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Bluebook Citation 101 -- Practitioner Format

Secondary sources, constitutions, statutes & legislative materials, internet citation, commercial databases, administrative law, law library useful links, get help & about the author.

The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation is generally the default legal citation manual. It is compiled by the editors of the Columbia Law Review , the Harvard Law Review , the University of Pennsylvania Law Review , and The Yale Law Journal and began in 1926 . It is now in its 21st edition. Other general legal citation manuals include ALWD , and The Redbook . Additionally, each jurisdiction and court may have its own citation rules. Ohio, for example, has its own writing manual.

Bluebook Organization

• Quick Reference:  Law Review Footnotes
• Blue Pages (these are practitioner oriented)
• General Rules (R. 1 – 9)
• Specific Source Rules (R. 10-21)
• Tables (T. 1-16)
• Quick Reference: Court Documents and Legal Memoranda

Style Guides

Citation Help (mostly practitioner format but useful for rules)

• The Indigo Book: A Manual of Legal Citation The Indigo Book is a free, Creative Commons-dedicated implementation of The Bluebook’s Uniform System of Citation. The Indigo Book was compiled by a team of students at the New York University School of Law, working under the direction of Professor Christopher Jon Sprigman. The scope is comparable to the Bluepages in The Bluebook.

Dictionaries

Rule 15.8 of  The Bluebook (21st ed. 2020) governs the citation of dictionaries. You may also find it helpful to look at B16.

The citation should include the following:

• Title of entry (italicized or underlined)
• Title of dictionary (italicized or underlined)

Example: 

Replevin, Black's Law Dictionary (10th ed. 2014).

Encyclopedias

Rule 15.8 and BT.1 of The Bluebook (21st ed. 2020) covers the citation of encyclopedias. 

• Encyclopedia abbeviation
• Article title (underlined or italicized)
• Copyright date of the volume (in the parenthetical)

88 C.J.S. Trial § 192 (1955).

17 Am. Jur. 2d Contracts § 74 (1964).

14 Ohio Jur. 3d Civil Rights § 82 (2006).

American Law Reports

Rule 16.7.6 of The Bluebook (21st ed. 2020) covers how to cite ALRs. 

The citation should contain:

• the word "Annotation"
• Title (italicized or underlined)
• Page number
• Copyright date of volume

William B. Johnson, Annotation, Use of Plea Bargain or Grant of Immunity as Improper Vouching for Credibility of Witness in Federal Cases , 76 A.L.R. Fed. 409 (1986 & Supp. 2017).

Restatements

Rule 12.9 of The Bluebook (21st ed. 2020) covers the citation of restatements.

• Restatement series (italicized or underlined)
• Copyright date of the volume

Restatement (Third) of Torts § 46 (2012).

Rule 23 of the ALWD Citation Manual (7th ed.) covers the citation of restatements.

• Copyright date

Legal Periodicals

Rule 16 of  The Bluebook (21st ed. 2020) covers the citation of law reviews.

Consecutively paginated law reviews and journals (R. 16.4)

• Author's name
• If the article is written by a student author, the designation of the piece (see R. 16.7.1)
• Title of the article (in italics or underlined)
• Volume number (if no volume, use the year as the volume and don't put the year at the end)
• Abbreviation of journal name (Tables 10,13, and 13.2 in the Bluebook )
• The beginning page number (if pinpoint citing, include the beginning page number and the pinpoint cite)
• Year (in parenthesis)

Charles A. Reich, The New Property , 73 Yale L.J. 733, 737-38 (1964).

Nonconsecutively paginated periodicals (R. 16.5)

• Abbreviation of journal name (see Tables 10 and 13 in the Bluebook )
• Date as it appears on the cover (if no date of issue is available, provide the issue number and indicate the volume number before the title)
• the word "at"

Susan A. Berson, Starting Up: If You're Hanging a Shingle in 2011 , A.B.A. J., Jan. 2011, at 40.

Newspapers (R. 16.6)

  The citation format for newspapers and newsletters is largely the same as for nonconsecutively paginated periodicals. See your Bluebook for specific exceptions involving special designations, place of publication etc.

Rule 21 of the ALWD Citation Manual (7th ed.) covers the citation of periodicals.

Consecutively paginated law reviews and journals

• If the author is a student, insert "student author" after the name.
• Volume (if no volume put the year and don't repeat the year at the end)
• Periodical Abbreviation (see Appendix 5)
• Page (if pinpoint citing, include the beginning page number and the pinpoint cite)

Nonconsecutively paginated periodicals

• Volume number (if exists)
• Publication Date
• Date (use exact date and if there is no specific date, include the abbreviation "no." and the issue number followed by the year)

Susan A. Berson, Starting Up: If You're Hanging a Shingle in 2011 , 97 A.B.A. J., Jan. 2011, at 40.

Rule 15 of the Bluebook (20th ed.) covers citing treatises. There are many variables in citing a treatise so definitely consult the rule for its many permutations. 

Generally, a citation to a treatise should contain the following elements:

• Volume (if applicable)
• Author (see R. 15(b) for more than 2 authors and R. 15(c) for institutional authors)
• Section and/or Page
• Editor, translators (if applicable)
• Copyright Date

2 Joseph M. Perillo & Helen Hadjiyannakis Bender, Corbin on Contracts § 1.1 (1993).

Rule 20.3 of the ALWD Citation Manual (5th ed.) covers the citation of books.

• Volume number (if applicable)
• Author (see R. 20.1(b)(2) for multiple authors and R. 20.1(b)(3) for institutional authors

Constitutions

Rule 11 of The Bluebook (21st ed. 2020) covers the citation of Constitutions.

• U.S. or the abbreviated name of the state (see T. 10)
• Abbreviate any subdivisions per Table 16

U.S. Const. amend. XIII, § 1.

Ohio Const. art. I.

Session Laws

Rule 12.4 of  The Bluebook (21st ed. 2020) covers the citation of session laws. The Bluepages B12.1.1 and Table 1 should also be consulted. The citation should include the following:

• Use official or popular name if one exists
• Otherwise identify the act with the date of enactment or effectiveness (abbreviated per T. 12)
• Volume (if no volume, give the year)
• Abbreviated name of session law publication (see  T. 1)
• Pages and sections (if pinpoint citing give the beginning page and the relevant page to which you are citing)
• Year of enactment (if no date of enactment, use effective date)
• Codification information (as a parenthetical)

Immigration and Nationality Act, Pub. L. No. 82-414, § 101, 66 Stat. 163, 167 (1952) (codified as amended at 8 U.S.C. § 1101).

Act of Dec. 31, 1996, Pub. Act 89-685, 1996 Ill. Laws 685 (codified as amended at 735 Ill. Comp. Stat. 5/3-107).

Act of Apr. 12, 1994, § 2, 1993-1994 Ohio Laws 6546, 6548-50.

Am. S. B. No. 47, 2013 Ohio Legis. Serv. Ann. L-13, L-23 (West) (codified as amended at Ohio Rev. Stat. § 3503.06).

