Annual CFR provision
Original research draft · October 2026
Working pattern
[Title] C.F.R. § [section/subdivision] ([edition year]).
Capture from the source
Title; section; annual revision date; amendments; relevant event
Check before you use it
Confirm the annual edition's coverage and any later changes relevant to the question.
Common error: The year alone does not describe every amendment after the revision date.
Completed example
Federation, regulatory code, section, dates, and amendment are fictional. TRAIN C.F.R. is not the United States Code of Federal Regulations and establishes no actual regulatory requirement.
8 TRAIN C.F.R. § 22.16(b) (2025 annual ed., revised Jan. 1, 2025).
Read the supplied source facts
Fictional packet TRAIN-A34 provides title 8 of the Northmere Federation's TRAIN Code of Regulations, annual 2025 edition, revised as of January 1. Section 22.16(b) contains a register-format provision. A separate final amendment published March 14 changes subsection (b) effective May 1. The assignment concerns a June 10 event. The annual volume's cover says 2025, and an inexperienced researcher assumes that this year label means it includes every change made during 2025. The packet includes both the annual text and the amending publication, allowing the version problem to be identified.
Why this works
The completed citation accurately identifies the annual source, but it does not alone establish the rule governing the June event. The revision date describes the annual edition's cutoff and must be considered alongside the later amendment and its effective terms. The source card should connect section 22.16(b) to the March amendment, preserving both documents. If the proposition concerns June, reconstruct and cite the applicable amended text using the receiving convention. A properly formatted annual citation can still support the wrong version if the researcher treats the cover year as a rolling update guarantee.
When the facts change
For a February event, investigate whether the January text remained applicable then rather than automatically choosing the newest wording. For a historical discussion of the annual compilation itself, the displayed citation may be sufficient with an explicit description of that scope. If an amendment affects only subsection (c), verify that fact before deciding whether the subsection (b) discussion needs revision.
Apply the receiving court or publication’s requirements. These working forms do not establish citation permission, precedential weight, or support for a legal proposition.