A bluebook title page is one of the examples, and it should be perfect because it is the face of your work, which represents the title. Bluebook citation to format legal documents and cases. It is essential that citations to legal materials follow a standard format so that anyone using a law library may find the resources cited. Ct circuit court reports cases general statutes of connecticut title number section number date. The precise format of a case citation depends on a number of factors, including the jurisdiction, court, and type of case. Teply, 2016 highlighting the key issues of legal citation and the differences between bluebook and alwd conventions of legal citation, either of which writers might apply depending in different jurisdictions. In a diverse and rapidly changing legal profession, the bluebook continues to provide a systematic method by which members of. The bluebook provides the rules for legal citation, but can be intimidating and frustrating to use. Law school bluebook basics one of the books that all 1l law students are required to purchase is the bluebook. A short primer on bluebook citation formats for federal and state cases. The central function of a legal citation is to allow the reader to efficiently locate the cited source.
A citation to the federal register uses the volume number, the abbreviation f. A short pamphlet explaining basic bluebook rules for court documents including examples and citations to the relevant bluebook rules. The primary reference source for legal citations is known as the bluebook, a uniform system of citation. The bluebook requires citation to printed material provided it is available. Bill ong hing, understanding sb1070 from the lens of institutionalized racism and. The bluebook is a collaborative project by a handful of elite law schools. Bluebook legal citation guides at university of akron. Now when you purchase a printed copy of the bluebook, you will get a free 30 day trial to the bluebook online. This series of exercises from the center for computerassisted legal instruction cali helps students learn the rules of proper citation form.
The ohio supreme court has designated the supreme court. Lawyers and law students mostly refer to this just as the bluebook. It is now in its 20th edition, more than an inch thick, and consists of over 500 pages of guidance on legal citation. A good starting point if you are working on a brief or other court document.
These videos introduce legal citation and are intended to help you construct citations in accordance with the rules set out in the nineteenth edition of the bluebook. Cases are based on the briefing, and strong briefing requires citation to legal authority. The bluebook style is exclusively used for legal papers, and so it can be somewhat complicated due to its focus on easy citations of various court documents. The third edition of understanding and mastering the bluebook is thoroughly revised and updated to the 20th edition of the bluebook, and is an indispensable tool for anyone who is new to legal citation or whose skills need refreshing.
The citation guides cover several citation styles, but the most popular are apa, chicago manual of style, mla, harvard referencing, normas apa and normas abnt. Bluebook citation for legal materials purdue writing lab. Guides to the bluebook bluebook citation libguides at florida. The purpose of this guide is to introduce the bluebook and basic concepts of legal citation to new law students. As noted previously, the bluebook is a vast, complex citation manual, and it will take some time and a lot of patience to learn the rules and understand legal citation.
Guides such as understanding the bluebook for academic legal writing and users guide to the bluebook for court documents provide you with example citations, explanations, and references to the relevant rules in the bluebook itself. Bluebook format is a uniform system of citation, commonly used in the legal documents or argumentative essays in law. For more information on statutory citation, see rule 12 or table 1 of the bluebook. Internet citation bluebook citation 101 practitioner. Mastering the bluebook interactive exercises 201920. Therefore, this statute can be found at section 1982 of title 42 of the 2011 version of the united states code. Section a deals with cases, b with statutory materials and c with secondary authorities. Welcome to the bluebook, the definitive style guide for legal citation in the united states. New edition eliminates stylistic differences between the alwd manual and the bluebook, to help combat the perception that students who learn citation with alwd do not know how to bluebook. Author names should be included in full just as they appear in. 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. Few books cause law students as much dread, pain, anger, and frustration as the bluebook the bluebook, formally titled the bluebook. Books, reports, treatises bluebook legal citation tarlton law.