Am. S. B. No. 47, 2013 Ohio Legis. Bull. 24, 39, (Lexis) (codified as amended at Ohio Rev. Stat. § 3503.06).

Rule 14.6 & 14.8 in the ALWD Citation Manual (7th ed.) covers the citation of session laws.

• Use official or popular name if one exists (omit "the")
• Otherwise identify the act with the date of enactment or effectiveness (abbreviated per Appx. 3(A))
• Law abbreviation
• The abbreviation "No."
• Pinpoint reference (if applicable)
• Abbreviated name of session law publication (See Appx. 1)

Rule 12 of The Bluebook (21st ed. 2020) covers the citation of statutes.

• Name and original section number as it appears in the session laws (only if the statute is commonly cited that way)
• Title, Chapter, or Volume (see  T. 1, 1.3)
• Code (cite to the official code if at all possible)
• Publisher, editor or compiler (unless the code is published by or under the supervision of government officials)
• Year (optional for federal codes) (on spine or title page if available, otherwise year on title page, and if not that, the copyright year)
• Supplements (see Rule 3.1 to cite any material appearing in supplements)

42 U.S.C.§ 1983.

8 U.S.C. §§ 1187-89.

Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 3503.06 (West 2007).

Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 3503.06 (LexisNexis 2009).

Citing to Online Codes -- Rule 12.5 and 18.3:

The Bluebook requires you to cite to the official code if it is available. If citing to a statute that is available on a commercial online service such as Lexis or Westlaw, provide the following:

• Title, Chapter, or Volume (see  T. 1)
• Publisher, editor or compiler
• Name of the database
• Currency of the database

Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 3503.06 (Lexis, Lexis Advance current with legis. passed by the 132d General Assemb. and filed with the Sec. of State through file 178 (HB 532)).

Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 3503.06 (West, Westlaw through File 42 of the 132d General Assemb. (2017-2018) and 2017 State Issue 1).

Rule 14 of the ALWD Citation Manual (7th ed.) covers the citations to codes.

A citation to the Federal statutes should include the following:

• Title number (if applicable)
• Code Abbreviation (cite to official code where possible - see Appendix 1)
• Publisher (if unofficial)

42 U.S.C.§ 1983 (2006).

8 U.S.C. §§ 1187-89 (2006 & Supp. IV 2011).

Online Codes

• Use regular citation form but add the name of the database provider and currency information

Citation Format

Rule 10 of The Bluebook (21st ed. 2020) governs the citation of cases.

• Case Name - first listed parties on each side (italicized or underlined) (use T. 6)
• Reporter (see T. 1)
• Court and jurisdiction in parenthetical (see T.1, T.7, T.10)
• Year in parenthetical
• Subsequent History after parenthetical (if applicable)

United States v. Prince Line, Ltd. , 189 F.2d 386, 387 (2d Cir. 1951).

Explanation:

• Case Name:  Note there is no abbreviation of United States per 10.2.2.  Abbreviate Ltd. Per R. 10.2.1(c), T.6. 
• Reporter:  Abbreviate the F.2d reporter per R. 6 (single adjacent caps), R. 6.2(b)(ii) (no superscript, use 2d instead of 2nd) & T.1.
• Court:  Abbreviate Second Circuit per R. 6, T.1, T.7.  Note that there is no superscript per R. 6.2(b)(ii).

Rule 12 of the ALWD Citation Manual (7th ed.) covers the citation of cases.

• Case Name - first listed parties on each side (italicized or underlined) (see chart 12.1)
• Reporter (see chart 12.2, local court rules - Appendix 2, )
• Court and jurisdiction (see Appendices 1 and 4 for court abbreviations)
• Subsequent History (if applicable)

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.  See R. 18.2 . 

• Authenticated :  those sources using encryption based authentication such as digital signatures and public key infrastructure (preferred by The Bluebook - look for certificates, seals,or logos )
• Official :  materials that a jurisdiction has designated as "official"
• Exact Copy :  unaltered copy of the printed source in a format that preserves pagination and other format attributes (most likely PDF)

Example:  The Ohio Supreme Court has designated the Supreme Court website as the Ohio Official Reports for opinions of the courts of appeals and the Court of Claims. See Ohio Rep. Op. R. 3.2 , http://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/LegalResources/rules/reporting/Report.pdf .  These opinions are in PDF format and bear a watermark.

Rule 18.2.2 Direct Citation to Internet Sources

If there is no print format or if the print format is obscure and is, for all practical purposes unavailable, cite to the most stable Internet source available.

Elements of citation:

• Author (if available)
• Use title bar or page-identifying heading (use descriptive title if needed)
• Include main page title and abbreviate it per T. 13
• Use dates that refer clearly to the material cited
• Otherwise use last updated or last modified
• Or last visited
• URL (but not too long or complicated)

Eric Goldman, When Should Search Engines Ignore Court Orders To Remove Search Results? ,Tech. & Marketing L. Blog (Sept. 4, 2013), http://blog.ericgoldman.org/archives/2013/09/when_should_sea.htm.

Bill Ong Hing, Understanding SB1070 from the Lens of Institutionalized Racism and Civil Rights , Legal Services N. Cal., http://www.equity.lsnc.net/understanding-sb1070-from-the-lens-of-institutionalized-racism-and-civil-rights (last visited Sept. 5, 2013).

Rule 18.2.3 Parallel Citation to Internet Sources

A parallel citation to an Internet source may be provided if it substantially improves access to the source.  Follow the regular rules for citing the source and then add the parallel Internet citation.

Elements of Citation

• Original print citation
• Introduce the parallel citation with available at

Commission on Women in the Profession, American Bar Association, From Visible Invisibility to Visibly Successful: Success Strategies for Law Firms and Women of Color in Law Firms (2008), available at http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/migrated/women/woc/VisiblySuccessful.authcheckdam.pdf.

D. Andrew Austin & Mindy R. Levit, Cong. Research Serv., The Debt Limit: History and Recent Increases (Aug. 27, 2013), available at http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/213995.pdf.

Haw. Rev. Stat. § 201-1 (date), available at http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol04_Ch0201-0257/HRS0201/HRS_0201-0001.htm.

Traton News, L.L.C. v. Traton Corp. , No. 12-4139 (6th Cir. June 11, 2013),  available at  http://federal-circuits.vlex.com/vid/traton-news-llc-v-corp-440553998.

• Id. , per R. 4.1
• Supra per R. 4.2

Rule 18.3 of The Bluebook covers the commercial databases such as Lexis, Westlaw, and Bloomberg Law. The Bluebook still requires the use and citation of printed sources where available ( see R. 18.2). Commercial databases should be cited in preference to other, general Internet resources.

Codes should be cited according to R. 12.3, but if citing to an electronic database, additional information is required.

• Title (for Federal)
• Abbreviated name of the code per T. 1
• Subject (where applicable)
• Title, Chapter, Volume (where applicable)
• Section and/or paragraph
• Currency of the database (as opposed to year of the code)

Cal. Bus. & Prof. § 1670.2 (West, Westlaw through Ch. 202 of 2013 Reg.Sess. and all 2013-2014 1st Ex.Sess. laws).

