How do I cite the Florida Nurse Practice Act in APA format?
I want to cite the entire NPA, not just a particular section. Thank you.
Answer
It can be difficult to offer specific advice on citing an item without having eyes on the actual item in question.
The Publication of Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th edition, offers limited advice on citing legal materials before it defers to The Blue Book: A Uniform System of Citation. You want to avoid The Bluebook if possible.
Here is APA’s sample statute citation (pp. 219-220) –
A7.04 Statutes (Bluebook Rule 12)
In text, give the popular or official name of the act (if any) and the year of the act. In the reference list entry, include the source and section number of the statute, and in parentheses, give the publication date of the statutory compilation, which may be different from the year in the name of the act.
And …
10. Sample reference to a statute in a state code
Mental Care and Treatment Act, 4 Kan. Stat. Ann. ₴₴ 59-2901-2941 (1983 & Supp. 1992).
Explanation: This Kansas act can be found in codified version between sections 2901 and 2941 in Chapter 59 of volume 4 of the 1983 edition of the Kansas Statues Annotated. Two amendments to the act and additional references are provided in the 1992 supplement for the Kansas Statutes Annotated. If you are discussing a particular provision other law, cite the particular section in which the provision appeared (e.g., ₴ 59-2903). Ann. Stands for Annotated, which refers to the version of the Kansas statutory compilation containing summarized casers interpreting particular sections of the statute.
Before you begin to create your citation, you will need to gather this information.
Name of the law | Year it was passed | Where is was published | Chapter and Sections of the statues | where it can be found | And then ask if there are amendments to it since it has been passed.
Once you do this, start plugging them in as best you can to match the APA formula supplied above. If there is not supplement, then you just end with the year the statutes was encacted - (2017).
You should end up with something like this ..
Florida Nursing Pratice Act. 3 Florida Stat. ₴₴ 60-2000-2004 (2017).
However, states are not uniform in their citing, so Florida could differ in how they name & number items from the Kansas example APA provides.
If the reason you are citing this has any legal implications you should consult a lawyer or a law librarian for proper citing (a librarian with a legal degree). I am neither.
Your professor would be another good resource for help in citing this.