't numbered in the Constitution's text: count the paragraphs in the section, or check the clause numbers on Congress's Constitution Annotated (constitution.congress.gov).

Examples

One clause: the Commerce Clause

Article I, Section 8, Clause 3 gives Congress the power to regulate commerce with other nations, among the states, and with Indian tribes. It's at the center of many debates over federal health law. This is PERRLA's Constitutions & Charters entry for the clause, with the article, section, and clause added to the in-text citation under Other.

  • In-text citation(Constitution of the United States, art. I, sec. 8, cl. 3)
  • Narrative citationThe Constitution gives Congress the power to regulate commerce … (art. I, sec. 8, cl. 3).

A whole section: the powers of Congress

Section 8 of Article I lists the powers of Congress, from taxing and spending to regulating commerce. Cite the section when your point is about the list as a whole, not one power on it.

  • In-text citation(Constitution of the United States, art. I, sec. 8)
  • Narrative citationAs the Constitution sets out, Congress has the power to … (art. I, sec. 8).

An article with no sections: the Supremacy Clause

Article VI has no numbered sections. Its second paragraph, the Supremacy Clause, makes the Constitution and federal law "the supreme Law of the Land," which is why a federal law can override a conflicting state law. Leave the section box empty and give the clause.

  • In-text citation(Constitution of the United States, art. VI, cl. 2)
  • Narrative citationThe Constitution calls itself "the supreme Law of the Land" (art. VI, cl. 2).

A section of an amendment: the Fourteenth Amendment

Section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment holds the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses. The amendment number was typed into PERRLA as 14, and PERRLA printed it as XIV. In the in-text citation, the label is amend. instead of art. The entry gives Amend. in place of Art. (see the guide to citing a constitutional amendment).

  • In-text citation(Constitution of the United States, amend. XIV, sec. 1)
  • Narrative citationThe Constitution's Fourteenth Amendment bars any state from denying … (amend. XIV, sec. 1).

One entry for the whole Constitution

Citing several articles in one paper? Leave the article box empty, and PERRLA builds one entry for the whole document. Each in-text citation then names the part you mean, like Article I, Section 1, which gives Congress its lawmaking power.

  • In-text citation(Constitution of the United States, art. I, sec. 1)
  • Narrative citationThe Constitution vests "All legislative Powers herein granted" in Congress (art. I, sec. 1).

In-text citations

An MLA 9 in-text citation for the Constitution starts with the first words of its Works Cited entry, the Constitution's name without the leading The, then gives the part you mean in place of a page number. Put a comma after the name, then the labels art., sec., and cl. (or amend. for an amendment), all in lowercase.

  • Parenthetical: (Constitution of the United States, art. I, sec. 8, cl. 3)
  • Constitution in your sentence: give only the location at the end: The Constitution gives Congress the power to regulate commerce among the states (art. I, sec. 8, cl. 3).
  • An amendment: (Constitution of the United States, amend. XIV, sec. 1)
  • A whole article: (Constitution of the United States, art. VI)

The name stays in plain type in the parentheses and in your sentences: the Constitution, with a capital C and no italics. MLA spells out numbers you can write in one or two words, so in your sentences it's the First Amendment and the Fourteenth Amendment. Citing an amendment that was later repealed? See the guide to citing a constitutional amendment.

Common mistakes

  • (U.S. Const. art. I, § 8, cl. 3)(Constitution of the United States, art. I, sec. 8, cl. 3)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 the United States. Art. I, sec. 8, cl. 3.The Constitution of the United States. Art. I, sec. 8, cl. 3.This entry names the Constitution itself, and MLA styles the names of constitutions like other laws: capitalized, in plain type.
  • In the Constitution, Congress holds the power to tax.In the Constitution, Congress holds the power to tax.In your sentences, the Constitution is styled like the name of a law: capitalized, with no italics or quotation marks.
  • (The Constitution of the United States, art. I, sec. 8)(Constitution of the United States, art. I, sec. 8)MLA leaves a leading The out of a title in an in-text citation.
  • (Constitution of the United States art. I sec. 8)(Constitution of the United States, art. I, sec. 8)When the location isn't a page number, MLA puts a comma after the title, and a comma separates each part of the location.

Quick checklist

  • The Constitution's name in plain type, with no date
  • Art., sec., and cl. after the name, only the first label capitalized
  • Several parts cited? One entry for the whole Constitution works too
  • In-text: the name without The, a comma, then art., sec., and cl.
  • amend. in place of art. for an amendment
  • The Constitution in your sentences, with no italics

Questions students ask

Does the U.S. Constitution go on my Works Cited page in MLA?

Yes, if you quote it or point to a specific part. The entry names the Constitution in plain type, then the part you cite: The Constitution of the United States. Art. I, sec. 8, cl. 3. Citing several parts? One entry for the whole document covers them all, and your in-text citations name each article and section.

Do I italicize the Constitution in MLA?

Not the Constitution itself. MLA styles the titles of constitutions like the names of other laws: capitalized, with no italics or quotation marks, in the Works Cited entry, in your in-text citations, and in your sentences. MLA italicizes only the title of a particular published edition, like a book.

Do I need a separate entry for each article?

No. If you cite several parts, make one entry for the whole Constitution (in PERRLA, leave the article box empty), and put the article, section, and clause in each in-text citation. An entry for one provision, with its article and section in the entry, works when that's the part your paper relies on.

Should I use Roman numerals or Arabic numerals for articles and amendments?

The Constitution itself numbers its articles and amendments in Roman numerals (Article I, Amendment XIV), and PERRLA prints them that way. Whichever form you choose, use it the same way in every citation in your paper.

What's the difference between an article, a section, and a clause?

The Constitution has seven articles, the big divisions (Article I covers Congress). Most articles are split into numbered sections, and each section is made of paragraphs called clauses. Cite down to the level your point needs.

How is MLA different from APA for the Constitution?

APA uses legal citation, like U.S. Const. art. I, § 8, cl. 3. MLA writes the Constitution's name out in plain type, spells out the labels as Art., sec., and cl., and keys the in-text citation to the Works Cited entry: (Constitution of the United States, art. I, sec. 8, cl. 3).

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 (names of laws and political documents in roman type, the Constitution styled as a law's name in prose, and in-text references that key to the entry). Example provisions verified against the National Archives transcriptions of the Constitution (page last reviewed 8 Sept. 2026) and Amendments XI–XXVII.

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

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