As mentioned in the introduction of this handout, the generally accepted style manual for legal citations in the usa is the bluebook. Pointbypoint, it is linked to the free citation guide, the indigo book. Always check for local court citation rules for court documents. Needless to say, it is large, a bit unwieldy, and challenging at first. Introduction bluebook guide guides at georgetown law library.
Legal citation free internet legal resources libguides. These resources follow the seventeenth edition of the chicago manual of style 17t h e dition, which was issued in 2017. Citation machine helps students and professionals properly credit the information that they use. Sometimes, researchers will toil in vain looking for a particular rule or example to cover a less.
The bluebook, its name reflecting the color of its cover, is an extensive style guide used for legal citation in the u. Mar 19, 2017 if your judge or court has not stated a preference for the citation style of the california style manual, you may default to the bluebook citation style. The bluebook also has citation rules for legal memoranda and other practiceoriented materials the blue pages, which students in. Citation law and legal studies guides at milner library. The bible for general citation form is the chicago manual of style. Generally, the given differences may be described as the white pages vs. Basic layout bluebook 101 library guides at university of.
Generations of law students, lawyers, scholars, judges, and other legal professionals have relied on the bluebook s unique system of citation in their writing. Some basics on bluebooking with a focus on maryland rules this is a quick guide to citing maryland cases and statutes, based on bluebook rules 10 and 12. Citation style law and legal research libguides at. Citation rules for court documents and legal memoranda. Unlike the remainder of the bluebook, which is designed in a style and at a level of complexity commensurate with the needs of the law journal publication process, the bluepages provide easytocomprehend guidance for the everyday citation needs of firstyear law. It is now in its 20th edition, more than an inch thick, and consists of over 500 pages of guidance on legal citation. The bluebook does not provide clear guidance on how to cite every authority that law students or legal practitioners need or wish to use in their papers, memos, and briefs. Chicago manual of style 17th edition purdue writing lab. Provides an overview of the basic rules of legal citation in both the bluebook. Citing an article from wikipedia, based on how the majority of the top law journals are doing it, generally appears to follow the rules of 18. Legal reference sources legal citation search library guides. If you encounter a situation that is not covered in this guide, make sure to check the bluebook for more detail. Citation clause like a citation sentence, but set off my commas rather than periods.
The most common sources of authority cited are court decisions cases, statutes, regulations, government documents, treaties, and scholarly writing. Since the times it was first compiled, its origins still debated, the guide has suffered multiple revisions and editions. Do not begin a citation clause with a capital letter unless the citation clause begins with a source that would otherwise be capitalized. Gaining familiarity with the legal citation practices used to document legal works may be impractical for student writers and sometimes even for scholars working in nonlegal fields. For additional instruction, see illinois supreme court rule 6 and the style manual for the supreme and appellate courts of illinois. How to cite a encyclopedia article in bluebook law. Bluebook citation hamline university school of law. The citation format for newspapers and newsletters is largely the same as for nonconsecutively paginated periodicals. Just select add annotation while finalizing your citation. The manual is available in many libraries, and subscribers can use the chicago manual of style online. Annotations usually focus on developing areas of the law, or. Few books cause law students as much dread, pain, anger, and frustration as the bluebook the bluebook, formally titled the bluebook. Legal citation guide from cornells legal information institute ill that incorporates guidelines from the bluebook, the alwd guide to legal citation, and court rules. Bluepage rules are sometimes different but are always based upon the normal nonbluepage rules.
Documenting legal works in mla style by angela gibson. Always consult the bluebook for additional information. Blue pages this guide covers the bluebooks white pages, which provide citation rules for academic papers. Citation practices and the bluebook cuny school of law. Documenting legal works in mla style the mla style center. School of government legal citation and style guide. Create your citations, reference lists and bibliographies automatically using the apa, mla, chicago, or harvard referencing styles. To have your reference list or bibliography automatically made for you, try our free citation generator.