During a legal proceeding, a legal citation analysis i. Although it is intended to highlight the bluebook, and not substitute for it, we hope this guide provides a convenient, delawarespecific resource for the superior courts judicial officers, law clerks, interns, externs, and staff. Its limited aim is to serve as a tutorial on how to cite the most widely referenced types of u. Request cali password information at the reference desk. Additionally, the chicago manual of style recommends its use for all citation of legal material. Building on that understanding and an explanation of the process of using citations in legal writing, the book then discusses and illustrates the particular rules of the bluebook and the alwd citation manual for citing cases, statutes, and all other major legal sources. Books on legal citation understanding legal citations. Lawyers and paralegals need to know how to find case law precedent, interpret precedent to select the strongest possible authorities, and then properly cite to those cases. In formats like bluebook, cbe, chicago, or harvard, it is important to include more elements than in mlaapa. For more than eighty years, the bluebook has provided authoritative guidance to legal citation for american students, professionals, and scholars. Basics of legal citations introduction to legal citation. 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. This guide provides basic information on bluebook citation in the. This survival manual teaches how to understand and master the essential rules for legal practitioners using a simple building block approach.
A few tips on using introduction to basic legal citation this is not a comprehensive citation reference work. This exercise is to help users learn the bluebook rules of proper citation form for briefs and legal memoranda. This concise text is a survival manual especially designed to assist readers in navigating the complicated rules for legal citation found in the bluebook. Introduction bluebook guide guides at georgetown law library. It might be difficult to understand bluebook citation format without having some vivid examples. Introduction bluebook guide guides at georgetown law. Helps the reader to find more information or to locate the work cited. Known by the color of its cover, the bluebook was the codification of professional norms that introduced generations of law students to legal citation. This is not a comprehensive citation reference work.
Dont confuse it with the kelley blue book, which provides information on the value of motor vehicles. Internet citation bluebook citation 101 practitioner format. A uniform system of citation, is the style manual for citing to legal documents within the united states. With its simple buildingblock approach, this survival manual teaches how to understand and master the essential rules for legal practitioners. Internet citation bluebook citation 101 academic format. Citing cases, legislative, administrative, and secondary and internet sources in bluebook or alwd form.
Federal register 20,477 page number april 20, 2005 date. A userfriendly format gathering the bluebooks scattered rules for each authority into one place. The university of chicago manual of legal citation the maroonbook, 2018 edition designed as an alternative to the bluebook, the maroonbook, as this manual is commonly called, offers a simple, malleable framework for citation, one which. The basic format includes the volume number, abbreviated title of the source, and beginning page or section numbers. Citing cases bluebook guide guides at georgetown law. About the bluebook bluebook guide guides at georgetown. Citation skills can only be acquired through practice. Generations of law students, lawyers, scholars, judges, and other legal professionals have relied on the bluebooks unique system of citation in their writing. Citing cases bluebook guide guides at georgetown law library. A uniform system of citation, is the style manual for citing to legal documents within the united. The form is a blend between intext and footnotebased formats, as its citations are located in the text but appear more similar to footnotebased ones. Effectively utilizing a simple building block approach for each source type, together with hundreds of easytofollow illustrations and explanations, the guide gives stepbystep instructions. Citation formats exist for many different types of legal sources including cases, statutes and secondary legal materials.
Teply highlighting the key issues of legal citation and the differences between bluebook and alwd conventions of legal citation, either of which writers might apply depending in different jurisdictions. The bluebook style guide is used in the american legal profession for citation of all relevant sources. The full citation form starts with the authors name, an underscored title of the article, the volume of the journal, the name of the journal, the page, and the year. The best way to learn the bluebook is simply to start using it one resource for additional practice with legal citation is lexiss interactive citation workstation icw. Cite this for me citation guides covers a lot of this additional information, so your paper is more properly prepped and less likely to get points taken off for these details. Understanding legal citations legal studies research.
Such higher educational institutions specialized in studying law at cornell university. For a complete list of guides, see the guides and tutorials tab. Learn the ins and outs of legal citation to ensure your sources are properly cited. A citation to the code of federal regulations uses the title number, the abbreviation c. 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. Bluebook citation for legal materials the bluebook style guide is used in the american legal profession for citation of all relevant sources. Understanding and mastering the bluebook 3rd edition.