The Coventry University Guide to Referencing in Harvard Style

HOW TO REFERENCE AN ACT OF PARLIAMENT

 

In-text citations

 

Give the short title of the act instead of the author, then the year. When referring to a specific point in an act, you should cite the exact section, subsection or paragraph number (as relevant) in the body of the text. There are two options to do this:

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Option 1

 

Use conventional abbreviations as in the example below.

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Example

In assessing the mental capacity of individuals, reference cannot be made merely to age or appearance (Mental Capacity Act 2005, s.2 (3a)).

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Option 2

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Write the section/paragraph number in your own text. Note that, as an exceptional case, when citing Acts of Parliament in this way the year of publication does not have to be placed between brackets.

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Example

Section 3 of the Mental Health Act 1983 allows individuals to be detained for their own protection.

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Note: In keeping with legal referencing conventions, the chapter number (where applicable) will only be specified in the List of References entries.

 

Reference

 

Give the short title of the act and the year, instead of the author, then the year and the chapter number in brackets. Then give the place of publication and publisher.

 

Examples

Mental Capacity Act (2005, c.9) London: The Stationery Office

Mental Health Act (1983, c.1) London: The Stationery Office