Rule 15 governs the citation of books, treatises, reports, white papers, dictionaries, encyclopedias, and all other nonperiodic materials bluebook. The bluebook is the most commonly used system for legal citations in the united states, especially for legal scholarship, but also with modifications by local rules in judicial opinions and party briefs. American jurisprudence amjur is a secondary source a legal encyclopedia to be exact and the citation is governed by rule 15 of the bluebook. Our citation guides provide detailed information about all types of sources in mla, apa, chicago and turabian styles. Jul 19, 2019 the bluebook, formally titled the bluebook. California style manual for many years, the california style manual has served as the official guide for styling citations to legal materials in documents filed with state courts in california. This section contains information on the chicago manual of style cmos method of document formatting and citation. If required by your instructor, you can add annotations to your citations. The bluebook style guide is used in the american legal profession for citation of all relevant sources.
Secondary sources include books, articles, encyclopedias and other nonprimary sources. Title of entry italicized or underlined title of dictionary italicized or underlined edition. Additionally, the chicago manual of style recommends its use for all citation of legal material. For generations, law students, lawyers, scholars, judges, and other legal professionals have relied on the bluebooks unique system of citation. The bluebook offers a uniform system of citation which is standardized for most law essays in college. The bluepages section located at the start of the bluebook is a miniguide to court documents andor legal memoranda. Secondary authorities bluebook citations libguides at william s. Feb 23, 2020 when creating legal references in apa style, most legal materials are cited using the standard legal citation style found in the bluebook, 20th edition legal materials include federal and state statutes, court decisions and court cases, executive orders, legislative materials, federal hearings and testimony, federal regulations, patents, constitutions and charters, treaties, and. The purpose of this guide is to introduce the bluebook and basic concepts of legal citation to new law students. Alr first year legal research guide libguides at loyola.
Unlike legal encyclopedias, alrs do not attempt to provide comprehensive coverage of every topic. The bluebook also has citation rules for legal memoranda and other practiceoriented materials the blue pages, which students in lrwa2 use for their memo assignments. Citing from other secondary sources legal citation research guide. After you create this free account, to access the quick style guide, you should log in with your email address and password on the home page. Effective january 1, 2008, however, california rule of court, rule 1. Kf 245 b58 2015 course reserves see the introduction to basic legal citation for a description of bluebook citation style with examples. As has been true of all editions released since 2010, it is also indexed to the the bluebook and the alwd guide to legal citation. Citation clauses are set off from the text by commas and immediately follow the proposition to which they relate. If the article is written by a student author, the designation of the piece. History of bluebook the development of the bluebook from its inception in 1926 as a twentysixpage pamphlet. Bluebook citation is the most commonly used legal citation system for law students in the us. See your bluebook for specific exceptions involving special designations, place of publication etc. Citing secondary sources sample bluebook citations libguides.
Jan 03, 2007 wikipedia bluebook cite hopefully if someone does a search for bluebooking wikipedia or how to cite wikipedia, they will no longer come up short since i have done the work for you. Cite to the name of the sourcedictionary, page number if pinpoint citing, edition and year. Citing other resources bluebook guide guides at georgetown. Example of citing to blacks law dictionary, 9th edition, on westlaw classic. Citing secondary sources sample bluebook citations libguides at northern illinois university. Illinois resources first year legal research guide. Legal encyclopedias contain brief, broad summaries of legal topics, providing introductions to legal topics and explaining relevant terms of art. Blue pages this guide covers the bluebook s white pages, which provide citation rules for academic papers. Bluebook citations to books and treatises are substantially different from other style systems like mla and chicago in that the publishers name and location are not given and the authors name is not inverted with the last name first. How do i cite american jurisprudence in an apa paper. Some faculty authors our bluebook purists are fully committed to this style scheme, while others modify it to. Bluebook is a style of referencing which is the most used legal citation system in the united states, used at the majority of us law schools. The bluebook contains rules that prescribe how to cite a variety of legal documents. Generations of law students, lawyers, scholars, judges, and other legal professionals have relied on the bluebooks unique system of citation in their writing.
