How to Cite the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Create a sentence for a citation., Make an in-text citation., Make an end reference., Add the website if you prefer.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Create a sentence for a citation.
The first step you take is to create a sentence that quotes or paraphrases the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
Otherwise, you have no need to cite the document.
For example, you could write, "As the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, 'All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.'" -
Step 2: Make an in-text citation.
The in-text citation goes at the end of the sentence.
Start with the organization.
In most cases with a citation, you start with the author.
In this case, you don't have a single author but, rather, an organization (an assembly) that collectively wrote and approved the document, the UN General Assembly.Therefore, that's what you begin the citation with.After that, you'll add a comma and the date.
In the above example, you'd write:
As the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights" (UN General Assembly, 1948).
The citation goes in parentheses, after the quotation mark and before the period.
You can also include the citation at the beginning of the sentence, such as in the following sentence:
As the UN General Assembly (1948) determined over 60 years ago, all people have certain inalienable rights at birth. , The end reference provides more information for the reader, helping them to find the document.
Since this document is fairly common, it's not as essential to include all the information you would in a normal citation.
Still, it's best to include as much information as you can.The citation should look like the following:
UN General Assembly. (1948).
Universal declaration of human rights (217 A).
Paris.
The designation 217 (III) A refers to the document number.
Also, the General Assembly was convened in Paris, so you add that as the location. , Since the the UDHR is fairly commonplace, you don't strictly need a web address.
However, adding it certainly doesn't hurt, as it points your reader in the right direction.As an example, the completed citation would look this way:
UN General Assembly. (1948). "Universal declaration of human rights" (217 A).
Paris.
Retrieved from http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/ -
Step 3: Make an end reference.
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Step 4: Add the website if you prefer.
Detailed Guide
The first step you take is to create a sentence that quotes or paraphrases the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
Otherwise, you have no need to cite the document.
For example, you could write, "As the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, 'All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.'"
The in-text citation goes at the end of the sentence.
Start with the organization.
In most cases with a citation, you start with the author.
In this case, you don't have a single author but, rather, an organization (an assembly) that collectively wrote and approved the document, the UN General Assembly.Therefore, that's what you begin the citation with.After that, you'll add a comma and the date.
In the above example, you'd write:
As the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights" (UN General Assembly, 1948).
The citation goes in parentheses, after the quotation mark and before the period.
You can also include the citation at the beginning of the sentence, such as in the following sentence:
As the UN General Assembly (1948) determined over 60 years ago, all people have certain inalienable rights at birth. , The end reference provides more information for the reader, helping them to find the document.
Since this document is fairly common, it's not as essential to include all the information you would in a normal citation.
Still, it's best to include as much information as you can.The citation should look like the following:
UN General Assembly. (1948).
Universal declaration of human rights (217 A).
Paris.
The designation 217 (III) A refers to the document number.
Also, the General Assembly was convened in Paris, so you add that as the location. , Since the the UDHR is fairly commonplace, you don't strictly need a web address.
However, adding it certainly doesn't hurt, as it points your reader in the right direction.As an example, the completed citation would look this way:
UN General Assembly. (1948). "Universal declaration of human rights" (217 A).
Paris.
Retrieved from http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/
About the Author
Danielle Simmons
Specializes in breaking down complex home improvement topics into simple steps.
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