A statute is a law that has been enacted by the legislative branch of the U.S. government. Statutes can serve as excellent resources when writing a research paper, especially one dealing with legal matters. The American Psychological Association uses "The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation" as the basis for citing legal materials.
To cite a general statute on the References page, use the following format: Name of Act § Section number, Volume number U.S.C. § Section number (Year). Note that the symbols must be included, but do not include the words "volume" or "section." Instead, list the corresponding numbers.
Within the paper, cite a general statute by writing out the name of the law followed by the year. This can follow one of two acceptable formats: Name of Act (Year), or Name of Act of Year.