Cal. Bus. & Prof. § 1670.2 (Deering, Lexis through Ch. 129 of  2013 Reg. Sess.).

Secondary sources should be cited according to the rules for that source, but add a parallel cite to an electronic database. Include the database identifer if it is available.

Nicole Perlroth et al.,  N.S.A. Able To Foil Basic Safeguards Of Privacy On Web ,  N.Y. Times, Sept. 6, 2013, at A1, available at 2013 WLNR 22171198 .

According to Rule 18.3.1, an "unreported" case may be cited to an electronic database. 

• Case name (see R. 10)
• Docket number
• Database identifier (if unavailable, add information on the specific collection in a parenthetical)
• Page or paragraph numbers
• Court name (see R. 6, R. 10, T. 7, T. 10)

Beaven v. U.S. Dep't of Justice , No. 03-84-JBC, 2007 WL 1032301, at *3 (E.D. Ky. Mar. 30, 2007).

Beaven v. U.S. Dep't of Justice , No. 03-84-JBC, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 24459, at *3 (E.D. Ky. Mar. 30, 2007).

Beaven v. Ridley-Turner , No. 3:04-CV-160 RM (N.D. Ind. Apr. 18. 2005) (CaseMaker, U.S. District Court Case Law).

Use the database identifier in the short form.

Beaven , 2007 WL 1032301, at *3.

Beaven , 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 24459, at *3.

Rule 1.2 of The Bluebook (21st ed. 2020) covers the use of signals.  Signals are used in front of citations to alert the reader as to how that citation is being used.  They can be quite confusing!

Do not use a signal with a citation when you have directly borrowed someone else’s words or have paraphrased her words or ideas.

Signals can also be used as verbs in text.

Signals Used for Supportive Citations

• E.g. , – string cites, multiple examples but not an exhaustive list.  Here are a few examples to illustrate /support my statement.  You can combine this with other signals such as See.
•   Accord – 2 or more in agreement. The signal accord comes after another citation that supports the proposition.  The first citation here directly supports the statement and the accord signal and second citation indicates another source that supports it.   A common use of this signal is to show that two different jurisdictions agree.
•   See – clearly supports (obviously follows but not directly stated).  Slightly less direct support than no signal.
•   See also – additional material supporting the proposition.  Parenthetical explanation is encouraged.

Signals Used for Comparative Citations

• Cf. – compare (different but analogous – it doesn’t exactly support your statement but it is close).  Parenthetical explanation encouraged.
•   Compare -- To actually compare two authorities directly.  You must use “ with ,” and another citation  with this signal.  Parenthetical explanation encouraged.

Signals Used for Contradictory Citations

• Contra –  directly states the contrary.  The opposite of using no signal at all
• But See – authority supports proposition contrary to main proposition
•   But cf. – analogous to the contrary of the main proposition.  Parenthetical strongly encouraged.

Signals Used for Citation to Background Material

See generally – Background.  Parenthetical explanation encouraged.

Adminstrative Law

Regulations.

Rule 14 and Table 1 of  The Bluebook (21st ed. 2020) covers Administrative and Executive Materials. Rule 14.2 is specific regarding regulations .

A citation to the CFR would look like this:  

29 C.F.R. § 825.112 (2015).

The 29 refers to the CFR title.  The CFR part is 825.  The CFR section is 825.112.

A citation to the Federal Register would look like this:

Office of the Attorney General; Applicability of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, 75 Fed. Reg. 81,849 (Dec. 29, 2010) (codified at 28 C.F.R. Pt. 72).

The 75 is the Federal Register volume.  The 81,849 is the Federal Register page number.  The Federal Register issue date is December 29, 2010.

Adjudications

Rule 14.3 is specific regarding administrative adjudications and arbitrations.  Generally, they should conform to Rule 10 for cases but apply Rule 14.3.1 exceptions.

Executive Orders & Proclamations

See T.1. Generally you will cite to Title 3 of the CFR when available. The citation elements consist of:

• Exec. Order abbreviation or Proclamation
• No. followed by the order or proclamation number
• Original Year Promulgated

Exec. Order No. 13827, 3 C.F.R. 794 (2018).

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About the Author

Susan Boland is the Interim Director for the University of Cincinnati Robert. S. Marx Law Library. She teaches legal research and offers reference and research support services to all law library users. Prior to joining the law library faculty, she was the Head of Information Services for the Ruth Lilly Law Library at the Robert H. McKinney School of Law and the Research & Instructional Services librarian at Northern Illinois University College of Law. She has also held positions at a public library and community college library and served as a judicial clerk for the Iowa District Court for the Fifth Judicial District.  She is a member of various professional associations both regionally and nationally. She has served as Chair of the Computing Services Special Interest Section of the American Association of Law Libraries and President of the Mid-America Association of Law Libraries. She is currently Vice-President of the American Association of Law Libraries Animal Law Caucus. She has presented at regional and national conferences, as well as at continuing legal education programs. Her publications include annotated bibliographies on the death penalty and election law, as well as articles on legal research, technology, and teaching.

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Bluebook Legal Citation System Guide

Getting started, six steps to creating a citation, bluebook navigation, bluebook troubleshooting, beyond the bluebook, citing & bluebooking faqs, getting help, what is the bluebook.

The Bluebook is a guide to a system of legal citation frequently used by law schools and law journals. This guide will introduce you to how to use the Bluebook. 

Print copies of the Bluebook are available in the Library in Reference and on Reserve at circulation. Copies can also be purchased in print or online at https://www.legalbluebook.com/ .

References to page numbers in this guide are from the 21st edition.

Before You Start

• There are other citation formats.
• Pick the correct one for your project.
• There are gaps in the Bluebook, particularly for non-traditional and non-U.S. sources.
• Use the closest analogous rule.
• Make sure that you are citing the same source or types of sources in the same way. 
• Keep in mind that the main goal for all citation systems is to make it easy for your reader to find the source you are citing. 

Six Steps to Your Citation

To create a Bluebook citation follow this six step process:

1. Identify the Type of Source

What  type of source do you want to cite?

• The Bluebook rules are organized by source type
• Common types include cases, statutes, books and book chapters,  journal articles, web pages, etc.

2. Find the Bluebook Rule

Go to the  Bluebook rule  for that source type. 

• Check the Quick Guides on the inside cover to identify major source types
• Use the index to find rules for other types of sources not included in the Quick Guides
• If you found a traditionally printed source online, review both the rules for the print source and the rules for online sources
• The print and online rules are often used together

3. Read the Rule & Examples

• Read the rule carefully
• Study any examples provided closely
• Examples are provided inside the front cover, at the beginning of each rule, and within the text of the rules
• Note which components are required to create a citation for a specific type of source

4. Gather the Citation Components

• Gather the required components of the citation from your source

5. Draft a Citation

• Draft a citation that looks like the most relevant example
• Do your best, but don't worry if your first draft isn't perfect

6. Edit the Citation

• Edit your draft citation using the Bluebook's style rules and tables
• Note typeface and punctuation conventions for different types of sources
• Note the rules for abbreviations and use the tables to abbreviate your citation

The Six-Step Process in Action

To see an example of how this process works with an article from the NY Times website, check out the powerpoint below.

