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. For legal encyclopedias, treatises, and practice guides, csm 3. How to cite electronic sources basic legal citation cornell. Using alr has become the standard for many law papers and citing. This manual is published jointly by law schools at harvard, yale, columbia, and the university of pennsylvania. In large multivolume treatises, you will often have to indicate which volume you are using. Once a full citation to a case, statute, regulation, book, or journal article has been provided, subsequent references within the same discussion can be less complete. Bluebook citation to format legal documents and cases. A volume that explains the organization of a state government and provides the names of state officials. Legal encyclopedia that provides case citations and cross references to other resources.
Always consult the bluebook for additional information. American jurisprudence amjur is a secondary source a legal encyclopedia to be exact and the citation is governed by rule 15 of the bluebook. Common abbreviations legal citation research guides at. Unlike legal encyclopedias, alrs do not attempt to provide comprehensive coverage of every topic.
First published in 1891, blacks law dictionary is considered by many to be the premier reference for legal terms and quotations. However, the basic format of a case citation is as follows. 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. Encyclopedias first year legal research guide libguides at. It also includes a section on citing international documents. See your bluebook for specific exceptions involving special designations, place of publication etc.
After a case is cited whether fully or using a short form, use a form of id. A logical question to ask is, what is blue book format. Citations are to the 20th edition of the bluebook, a uniform system of citation rule 16. Citus legalus is an automated bluebook citation generator for lazy law students.
If a journal does not otherwise indicate the volume number but does continuous pagination across issues, use the year as the volume number. Secondary authorities bluebook citations libguides at. Bluebook format is a uniform system of citation, commonly used in the legal documents or argumentative essays in law. This article will cover the apa encyclopedia citation guides and formats. Use citation sentences to cite sources and authorities that relate to the. Generations of law students, lawyers, scholars, judges, and other legal professionals have relied on the bluebooks unique system of citation in their writing. Remember that you only cite to a supplement if new text is there. The bluebook requires citation to printed material provided it is available, unless there is an authenticated, official, or exact digital copy of the printed sources. While you generally will not cite to a legal encyclopedia, rule b15. History of bluebook the development of the bluebook from its inception in 1926 as a twentysixpage pamphlet. Citation machine helps students and professionals properly credit the information that they use. R35 2008, ready reference specifically deals with english legal materials.
Attribution to identify the source of ideas expressed in the text, and. If using a print encyclopedia, always remember to check the pocket parts for any updates. Each different kind of secondary source has a slightly different set of rules for citation, which will be enumerated below. A short primer on bluebook citation formats for federal and state cases and statutes. A bibliographic citation is a reference to a book, article, web page, or other published item. Pink text information that you will need to find from. 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.
How to cite a encyclopedia article in bluebook law. The basic elements when citing a legal dictionary include. Compiled at the direction of spruille braden, who had been ambassador in buenos aires before returning to washington late in 1945 as under. Feb 04, 2019 legal encyclopedias contain brief, broad summaries of legal topics, providing introductions to legal topics and explaining relevant terms of art. Many of the complicated variations on rules are not shown in these samples. Books, reports, treatises bluebook legal citation tarlton. Citing cases bluebook guide guides at georgetown law. Although other citation systems exist, they have limited acceptance, and in general, the bluebook is followed in legal citation as the most widely. Citing secondary sources sample bluebook citations libguides. Short form citations should only be used where the reader will find. Encyclopedias first year legal research guide libguides. While the principal citation reference works still treat the citation of electronically accessed. For help with other source types, like books, pdfs, or websites, check out our other guides. For generations, law students, lawyers, scholars, judges, and other legal professionals have relied on the bluebooks unique system of citation.
When the material you are citing is in both the main volume and the supplement. Do not begin a citation clause with a capital letter unless the citation clause begins with a source that would otherwise be capitalized. To have your reference list or bibliography automatically made for you, try our free citation generator. Citation clauses are set off from the text by commas and immediately follow the proposition to which they relate.
A standard book citation consists of the following elements in order. Bluebook and basic concepts of legal citation to new law students. Citations english legal materials libguides at university. Do not cite to the supplement if case annotations, footnotes, or references to secondary sources are the only new information in the supplement. A uniform system of citation, commonly referred to simply as the blue book. The less complete or short form citation must clearly identify the referenced work.
The bluebook, is the definitive style guide for legal citation in the united states. Electronic versions of the encyclopedias are updated directly. Cite to the volume, name of the source, article titlebroad topic this is not. Using alr has become the standard for many law papers and citing them can be done with either the bluebook citation or the association of legal writing directors alwd citation. Csm for books and treatises bluebooking and legal citation. When you use encyclopedia as your reference, you have to cite it properly.
Book citations basic legal citation cornell university. Mar 29, 2019 american law reports alr is good resources for background, analysis, and citations about law cases, statutes, and other legal details. Additionally, the chicago manual of style recommends its use for all citation of legal material. Cite to the name of the sourcedictionary, page number if pinpoint citing, edition and year. It is form commonly recognized and used by legal professionals throughout the united states. Bluepage rules are sometimes different but are always based upon the normal nonbluepage rules. If the article is written by a student author, the designation of the piece see r. The citation format for newspapers and newsletters is largely the same as for nonconsecutively paginated periodicals. Complicated variations are not shown in these samples. How do i cite american jurisprudence in an apa paper. This blog post shares a tip for how to cite wikipedia, when youve already decided that you want to refer to the largest single compendium of human knowledge ever assembled.
