A short primer on bluebook citation formats for federal and state cases and statutes. A short primer on bluebook citation formats for federal and state cases and statutes, as well as books, journals, and other secondary sources. However, the following are rules and examples for other types of legal documents that many firstyear law students may need to cite. Secondary sources will help you save time as you begin research on a topic by providing analysis, explanation, and leads to key primary sources. A few common errors with book citations using bluebook style 1 incorrect formatting of the book authors name. According to the bluebook citation guide, case names are underlined in legal memoranda and court documents. American law reports alr is good resources for background, analysis, and citations about law cases, statutes, and other legal details. Cases bluebook rule 10 the first time you cite a case, use the full citation format. Bluebook citation for legal materials the bluebook style guide is used in the american legal profession for citation of all relevant sources. The bluebook contains rules that prescribe how to cite a variety of legal documents.
Legal encyclopedias contain brief, broad summaries of legal topics, providing introductions to legal topics and explaining relevant terms of art. Cite to the volume, name of the source, article titlebroad topic this is not. A publication that establishes the correct form of case citations or of references to a legal authority showing where information can be found. Citations are to the 20th edition of the bluebook, a uniform system of citation. 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 this proposal covers citations to united states legal materialsu. Article names are not abbreviated and are always italicized. Citation practices and the bluebook cuny school of law. Claudia catalano, annotation, unlawful access under stored communications act, 18 u. A bluebook guide for law students suffolk university.
It also documents the many respects in which contemporary legal writing, very often following guidelines set out in court rules, diverges from the citation formats specified by those academic texts. This is a proposed citation style to adapt the bluebook to the unique needs of wikipedia. Bluebook citation for legal materials purdue writing lab. A uniform system of citation, a style guide, prescribes the most widely used legal citation system in the united states. Create your citations, reference lists and bibliographies automatically using the apa, mla, chicago, or harvard referencing styles. How to cite a encyclopedia article in bluebook law.
Note that bluebook citation format for restatements, or permutations. If you encounter a situation that is not covered in this guide, make sure to check the bluebook for more detail. Citing from other secondary sources legal citation research guide. Citing cases bluebook guide guides at georgetown law. In this bluebook cheat sheet, weve laid out the essential bluebook elements and bluebook examples for a few of the most common types of case citations. Draws on the bluebook and includes where to find the rule in that book. If the article is written by a student author, the designation of the piece. While you generally will not cite to an alr annotation, rule 16. It also provides many citation examples and video tutorials on citing major sources of law. A volume that explains the organization of a state government and provides the names of state officials. Secondary sources bluebook citation 101 practitioner format. Always check for local court citation rules for court documents. It is not intended to be a comprehensive discussion of citation rules.
Citation rules for court documents and legal memoranda. Bluepage rules are sometimes different but are always based upon the normal nonbluepage rules. A citation to a judicial opinion is typically referred to as a case or court case citation. This free, online guide by cornells legal information institute is indexed to both the alwd guide and the 19th edition of the bluebook. 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. Citations are to the 20th edition of the bluebook, a uniform system of citation rule 16. Generations of law students, lawyers, scholars, judges, and other legal professionals have relied on the bluebooks unique system of citation in their writing. If required by your instructor, you can add annotations to your citations. Common abbreviations legal citation research guides at.
A uniform system of citation, 20th ed cambridge, mass. Secondary sources include books, articles, encyclopedias and other nonprimary sources. Problems, cases, and materials 2006 when you are citing to a work that has been published by the same publisher more than once, you should cite the edition and the year it was published in. If a journal does not otherwise indicate the volume number but does continuous pagination across issues, use the year as the volume number. Our citation guides provide detailed information about all types of sources in mla, apa, chicago and turabian styles. There are too many rules for this introductory guide to cover. Blue book legal definition of blue book legal dictionary. For help with other source types, like books, pdfs, or websites, check out our other guides. Citation format examples for footnotes general rules times new roman, size 10, 1 line spacing, justified. Kf 245 b58 2015 course reserves see the introduction to basic legal citation for a description of bluebook citation style with examples. Citing other resources bluebook guide georgetown law. While you generally will not cite to a legal encyclopedia, rule b15.
The quote below appears exactly as it does in joanna santa barbaras article on childrearing in the encyclopedia of violence peace and. Citing secondary sources sample bluebook citations. The precise format of a case citation depends on a number of factors, including the jurisdiction, court, and type of case. Citation examples use nonacademic citation format i. Citing the law student legal services libguides at. For additional examples, see the basic bluebookingsecondary sources in legal documents tipsheet. The bluepages section located at the start of the bluebook is a miniguide to court documents andor legal memoranda. The basic elements when citing an encyclopedia are. Rule 15 in the bluebook explains how to properly cite a book. 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.
How do i cite american jurisprudence in an apa paper. In legal writing, one of the most commonly cited types of sources are judicial opinions. Cite all outside sources you use in your research paper. Encyclopedias first year legal research guide libguides at. In a few steps, you can create an alr citation like, martha lee, invasion of. Rule 15 governs the citation of books, treatises, reports, white papers, dictionaries, encyclopedias, and all other nonperiodic materials bluebook. Citations making specific reference to an electronic source are necessary only when the cited material is not widely available from multiple sources and identifying a specific electronic source is likely significantly to aid readers access to it or when versions are likely to vary. Cover citation rules and conventions, including how to refer to legal materials when writing a paper. Additionally, the chicago manual of style recommends its use for all citation of legal material.
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. Bluebook case guide bluebook citation generator legalease. Legal encyclopedias cite to the volume, name of the source, article titlebroad topic this is not the section name it is the title of the main topic within which the section you are citing falls, section number, and year. Citing secondary sources sample bluebook citations libguides. Additionally includes information on grammar, punctuation, usage and other tips for writing legal or other prose.
To have your reference list or bibliography automatically made for you, try our free citation generator. The basics of legal citation including citation styles bluebook and. However, the basic format of a case citation is as follows. The bluebook contains rules that prescribe how to cite a variety of. Bluecolored practitioners notes for court documents. Court of appeals cases not selected for publication in the federal reporter. The central function of a legal citation is to allow the reader to efficiently locate the cited source. American jurisprudence amjur is a secondary source a legal encyclopedia to be exact and the citation is governed by rule 15 of the bluebook. Each different kind of secondary source has a slightly different set of rules for citation, which will be enumerated below. Just select add annotation while finalizing your citation. Legal encyclopedia that provides case citations and cross references to. Secondary authorities bluebook citations libguides at william s.
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