• PowerPoint Slides: Six-Step Citation Creation Process

Organization & Blue and White Pages

The Bluebook is organized into sections:

• Style Rules
• Primary Law
• Secondary Law
• Internet & Electronic Sources
• Foreign & International Materials
• Tables: Jurisdictions & Abbreviations

Use the Bluepages   when drafting citations that will appear in documents like legal memoranda and court filings. 

Use the Whitepages  when drafting citations that will appear in legal academic publications.

Quick Guides

The Quick Reference inside front and back covers of the print include rule cross references and sample citations for common citation types:

• Inside Front: Quick Reference: Citations in Law Review Footnotes
• Inside Back: Quick Reference: Citations in Court Documents & Legal Memoranda

There is also a Quick Style Guide online for common citation types used in law reviews:

• Online: Quick Style Guide for Citations in Law Review Footnotes

Finding Aids

Consult the following to find the appropriate rule or table for your citation

• Back cover compact table of contents
• Full table of contents (pp. IX-XVI)
• Index (pp. 329-365)

Solving Citation Problems

The Bluebook isn't always clear.  Try the following if you're having difficulty with a citation:

• Make sure you have the correct rule for your type of resource
• If your type of resource isn't specifically included, find the one that is most similar
• If you are citing material for a country that isn't in the Bluebook, find a country with a similar legal system to base your citation on
• Search recent articles in law reviews on Hein, Westlaw and Lexis. Has anyone else cited this material?
• Check the resources linked in Beyond the Bluebook 
• Be consistent with the citation format you pick
• Make sure to include enough information for a reader to follow in your footsteps.

Library Help

We are not Bluebook experts, but we're happy to help guide you through the Bluebooking process.

• Provide access to Library copies of the Bluebook
• Assist you as you navigate Bluebook rules
• Help you locate supplemental citation guides and self-help materials

We cannot check footnotes for you, proofread your paper or provide authoritative Bluebook interpretations. 

Bluebook Orders, Comments & Corrections

• The Harvard Law School Library is not affiliated directly with  The Bluebook or the Harvard Law Review Association
• The Bluebook is compiled by the editors of the Columbia Law Review , the Harvard Law Review, the University of Pennsylvania Law Review , and the Yale Law Journal  and is published and distributed by the Harvard Law Review Association

Please contact the editors of The Bluebook directly ( https://www.legalbluebook.com/ ) with orders, questions, comments or corrections. 

Additional Bluebook Help

• Bluebook Guide (Georgetown Law Library)
• Foreign Law by Jurisdiction: Citation (NYU Law) List of citation guides and abbreviation dictionaries for foreign and international law sources.
• Cornell LII: Introduction to Basic Legal Citation

Over It? Here Are Some Other Options...

• ALWD Guide to Legal Citation The ALWD (Association of Legal Writing Directors) Guide to Legal Citation explains legal citation formats for all types of legal documents in a clear, pedagogically sound manner. The Guide’s plain language, numerous examples, and clear, integrated structure to explaining the legal system of citation for legal materials is easy for students, professors, practitioners, and judges to understand and use.
• The Indigo Book The Indigo Book is a free, Creative Commons-dedicated implementation of The Bluebook’s Uniform System of Citation. The Indigo Book was compiled by a team of students at the New York University School of Law, working under the direction of Professor Christopher Jon Sprigman.
• OSCOLA: Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities The Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities is designed to facilitate accurate citation of authorities, legislation, and other legal materials. It is widely used in law schools and by journal and book publishers in the UK and beyond.

All Citation/Bluebook FAQs

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Bluebook Citation for Legal Materials

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

The Bluebook style guide is used in the American legal profession for citation of all relevant sources. Additionally, the Chicago Manual of Style recommends its use for all citation of legal material. What follows is a summary of the basics. It should be noted that the Bluebook system goes into significant complexity on most of these points, but the following is the level of detail it recommends for the basic needs of, e.g., a student.

It should also be noted that, depending on the document, underlines may be substituted for italics and vice versa – as long as one is consistent.

Short Form Citations

Once you have cited a given authority in full once, you may use a short-form citation subsequently. The specific content of a short form citation is flexible, but varies by the type of authority being cited. Acceptable short forms for a given citation will be covered in each entry.

Short forms may also use id.  to indicate that this citation is from the same authority as the previous.  

Court Cases

Citation of a court case requires the following components:

• The name of the case
• The source where you found the case
• The court where the case was decided
• The year the decision took place

The citation may be followed by other parenthetical information, such as a brief explanation of the case’s relevance or a quotation from that case. This may be followed by subsequent history of the case, e.g., later affirmations of the decision, if you so choose.

In citing the name of the case, one generally summarizes. If there are multiple plaintiffs or multiple defendants, one only lists the first party in each category. Moreover, the names of individuals within the case name are shortened to surname only – no first or middle names, no initials, no “aka” or “et al.”

In general, one should abbreviate to the degree possible without losing necessary information. The Bluebook recommends, for example, shortening any procedural phrases to abbreviations such as “In re” or “Ex parte”, as well as using any commonly-understood abbreviations to shorten the names of the parties, e.g. “Univ.” rather than “University”. Names of the source and the court are also generally abbreviated; in the example citation below, Federal Rules Decisions is shortened to “F.R.D.”, and the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania is abbreviated to “W.D. Pa.” Sources and courts tend to have official abbreviations for this purpose, which are generally conspicuously provided for anyone needing to cite them.

The page number in a case citation is the page on which that case begins in the source. If you wish to reference a specific page as well as the general case, separate that page reference with a comma. For instance, if your reference is a case that begins on page 100 of your source, but you want to point specifically to a statement six pages in, the page number in your citation would be “100, 106”.

In the short-form citation of a case, you are free to shorten the case name to only the   first party, or even an abbreviated form of that party’s title. If, however, the first party is a governmental entity, geographical unit, or other such creation, this may not be a helpful citation. (Since there are so many cases where the first party is, for example, the U.S. government, citing a case name as “United States” doesn’t narrow it down enough to be useful). In these cases, cite instead by the name of the second party.

If you are citing a specific point in the case, you may use only that page number and eliminate the page that the case begins on. If you are still citing the case as a whole, retain the page number on which the case begins.

Shortened Case Name , Source at page number.

Ex rel. Mayo , 54 F.R.D. at 282.  

Constitutions

When citing the constitution of a governmental entity, use the abbreviated title of the constitution, then specify to which subdivision of said document you are referring. Some helpful abbreviations for those subdivisions are as follows:

Set the title of the constitution in small caps if possible. The subdivisions should then be listed, separated by commas, in order of decreasing size.

Constitition Title  subdivision, subdivision.

Tenn. Const.  art. IX, §3.

If you are citing a section of that constitution which has since been amended or repealed, note the date of that fact in parentheses at the end of the citation, e.g.

