Citation For Universal Declaration Of Human Rights

You're writing a paper. Maybe it's for a law class, a poli-sci seminar, or a human rights report for work. You've quoted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights — Article 1, maybe, or Article 19 — and now you're staring at your references page wondering: *how exactly do I cite this thing?

It's a document, not a book. It's not a treaty, technically. It was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1948, but it doesn't have a treaty number. And every citation style seems to handle it differently.

Been there. Let's sort it out once and for all.

What Is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The UDHR isn't a treaty. It's a declaration — a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 10, 1948, in Paris. Resolution 217 A (III), to be precise. That distinction matters for citation for universal declaration of human rights purposes because treaties and declarations follow different rules in legal citation systems Worth knowing..

Short version: it depends. Long version — keep reading.

It has 30 articles. In practice, a preamble. Here's the thing — no signatories, no ratification process. But it's the foundation of modern international human rights law. The two covenants that followed — ICCPR and ICESCR — together with the UDHR form the International Bill of Human Rights Easy to understand, harder to ignore..

Most people cite the UDHR by article number. "Article 19, UDHR" or "Universal Declaration of Human Rights, art. 19.And " Simple enough. But your bibliography needs more.

The Official UN Document Symbol

Every UN document has a symbol. The UDHR's is A/RES/217(III). Sometimes you'll see A/810 (the original mimeographed version) or A/RES/217 A (III). Now, "217" is the number. "RES" means resolution. The "A" means it's a General Assembly resolution. "(III)" means the third session Most people skip this — try not to. Practical, not theoretical..

You'll need this for Bluebook, OSCOLA, and any legal citation system. For APA, MLA, Chicago — you usually don't. But it's worth knowing.

Why Citation Style Matters Here

Different disciplines, different rules. A humanities paper uses MLA. Consider this: a law review uses Bluebook. Now, international relations? Practically speaking, a political science journal uses APSA (which is basically Chicago). Psychology or education? APA. Could be Chicago, could be Harvard.

And here's the thing — most style guides don't have a dedicated "UDHR entry." They have rules for UN documents. Or treaties. Here's the thing — or "foundational documents. " You have to map the UDHR onto the closest category.

Get it wrong and a sharp-eyed reviewer will notice. Get it right and your references page looks clean, professional, and — crucially — verifiable.

How to Cite the UDHR in Major Styles

APA Style (7th Edition)

APA treats the UDHR as a report/document from a group author. The "author" is the United Nations. The "date" is 1948. Even so, the title is in sentence case, italicized. Then the source — UN General Assembly resolution Not complicated — just consistent. That's the whole idea..

Reference list entry:

United Nations. (1948). Universal Declaration of Human Rights (General Assembly Resolution 217 A (III)). https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights

In-text citation:

(United Nations, 1948, Article 19)
United Nations (1948, Article 19)

Note: APA 7 wants you to include the article/section in the in-text citation when quoting a specific part. Don't put "art." — just "Article 19 No workaround needed..

MLA Style (9th Edition)

MLA 9 treats it as a work from an organization. The container is the UN website (or the published version you used).

Works Cited entry:

United Nations. Universal Declaration of Human Rights. General Assembly Resolution 217 A (III), 10 Dec. 1948. United Nations, www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights.

In-text citation:

(United Nations, art. 19)
United Nations, Article 19

If you're citing a print version — say, from a documentary history anthology — cite that container instead. The principle: cite the version you actually used.

Chicago Style (17th Edition) — Notes & Bibliography

Chicago gives you two systems. Notes & Bibliography is common in history and humanities And that's really what it comes down to..

Footnote (first reference):

1. Universal Declaration of Human Rights, G.A. Res. 217 A (III), U.N. Doc. A/810, at 71 (1948).

Footnote (subsequent):

2. UDHR, art. 19.

Bibliography entry:

Universal Declaration of Human Rights. G.A. Res. 217 A (III). U.N. Doc. A/810. 1948.

Chicago likes the UN document symbol (A/810) and the page number from the original mimeograph (71). If you're using a modern reprint, you can note that — but the original doc symbol stays.

Chicago Author-Date (17th Edition)

Reference list:

Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 1948. G.A. Res. 217 A (III). U.N. Doc. A/810.