However, the following are rules and examples for other types of legal documents that many firstyear law students may need to. Starting with the most basic element of citation, here is the guide in citing the authors. Secondary sources bluebook citation libguides at florida. There are too many rules for this introductory guide to cover. Citeus legalus the automated bluebook citation generator. U of t law students use the mcgill guide to cite all canadian, british and american legal resources, unless otherwise instructed. The citation should include all information that can most clearly direct the reader to the source, and will generally look very similar to a print citation of an article, including. Prior to the 2015 edition, the bluebook called for the phrase available at in. Legal encyclopedias are secondary sources that provide a general. Citing the author one author intext citation reference. Citations should supply detail to identify the item uniquely. Always consult the bluebook for additional information on correct citation format important. Secondary sources bluebook citation 101 practitioner format. It is recognized as the gold standard for legal references in the united states, even though it was originally designed only to help teach law students how to cite cases and other legal material.
Always check for local court citation rules for court documents. The ubc guide to legal citation is also available online but please note that it does not always follow mcgill standards. State department publication with the full title consultation among the american republics with respect to the argentine situation 1946. A uniform system of citation, a style guide, prescribes the most widely used legal citation system in the united states. American law reports alr is good resources for background, analysis, and citations about law cases, statutes, and other legal details. Secondary sources include books, articles, encyclopedias and other nonprimary sources. Volume, author s, title pinpoint cite edition year. This manual is published jointly by law schools at harvard, yale, columbia, and the university of. Blue book legal definition of blue book legal dictionary. Jul 22, 2019 the basics of legal citation including citation styles bluebook and alwd.
Bluebook citation for legal materials purdue writing lab. Citing other resources bluebook guide guides at georgetown. This is a proposed citation style to adapt the bluebook to the unique needs of wikipedia. The ubc guide to legal citation is also available online but please note that it. The bluebook style guide is used in the american legal profession for citation of all relevant sources. Secondary sources bluebook basics libguides at university of.
Aug 01, 2019 citations are to the 20th edition of the bluebook, a uniform system of citation rule 16. Rule 15 in the bluebook explains how to properly cite a book. Internet citation bluebook citation 101 practitioner. Supra should be used to refer to the entire work as a whole. When a source is only published online, or was born digital, rule 18. A book, report, treatise, or other nonperiodic material may be cited in shortform after it has been in full. Generally, the given differences may be described as the white pages vs. Citing secondary sources sample bluebook citations. The bluepages section located at the start of the bluebook is a miniguide to court documents andor legal memoranda. Citation content can vary depending on the type of source and may include. The following information regarding the bluebook citation format is an adapted version of the style and for.
There are two main legal encyclopedias in the united states that are national in. Citing cases bluebook guide guides at georgetown law library. To promote uniformity of citations, many lawyers and law students use the blue book. Kirwin, professor emeritus william mitchell college of law. The bluebook contains rules that prescribe how to cite a variety of legal documents. Legal encyclopedia that provides case citations and cross. The most recent edition of the bluebook prescribes adding the name of the sponsoring entity, abbreviated, in the concluding.
The basics of legal citation including citation styles bluebook and alwd. Bluebook citation hamline university school of law. Such higher educational institutions specialized in studying law at cornell. Rule 15 governs the citation of books, treatises, reports, white papers, dictionaries, encyclopedias, and all other nonperiodic materials bluebook. Citing case law sample bluebook citations libguides at. Different citation systems and styles are used in scientific citation, legal citation, prior art, the arts, and the humanities content. This book is a reference guide that, believe it or not, will be just about the only book you take from law school into your practice as a lawyer. Apr 03, 2020 while you generally will not cite to a legal encyclopedia, rule b15.
A guide to core academic law library materials, 24 legal reference services q. The following samples cover basic citation format for secondary sources. Bluebooking for court documents guide to legal writing. How to reference a encyclopedia article in bluebook law. Our speaker at todays austin bar civil appellate lunch was robert dubose, whose topic was can i cite wikipedia. Alr first year legal research guide libguides at loyola. The central function of a legal citation is to allow the reader to efficiently locate the cited source. State encyclopedia articles are updated irregularly. Always consult the bluebook for additional information on correct citation format. Citation guides also added the jurisdiction requirement. Bluebook rule 10 covers how cases should be cited in legal documents. For help with other source types, like books, pdfs. Do not end a citation clause with a period, unless it is the last clause in the sentence.
I am supposed to be using secondary authority and following the blue book guidelines to get the correct. A publication that establishes the correct form of case citations or of references to a legal authority showing where information can be found. Law school bluebook basics one of the books that all 1l law students are required to purchase is the bluebook. The apa manual provides explicit directions for the citation of cases, statutes, and administrative materials, but defers to the latest edition of the bluebook. Oct 03, 2019 citation guides added the requirement to include the calendar year to the citation. Citation format examples for footnotes general rules times new roman, size 10, 1 line spacing, justified. In court documents briefs, motions and legal memoranda, a full case name is usually italicized or underlined. Electronic and audiovisual sources bluebook citation. The proper bluebook citation for articles appearing in consecutively paginated journals is volume number, abbreviation of the periodical name, first page of the article, and specific pages cited, if any volume. 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. If you are writing a brief or memo, look at the blue pages, rule b10 or apply the citation rules of the jurisdiction. Oct 24, 2018 when a source is only published online, or was born digital, rule 18. The samples in this section cover basic citation format for case law. A bluebook guide for law students suffolk university.