U.S. Const.  amend. XVIII (repealed 1933).

If the entire constitution is no longer in effect, add the date at which the constitution was originally adopted to the citation as follows:

Md. Const.  of 1864, art. XXIV.

If the section of a defunct constitution you are citing was adopted in a different year than the constitution as a whole, then include that year as well, e.g.

Ala. Const. of 1819, amend. III (1850).

There is no short form for constitutional citations.

Statutes, Laws, and Codes

To cite a federal statute, you need to include:

• The title of the act
• The source in which it is found
• The year in which it was enacted (session laws) OR the year in which the source was published (codes).
• The chapters or section(s) being referred to.

State statutes follow a similar structure, but whenever possible, one should simply cite the appropriate section of the code.

Act Title, Source § number (year).

The Guano Islands Act, 48 U.S.C. ch. 8 §§1411-12 (2012).

Ga. Code Ann. § 39-2-17 (2016).

As with constitutional citations above, if the statute has been repealed or amended, indicate this fact and the year it occurred in parentheses at the end of the citation. You may also include additional information in the same fashion.

Utah Crim. Code § 76-7-104 (1973) (repealed 2019).

Short form citations for statutes need to include the section number as well as the minimum information necessary to identify which of your previously-cited authorities the citation refers to. An appropriate short form for the Guano Islands Act above, for instance, could be:

48 U.S.C. §§1411-12

Bills and Resolutions

To cite a bill or resolution, include:

• Title of bill if needed
• Document number
• Term and session of the legislative body
• Relevant sections
• Year published

For bills passed in state legislative bodies rather than federal, you should also include the state.

Act Title, Document Number, Term # Legislative Body, Session § number (State year).

Student Protection Act, H.R. 2625, 113 th  Cong. § 3 (2013).

Floor Amendment 1 to S.B. 459. 42 nd  Leg., 1 st  Sess. § 2 (N.M. 1995).

In short-form citations, it is sufficient to cite by document number, though to avoid confusion, one should specify the state unless discussing a federal law.

Ga. H.B. 677

When citing a hearing, include:

• The full title as published
• The relevant bills, if any
• The committee
• The term & session of the legislative body
• The year of publication
• The name and titles of the individual providing a statement
• Relevant page numbers

Title: Hearing on Bill Before the Committee , Term & Session page numbers (year) (statement of Firstname Lastname, Titles).

Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations for 2003: Hearing before the H. Subcomm. on Education Appropriations , 107 th  Cong. (2002) (statement of Elmo Monster, Sesame Street Muppet).

Protecting America’s Harvest:  Hearing on H.R. 2414 Before the H. Subcomm. on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law , 111 th  Cong. (2010) (statement of Stephen Colbert, Host, The Colbert Report, Comedy Central Studios)

Note: No method of writing short-form citations for hearings is listed in the Bluebook.

heading 1 2 3 4 #this is just small column unstyled, not offset. heading

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Bluebook Legal Citation

• Intro signals: E.g., See, See also, Cf., etc.
• Order of authorities
• Pages, Paragraphs, and Pincites
• Short form: Id., Infra, Supra, Hereinafter
• Typeface conventions
• Constitutions
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• Books, Reports, Treatises

Book Example

Author rules, title rules, publisher, edition, & year rules, short form rules.

• Law Reviews, Magazines, and Newspapers
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• Additional Resources

Clicking on an orange bracketed and labeled selection below will take you to the portion of this guide discussing the appropriate citation format and bluebook rules.

Bluebook Rule (21st): 15.1

Law Review Typeface: Smallcaps

Personal Authors

Author names should be included in full just as they appear in the original publication.  Include such designations as "Jr." or "III" but not titles such as "Dr.," even if included in the original work.  Offset "Jr." or "III" with a comma only if that is how it appears in the original. 

Philip D. O'Neill, Jr. , Verification in an Age of Insecurity: The Future of Arms Control Compliance (2010).

If a cited work has two authors, include both names in the same order as they appear in the original separated by an ampersand.

Neal Feigenson & Christina Spiesel , Law on Display: The Digital Transformation of Legal Persuasion and Judgment (2010).

For more than two authors, provide the first name followed by "et al."

Russell L. Weaver, et al. , Inside Constitutional Law: What Matters and Why (2009).

NOTE: If there is particular relevance in listing all author names, list them in them in the order they appear in the original source, separated by commas except for the final name, which is separated only by an ampersand without a comma.

Institutional Authors

If the author of a work is an institution, provide the complete name. 

4 Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation , The American Law of Mining 98 (2d ed. 1984).

NOTE: In some circumstances, a particular individual within an institution will be given authorial credit.  If this is the case, provide the individual's name, followed by the institutional name separated by a comma.

Consult rule 15.1(d) for guidance on the proper abbreviation of institutional author names.

NOTE: Use the abbreviation "U.S." when "United States" is part of an institutional name.  This differs from the rule prohibiting the abbreviation of United States as part of a case name, discussed here in this guide.

Editors and Translators

The full name of any editors and translators is included in a parenthetical.  Consult rule   15.2   for further guidance.

Bluebook Rule (21st): 15.3

Provide the title of a work as it appears on the title page, but follow the capitalization rules of Bluebook rule 8 .

In general, this rule requires that all words be capitalized except:

• articles ("the", "a", etc.)
• conjunctions
• prepositions which are four or fewer letters in length.

While they should not be capitalized, articles should always be included in the title, and no words should be abbreviated. Always capitalize both the first word of a title and the first word following a colon.

Julius G. Getman, Restoring the Power of Unions: It Takes a Movement (2010).

Jacqueline Stevens, States Without Nations: Citizenship for Mortals (2010).

Sanford Levinson, Wrestling with Diversity (2003).

Roger K. Newman, Hugo Black: A Biography (1994).

Bluebook Rule (21st): 15.4

When you are citing a work that only has one edition, use the year of publication in the parentheses.

Example:  Daniel C.K. Chow & Edward lee, International Intellectual Property: 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 the parentheses.

Example:  Lawrence Lessig, Code: Version 2.0 ( 2nd ed. 2006). 

If the edition is from a different publisher than the original, you should note the publisher.

Example:  John C.H. Wu, The Golden Age of Zen ( Image Books 1996) (1975).

Bluebook Rule (21st): 15.10

Law Review Typeface: Smallcaps for author names; italics for " Id ." and " supra ."

A book, report, treatise, or other non-periodic material may be cited in short-form after it has been cited in full.

Use of both " Id ." and " supra " is appropriate for this type of authority:

• Sanford Levinson, Wrestling with Diversity 25 (2003).
• Roger K. Newman, Hugo Black: A Biography 33 (1994).
• Id. at 35-36
• Levinson , supra note 1.
• Newman , supra note 2 at 37.

Generally, rule 4 will provide guidance for proper short-form citation of this type of authority, as is discussed under general short-form citation rules in this guide.

Short forms for works in a collection

Rule 15.10.1 establishes special rules for citation of shorter works in a collection.