Secondary sources bluebook citation 101 practitioner format. Tarltons librarians and staff remain actively engaged in providing library services. Attribution to identify the source of ideas expressed in the text, and. The tarlton law librarys physical facility is closed until further notice. Title of entry italicizeif the section being cited has a title, include it in quotation marks, followed by a comma in. Only finish a citation clause with a period if it is the last clause in a sentence. The yale law journal volume 123 style sheet the yale law journal follows the bluebook. It is important to note that many state courts and the. A bluebook guide for law students suffolk university. Many of the complicated variations on rules are not shown in these samples.
The following samples cover basic citation format for secondary sources. It is not intended to be a comprehensive discussion of citation rules. The best free bluebook citation generator for books. In a diverse and rapidly changing legal profession, the bluebook continues to provide a systematic method by which members of the profession communicate important information to one another about the sources and legal authorities upon. The bluepages section of the bluebook addresses nonacademic citation. There are too many rules for this introductory guide to cover. Guide to cite using bluebook citation method with examples. The guide takes account of the latest editions of the alwd guide to legal citation 2017, the bluebook, published in 2015, and the supreme courts style guide. Citation format examples for footnotes general rules times new roman, size 10, 1 line spacing, justified. Legal materials citation help for apa, 7th edition. Bluebook citation for legal materials purdue writing lab. How to reference a encyclopedia article in bluebook.
For the rare situations in which neither of these works covers a particular stylistic matter, we. Bluebook citation for llm students bluebook citation for. A volume that explains the organization of a state government and provides the names of state officials. A short primer on bluebook citation formats for federal and state cases and. A publication that establishes the correct form of case citations or of references to a legal authority showing where information can be found. Legal citation legal reference sources library guides. The basic elements when citing a legal dictionary include. Legal encyclopedias and dictionaries, law firm directories, legal citation guides, legal news and blogs. It also provides many citation examples and video tutorials on citing major sources of law. Apr 17, 2017 each of the scholarly disciplines has designed a system for documentation used to cite sources when writing papers, articles, speeches or websites.
Encyclopedias first year legal research guide libguides at. This is a proposed citation style to adapt the bluebook to the unique needs of wikipedia. Do not end a citation clause with a period, unless it is the last clause in the sentence. Cite currently your cite is a compromise between what wiki is calling the bluebook style, and the bluebook. Here you will find guidance and examples of citation formats that you will use when writing your memoranda, briefs, and other court documents.
The bluebook, is the definitive style guide for legal citation in the united states. The central function of a legal citation is to allow the reader to efficiently locate the cited source. Each different kind of secondary source has a slightly different set of rules for citation, which will be enumerated below. Secondary sources bluebook citation libguides at florida. Citation examples use nonacademic citation format i. Law students, lawyers, judges and legal professionals use the bluebook as their system of citation when compiling bibliographies for their writing. How to cite a concurrence in or dissent from a denial of.
A uniform system of citation, a style guide, prescribes the most widely used legal citation system in the united states. Citing secondary sources sample bluebook citations. Books, reports, treatises bluebook legal citation tarlton. Legal citation is the practice of crediting and referring to authoritative documents and sources. On a side note, it would not be cited wikipedia, the free encyclopedia as a couple journals have done, nor is the date the date that appears on the wikipedia site rather than the last date visited. Rule 15 in the bluebook explains how to properly cite a book. However, the following are rules and examples for other types of legal documents that many firstyear law students may need to cite in addition to cases and statutes. How to write a bibliography in bluebook pen and the pad. For help with other source types, like books, pdfs, or websites, check out our other guides. For help with other source types, like books, pdfs. It informs students how to cite all types of law documents. If your judge or court has not stated a preference for the citation style of the california style manual, you may default to the bluebook citation style. A uniform system of citation, is the style manual for citing to legal documents within the united states.
This is a free account to access the bluebook quick style guide only. Apr 03, 2020 however, where legal encyclopedias provide brief coverage of almost every legal topic, alr annotations cover much more specific narrow topics that are presented in more depth and with greater detail than an encyclopedia article. However, the following are rules and examples for other types of legal documents that many firstyear law students may need to cite. A uniform system of citation, 20th ed cambridge, mass. It takes account of the latest edition of the bluebook, published in 2015, and the supreme courts style guide. While you generally will not cite to a legal encyclopedia, rule b15.