Wikisource:WikiProject Acts of Congress

This is a proposed style guide for United States Acts of Congress.

IN PROGRESS.

Header

 * Use Act of Congress for acts which use Public Law numbers. Does not apply (yet) for acts which only use session & chapter.

Section headings

 * Never use level one. (=)
 * Use level three (===) for Sections even if there is no level two used.
 * Use level two (==) for "See also" or "Legislative history" or whatever else is not part of the text of the statute.

Table of Contents

 * Not always synonymous with the rules for Section headings, above.
 * Make each level lower than the level that contains it.
 * Often the initial sections, (Short title, TOC, definitions) are at the same level as the subsequent title.

Short title

 * Apply bold.
 * Redirect articles with short titles to the Acts' titles, subtitles, chapter, etc. to which they "may be cited as…."

Vertical space

 * Add an extra line break before subsections ((a), (b), etc.), but not in lower levels.

Indents

 * Text after section break
 * (a)
 * text after subsection
 * (1)
 * text after paragraph
 * (A)
 * text after subparagraph
 * (i)
 * text after (i)
 * (I)
 * text after (I)
 * (aa)
 * text after (aa)


 * ``Title IX
 * ``Sec. 123
 * ``(a)
 * ``(1)
 * ``(A)
 * ``(i)
 * ``(I)
 * ``(aa)

In quotes, everything at the Section level and above should be intended identically with three colons.

Footer

 * Make the "Approved" line italicized, with an extra line break above it, and without intents.

Legislative history

 * Include and apply, where possible, USBill.

Categorization

 * Should include.
 * Or a subcategory, such as.

Quotes

 * Do not use regular (straight) 'single quotes,' "double quotes," or single quotes doubled.
 * Instead, use slanted `single quotes´ or slanted ``single quotes doubled.´´

Dashes

 * Don't use double dashes (--).
 * Instead, use mdashes (—).