" Id. " may be used to cite to a shorter work in a collection if the shorter work was cited in the same or the immediately proceeding footnote, but " Id. " may not be used to cite the entire collection.

" Supra " should be used to refer to the entire work as a whole.  The title of the entire work, however, should always be used instead of the author. 

NOTE: If the entire title would be cumbersome or confusing to use with " supra ," a "hereinafter" citation may be appropriate, as is discussed elsewhere in this guide .

Supra should also be used to refer to the short work if it has been previously cited and Id. is not appropriate.  In this case, use the author name with " supra ."

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Citation Guide: Interpreting, Managing & Creating Bluebook Legal Cites : Citation & Writing Styles

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Tools to Help You Create Citations

Westlaw copy with reference, lexis copy with reference, shepard's style check, lexis for microsoft office, bloomberg law copy with reference, citation management tools: endnote, mendeley, refworks, zotero, other: bestlaw, citeus legalus, legalease.

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Think Bluebooking is challenging? So do a lot of other people! There are many different tools out there to help you create Bluebook-formatting citations. But beware-- none of these tools are a perfect solution for all of your Bluebook troubles . You will need to double-check your citations to make sure they're correct even after using one of these tools.

Select text, right click, Copy with Reference. Selectable Formats:

• ALWD (Association of Legal Writing Directors)
• Standard (Bluebook) [Default]
• Various State Jurisdictions (including Washington State)

Lexis Advance Copy with Reference

Select text, right click, Copy (Quick). Selectable Formats:

• Standard (Blueboook) [Default]
• ALWD Guide to Legal Citation

Select text, right click, Copy (Advanced).

Shepard's StyleCheck

Download: https://www.lexisnexis.com/shepards-citations/stylecheck/features.asp

Shepard's StyleCheck checks either Bluebook rules or California Citation forms. It is part of Shepard’s Brief Suite, a suite of programs that automates the cite checking process. To submit the brief you are viewing to the Shepard’s StyleCheck program:

• Click the Shepard’s StyleCheck button. Default style-verification options are already set. (To customize your options, e.g., to reflect the style of specific jurisdictions, click Properties in the Options screen.)
• View your error report. Be sure to save the report if you wish to view it again.

Lexis for Microsoft Office

Free Trial: https://www.lexisnexis.com/en-us/products/lexis-for-microsoft-office.page

• Click Set Cite Format to set court style manual style preferences.
• Click Check Cite Format under the LexisNexis tab.
• Click the Change button to add the correct citation format -OR-
• Click the Get Document button to view the source document and ensure accurate citation usage

Select text, click Copy with Citation. This will open a box with the formatted citation that you can copy and paste into your document. You also have the option of linking the citation to Bloomberg Law.

Bloomberg Law does not allow you to change the citation format.

EndNote Cite While You Write

EndNote  Cite While You Write allows you to cite your references in Bluebook format. To download Cite While You Write go to Options>Download Installers>Cite While You Write. In Word, open the  EndNote  Tab and login with your  EndNote  email and password. Click Insert Citations, which opens a search box where you will search for you reference. Click Find and select your reference(s), then click Insert. If the Bluebook citation is not accurate, you can manually the citation.

EndNote  supports the following styles:

• Bluebook-Brief
• Bluebook-Law Review

In the Bibliography section of the EndNote Tab, you can change the Style and Update your citations. You can download these styles from the  EndNote website .

Mendeley Cite-O-Matic

Mendeley   Cite-O-Matic  will allow you to cite your references in Bluebook style.  Mendeley  should automatically download  Cite-O-Matic  into the References Tab in Word. Click Insert Citation. Search for your reference(s) and click OK. You can also change the Style of your citations. If the Bluebook citation is not accurate, you can manually edit the citation.

Mendeley  supports the following Styles:

• Bluebook Inline
• Bluebook Law Review

You can find and edit styles on the  Mendeley website .

RefWorks Write-N-Cite

RefWorks  Write-N-Cite allows you to cite references in Bluebook style. To download Write-N-Cite from your  RefWorks  account: Tools>Write-N-Cite.  RefWorks  will download Write-N-Cite to the References Tab in Word. Click Insert Citation. Click Insert New. Search or browse for your  referene (s) and you will see a preview of the formatted citation. Click OK. If  RefWorks  makes an error with the citation format, you can manually edit the citation.

RefWorks  supports the following citation styles:

• Bluebook (notes & bibliography)
• Bluebook (notes only)

To add more citation styles, go to Output Style Manager in your  RefWorks  account. You can see the full list of styles on the  RefWorks  website .

Zotero  will download a plugin into the Add-Ins tab on Word. Click Insert Citation. This will open a window where you can select the citation style. After selecting the style, another window will open allowing you to search for your reference(s). Once the references are added to your paper, you can edit those citations

Zotero  supports the following citation styles:

You can download additional citation styles from the  Zotero website .

Georgetown Law Library has a series of three training videos about Zotero

Citation management software enables you to collect, organize, edit, and share your research. There are several options out there, but Georgetown Law Library recommends Zotero. This set of tutorials will focus on installing and using Zotero and its cloud storage and sharing.

For accessibility, there are also PDFs of the text, as well as options for closed captioning and variable playback speeds.

Juris-M is a Zotero spin-off aimed at legal researchers. It uses the free Indigo Book , similar to (but not licensed by) The Bluebook .

Bestlaw  is a free browser extension for Chrome and Firefox that adds features for  WestlawNext  and Lexis Advance.  Bestlaw  can automatically generate Bluebook citations with one click. There is also a Pro version for sale that adds more features.

Download: https://www.bestlaw.io/

Citeus Legalus

"The legal citation generator for lazy law students." A fun citation generator.

Website: http://citeuslegalus.com/

LegalEase is a subscription-based citation generator. It's priced at about $22 a month. The company offers a 7-day free trial.

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• Last Updated: Oct 4, 2024 11:38 AM
• URL: https://lib.law.uw.edu/bluebook101

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Bluebook Citation: Outline

• Common Building Block Rules
• Bluepages v. Whitepages
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• Law Reviews/Articles & Other Non-Book Publications
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• International Materials
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The Bluebook (Twenty-First Edition) is a uniform system of citation. What does this mean?

Legal argument and writing is based on precedent. As such, every thought, sentence and idea must refer to a legal underpinning - be it case law, statute, regulation, book, law review etc. To enable a reader to precisely locate these legal documents, a uniform citation style is required. Over time the Bluebook has become the standard legal citation style (there are others).

Courts, law reviews and other printed legal materials generally employ the bluebook, or a slightly altered version.

For example, see Massachusetts Style Guide for the SJC .

Where are changes to the rules listed?

The preface of each edition of the Blueboook includes a list of changes and additions since the previous edition.  

Table of Contents

• Regulations & Adminstrative Opinions
• Law Reviews/Articles & Other Non-Book Publications

Areas not covered include Unpublished and Forthcoming Sources (Rule 17). 

Keep in mind, if you are on co-op in a foreign jurisdiction, they may have their own citation format (i.e. don't use Bluebook's rules on citing foreign materials in American publications). For example, the United Kingdom uses the Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities .

