Section sign

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The section sign (§) is a typographical character for referencing individual numbered sections of a document, frequently used when referring to legal code. Encoded as Unicode U+00A7 § Section Sign and HTML § it is also commonly called section symbol, section mark, double s, or alternately paragraph mark in parts of Europe.

Video Section sign

Use

§ is often used when referring to specific section of legal code, for example in APA style "Title 16 of the United States Code Section 580p" becomes "16 US Code § 580p". The section sign (§) is frequently used along with the pilcrow (¶) or paragraph sign to reference a specific paragraph within a section of a document. While § is usually spoken as section, European countries may read it as paragraph. When duplicated, as §§, it is read as the plural "sections" (e.g. "§§ 13-21"), much as "pp." (pages) is the plural of "p."

It may also be used with footnotes when asterisk (*), dagger (+) and double dagger (?) have already been used on a given page. It is common practice to follow the section sign with a non-breaking space so the symbol is kept with section number being cited.

The section sign itself sometimes a symbol of the justice system, in much the same way the Rod of Asclepius is used to represent medicine. The Austrian Federal Ministry of Justice has incorporated it in their Ju§tiz Logo.

In Brazil, the sign may be used to represent numbered article paragraphs following the initial paragraph (Latin: caput).