The Federal Register, maintained by the National Archives, publishes both print and digital versions of executive orders by US presidents dating back to President Franklin Roosevelt. To cite a presidential executive order, you might start by finding its web page on the Federal Register (www.federalregister.gov/). The works-cited-list entry begins with the office that issued the order and includes the order’s number and title, the date the order was issued, and the publication details from the Federal Register and the URL. The following provides examples of in-text citations and works-cited-list entries for executive orders:
A recent executive order on water pressure notes that “the Oxford English Dictionary defines ‘showerhead’ in one short sentence” (United States, Executive Order 14264). Another establishes a government office to encourage “domestic and foreign investment in the United States” (United States, Executive Order 14255).
Works Cited
United States, Executive Office of the President [Donald Trump]. Executive Order 14255: Establishing the United States Investment Accelerator. 31 Mar. 2025. Federal Register, vol. 90, no. 63, 3 Apr. 2025, pp. 14701–702, www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2025-04-03/pdf/2025-05908.pdf.
———. Executive Order 14264: Maintaining Acceptable Water Pressure in Showerheads. 9 Apr. 2025. Federal Register, vol. 90, no. 71, 15 Apr. 2025, pp. 15619–620, www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2025-04-15/pdf/2025-06459.pdf.