The Bluebook (Twenty-First Edition) and books on the Bluebook

Along with the bluebook (first entry below), there are some books and guides on how to use the bluebook. Their helpfulness varies, with more citation examples the best element. There is no real substitute for reading the bluebook.

Subject Guide

I will be updating and changing this page as I add more content, examples, and in reaction to questions.There are some areas I do not cover.This is a guide and the Bluebook itself is the final source.

Any mistakes or suggestions, please free to e-mail me - [email protected].

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• Last Updated: Dec 12, 2022 3:11 PM
• URL: https://lawlibraryguides.neu.edu/bluebook

Bluebook Citation Generator

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What are Bluebook citations?

The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation, prescribes the most commonly used legal citation system for law professionals in the United States. The Bluebook is compiled by the Harvard Law Review Association, the University of Pennsylvania Law Review and the Yale Law Journal.

Generations of law students, lawyers, scholars, judges and other legal professionals have relied on the Bluebook’s unique system of citing in their writing.

How to create Bluebook citations

There are many sources supported within The Bluebook including legal cases, Supreme Court cases and statutes. The way in which citations are formatted depends on which type of source you are citing.

A case citation, for example, includes the name of the case; the published sources in which it may be found, if any; a parenthetical that indicates a court and jurisdiction and the year or date of decision; and the subsequent history of case, if any. It may also include additional parenthetical information and prior history of the case.

It’s important to note that the format in which your source should be cited depends on a number of factors (filed but not decided, unpublished interim order etc.) explained in most detail in the latest version of The Bluebook, Edition 19; alternatively, check with your lecturer if you are unsure.

Looking for a simpler option? Generate your citations using Cite This For Me’s Bluebook citation generator within seconds. Fast, accurate and hassle free, it’s citations made easy.

Popular Bluebook Law Review style Citation Examples

How to cite a book in bluebook law review style.

Use the following template to cite a book using the Bluebook Law Review citation style.

In-text citation

Place this part right after the quote or reference to the source in your assignment.

How to cite a Journal in Bluebook Law Review style

Use the following template to cite a journal using the Bluebook Law Review citation style.

How to cite Film or Movie in Bluebook Law Review style

Use the following template to cite a film or movie using the Bluebook Law Review citation style.

How to cite an Online image or video in Bluebook Law Review style

Use the following template to cite an online image or video using the Bluebook Law Review citation style.

How to cite a Website in Bluebook Law Review style

Use the following template to cite a website using the Bluebook Law Review citation style.

Additional Bluebook Law Review style Citation Examples

How to cite a blog in bluebook law review style.

Use the following template to cite a blog using the Bluebook Law Review citation style.

How to cite a Court case in Bluebook Law Review style

Use the following template to cite a court case using the Bluebook Law Review citation style.

How to cite a Dictionary entry in Bluebook Law Review style

Use the following template to cite a dictionary entry using the Bluebook Law Review citation style.

How to cite an E-book or PDF in Bluebook Law Review style

Use the following template to cite an e-book or pdf using the Bluebook Law Review citation style.

” “

How to cite an Edited book in Bluebook Law Review style

Use the following template to cite an edited book using the Bluebook Law Review citation style.

How to cite an Email in Bluebook Law Review style

Use the following template to cite an email using the Bluebook Law Review citation style.

How to cite an Encyclopedia article in Bluebook Law Review style

Use the following template to cite an encyclopedia article using the Bluebook Law Review citation style.

How to cite an Interview in Bluebook Law Review style

Use the following template to cite an interview using the Bluebook Law Review citation style.

How to cite a Magazine in Bluebook Law Review style

Use the following template to cite a magazine using the Bluebook Law Review citation style.

How to cite a Newspaper in Bluebook Law Review style

Use the following template to cite a newspaper using the Bluebook Law Review citation style.

How to cite a Podcast in Bluebook Law Review style

Use the following template to cite a podcast using the Bluebook Law Review citation style.

How to cite a Song in Bluebook Law Review style

Use the following template to cite a song using the Bluebook Law Review citation style.

How to cite The Bible in Bluebook Law Review style

Use the following template to cite The Bible using the Bluebook Law Review citation style.

How to cite a TV Show in Bluebook Law Review style

Use the following template to cite a TV Show using the Bluebook Law Review citation style.

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Sample Bluebook Citations

• Introduction to Sample Bluebook Citations

How to use the Bluebook When Citing in Legal Research/Writing Classes

• Citing Secondary Sources
• Citing Case Law
• Citing Codes & Statutes
• Citing Session Laws
• Citing Federal Legislative History Sources
• Citing Administrative Law Sources
• Go to Basic Legal Research Guide

Law Library Contact Information

Reference Desk:

• Email: [email protected]

Circulation Desk:

• Phone: 815-753-0507
• Email: [email protected]

Always consult the Bluebook for additional information. Some helpful sections include:

• See R. 3 (p. 71) for information on subdivisions, supplements, etc.
• See R. 6 (p. 87) for information on spacing & abbreviations.
• See R. 8 (p. 91) for information on capitalization.

Important: IGNORE R. 2 for assignments in Legal Research & Legal Writing classes

• R. 2 refers to the typefaces used in law reviews and has nothing to do with the way practitioners cite. All of the examples in the Bluebook (except the "Blue Pages" and back cover Quick Reference) show law review typeface (e.g., SMALL CAPS).
• For your Legal Research and Legal Writing classes you are to use the citation format used in documents being submitted to the court. Do not use SMALL CAPS in any citations .
• Always italicize case names, article names, etc. See the chart on B1 (pp. 6-7) for a complete list and follow the "Non-Academic Citation" column.
• Designating sections: Your word processing program should be able to produce the section symbol (§). In Word, select the Insert tab then select Symbol (at the far right hand side of the ribbon). If you are not able to produce a section symbol, use the abbreviation sec. for a single section and secs. for multiple sections.

The content in this guide is derived from the work of Professor Therese Clarke Arado, who has written and updated the print Basic Legal Research coursepacks for each semester for many years.

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• Last Updated: May 5, 2023 10:19 AM
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Published February 12, 2021. Updated August 10, 2021.

To cite in Bluebook style, it is helpful to know basic information about your source, including author name(s), the title of the source and/or article, date published, and page numbers (if applicable).

This guide will show you in-text citations and full citations in footnotes in Bluebook for the following source types:

Law journal article

If you wish to easily cite in Bluebook, check out the  Chegg Writing citation generator .

Formatting citations in Bluebook style

The Bluebook citation style has two parts:

In-text citation notes.

In-text citation notes

When you cite information from a source in your work, place a superscript note number at the end of the sentence or phrase. In the text of the article, place the note number after any punctuation, including periods, commas, quotations marks, etc:

Colons : Example sentence: 1

Commas : Example sentence, 1

Periods : Example sentence. 1

Semicolons : Example sentence; 1

You can also cite more than one source at a time:

Example sentence. 1,2 ­

Example sentence. 2-4

Example sentence. 1,2-3

The note number corresponds to the source’s number in the note list.