In-text:

(Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948, art. 19)

Harvard Style (Generic Author-Date)

Harvard varies by institution. But the consensus for UN declarations:

Reference list:

United Nations (1948) Universal Declaration of Human Rights. General Assembly Resolution 217 A (III). Available at: https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights (Accessed: 15 March 2024) Most people skip this — try not to. Which is the point..

In-text:

(United Nations, 1948, Article 19)

Always check your institution's Harvard guide. Some don't. Some want the UN doc symbol. Consistency beats perfection Worth keeping that in mind..

Bluebook (21st Edition) — Legal Citation

This is where it gets precise. Bluebook Rule 21.7.1 covers UN General Assembly resolutions.

Full citation:

Universal Declaration of Human Rights, G.A. Res. 217 (III) A, U.N. Doc. A/810 (1948).

Short form (after first full cite):

UDHR, art. 19 Worth knowing..

Key Bluebook points:

• "G.N. A. Plus, "
• The resolution number: 217 (III) A — the session in parentheses, then the supplement letter
• U. Doc. That said, res. " not "GA Res.A/810 — the mimeographed document symbol
• Year in parentheses at the end
• "art.

Easier said than done, but still worth knowing.

If you're citing a specific article in the full citation:

Universal Declaration of Human Rights, G.A. Res. 217 (III) A, art. Here's the thing — 19, U. N. Doc. A/810 (1948).

OSCOLA (4th

Edition) — Oxford Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities

OSCOLA treats the UDHR as a UN General Assembly resolution. In real terms, it follows the general pattern for international documents in Section 3. 3.

Footnote (first reference):

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (adopted 10 December 1948) UNGA Res 217 A (III) (UDHR).

Footnote (subsequent):

UDHR, art 19.

Bibliography entry:

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (adopted 10 December 1948) UNGA Res 217 A (III) That's the part that actually makes a difference. Simple as that..

OSCOLA notes:

• No full stops in abbreviations (UNGA, not U.Now, n. Worth adding: g. Practically speaking, a. ).
• Resolution number: 217 A (III) — the supplement letter follows the number, session in parentheses. Plus, - Pinpoint references (articles) use "art" (singular) or "arts" (plural) without a full stop. - The bibliography entry omits the pinpoint and the short-form designation (UDHR), though including it in parentheses after the title is acceptable if you use the short form heavily.

If citing a specific article in the first footnote:

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (adopted 10 December 1948) UNGA Res 217 A (III), art 19 And that's really what it comes down to..

IEEE — Numeric Style

IEEE is less common for legal documents but used in technical fields referencing policy frameworks.

Reference list:

[1] "Universal Declaration of Human Rights," UN General Assembly Resolution 217 A (III), 10 Dec. 1948. [Online]. Available: https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights

In-text citation:

As stated in [1, Art. 19]...

IEEE prefers the URL and access date is optional if the document is stable. Number references in order of appearance.

Vancouver / ICMJE — Biomedical Numeric Style

Reference list:

1. Universal Declaration of Human Rights. UN General Assembly Resolution 217 A (III). 1948 Dec 10. Available from: https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights

In-text:

...freedom of expression (1, Article 19) Worth keeping that in mind..

Vancouver treats it as a document with a corporate author (United Nations) but often omits the author for major declarations. Include the adoption date Easy to understand, harder to ignore..

Practical Decision Framework

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

1. Confusing the resolution number. It is 217 A (III) — not 217(III)A, not 217A(III). The supplement letter (A) separates the declaration from other resolutions in that session.
2. Omitting the session. The "(III)" denotes the third session of the General Assembly. It matters for precise identification.
3. Citing a secondary source as primary. If you read the UDHR in a textbook, cite the textbook and the UDHR. Do not cite the UDHR as if you consulted the UN document directly.
4. Inconsistent short forms. Pick "UDHR" or "Universal Declaration" and stick to it. Define it on first use: Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
5. Ignoring pinpoints. "Art. 19" is not optional when you quote or paraphrase a specific article. Every style supports it — use it.

Final Note

The UDHR is one of the most cited documents in human history. Whether you are a law student drafting a brief, a sociologist analyzing discourse, or a journalist fact-checking a speech, the goal is the same: let the reader find exactly what you read. The styles above are dialects of that same goal. On top of that, its citation is not an academic exercise — it is an act of traceability. Choose the dialect of your field, apply it rigorously, and your citation will do what it must — disappear into the infrastructure of trust.