Reference details are listed in the order the sources are mentioned in your paper.

1 LCB Gower, Pollock on Partnership xi (Stevens & Sons Limited 1952).

2 Lisa L Turner,  Developing Client-Ready Practitioners: Learning How to Practice National Security Law at Military Law Schools , 7 J. Nat’l Sec. L. & Pol’y 1 (2014).

3 Danann Realty Corp. v. Harris, (1959)  5 N.Y.2d 317 .

4 Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act, 2007, § 28, No. 1,  Acts of the Scottish Parliament , 2007 (Scotland).

Citing a book in Bluebook style

In-text citation basic format and example:

Example sentence­. #

Despite repeated and comprehensive efforts by the researchers, 1

Notes list basic format and example:

# Author First Name Surname, Book Title First Page Number or Page Range (Publisher Publication Year). 1 LCB Gower, Pollock on Partnership xi (Stevens & Sons Limited 1952).

(The author’s name should be written as it appears on the title page of the book).

Citing a law journal article in Bluebook style

Example sentence, #  …

Despite repeated and comprehensive efforts by the researchers, 1 …

# Author First Name Last Name,  Article Title: Subtitle , Volume Number Abbreviated Journal Title Caps/Small Caps First Page (Publication Date). 1 Lisa L Turner,  Developing Client-Ready Practitioners: Learning How to Practice National Security Law at Military Law Schools , 7 J. Nat’l Sec. L. & Pol’y 1 (2014).

(The author’s name should be written as it appears in the article).

Citing a case in Bluebook style

Example sentence, # …

Despite repeated and comprehensive efforts by the parties, 1 …

# Name of first party v. Name of the other party (Year of the decision) Citation of the case and the first page number of the case report.

1 Danann Realty Corp. v. Harris, (1959)  5 N.Y.2d 317 .

(If there are multiple plaintiffs, only list the first party in each category).

Citing a statute in Bluebook style

Example sentence. #

The act covers all stages. 1

# Title of the Act, § section or chapter number, No. act number, Acts of Parliament, Year of the Act (country name). 1 Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act, 2007, § 28, No. 1,  Acts of the Scottish Parliament , 2007 (Scotland).

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Bluebook Format

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Cite a Court Case in Bluebook

Cite a constitution in bluebook, cite a statute in bluebook, cite a bill or resolution in bluebook, cite a hearing in bluebook, cite a website in bluebook, cite a book in bluebook, cite a journal article in bluebook, cite a youtube video in bluebook, cite a newspaper in bluebook.

Bluebook is the style guide for legal citations in the United States. Law students, lawyers, scholars, judges, and other professionals all rely on the Bluebook syntax.

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Bluebook Guide

Citing other resources.

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The Bluebook contains rules that prescribe how to cite a variety of legal documents. There are too many rules for this introductory guide to cover.  However, the following are rules and examples for other types of legal documents that many first-year law students may need to cite in addition to cases and statutes.

Constitutions

Rule 11 covers how to cite the U.S. Constitution and state constitutions.

A citation to a constitution includes three elements:

• U.S. or the state abbreviation (see Table 10)
• Const. ( The Bluebook 's abbreviation for constitution)
• Section or subdivision 

For example, here is how you would cite the provision of the U.S. Constitution that says that each state shall have two Senators:

U.S. Const. art. I, § 3, cl. 1

Regulations

Rule 14 covers how to cite administrative and executive materials, including U.S. federal regulations. For more information on federal regulations and other types of administrative (i.e., agency) materials, see our Administrative Law Research Guide . 

A citation to a U.S. federal regulation in the  Code of Federal Regulations  (C.F.R.) includes four elements:

• C.F.R. title number
• C.F.R. ( The Bluebook 's abbreviation for the Code of Federal Regulations)
• Section symbol and specific section cited
• Date of code edition cited

For example, here is how you would cite a federal regulation that prescribes rules for pets in National Parks in the United States:

36 C.F.R. § 2.15 (2017)

For state regulations, follow the citation format provided for the state in Table 1.

Books and Reports

Rule 15 covers how to cite books, reports, and other non-periodic materials, such as encyclopedias.

A basic citation to a book includes the following six elements:

• Volume number (for multivolume works)
• Author's full name as it appears on the title page
• Title of the book (italicized or underlined)
• Page, section, or paragraph cited
• Edition (for works with multiple editions)
• Year of publication

For example, here is a citation to a section in a well-known treatise on federal procedure:

9C Charles Alan Wright & Arthur R. Miller, Federal Practice and Procedure  § 2552 (3d ed. 2008)

Citations to books vary based on the features of a particular publication. For example, the format is slightly different if a book has an editor rather than an author (Rule 15.2). Be sure to carefully review the publication and consult Rule 15 in order to cite it correctly. Additionally, the typeface used for books is different in academic writing. Rather than underlining the title, use small caps (Rule 15).

Tip : Rule 15.8 provides citation formats for several publications commonly used by first-year law students, such as Black's Law Dictionary and legal encyclopedias.

Law Reviews & Other Periodicals

Rule 16 covers how to cite law reviews and journals, newspapers, and other periodic materials.

A citation to a consecutively paginated* journal article includes the following six elements:

• Author's full name as it appears on the article
• Title of the article (underlined or italicized)
• Volume number
• Journal title abbreviation (see Table 13)
• First page of the article
• Date of publication

*A consecutively paginated journal is one in which the page numbers continue throughout a volume as opposed to starting at the number one for each issue.  Most law reviews and academic journals are consecutively paginated.

Here is an example of how to cite an article in the Harvard Journal of Law and Technology:

Dan L. Burk & Julie E. Cohen, Fair Use Infrastructure for Rights Management Systems , 15 Harv. J.L. & Tech. 41 (2001).

For more information on citing law journal articles, watch our  Law Review Citations  tutorial.

Tip : Rule 16.7.6 describes how to cite annotations in American Law Reports (A.L.R.) . 

Online Sources

Rule 18 covers when and how to cite online sources as well as other non-print sources (e.g., films). The rules for specific types of documents often also include a section on how to cite the online version.  For example, Rule 12.5 describes how to cite statutes on Westlaw and Lexis.

Citation formats to online sources are too varied to provide meaningful examples here, so be sure to consult Rule 18 carefully.

Citing to the Record

First-year law students will likely need to cite to depositions, interrogatories, or trial transcripts in the record in order to develop facts for briefs.  As a general rule of thumb, you must cite to the record for every factual assertion you make in a brief.

Bluepages Rule B17 covers how to cite to the record, and the abbreviations that are used in citing to the record are listed in Bluepages Table BT1  (e.g., brief = br.)

The key elements of a citation to the record are as follows:

• Name of the document (abbreviated according to BT1)
• Page number where the fact can be found in the document
• Date of the document, if required (see Rule B17.1.3)

For example, suppose you are asserting as a fact in your brief that a witness, Mr. Dames, saw a blue car speeding through the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue NW and New Jersey Avenue NW in Washington, D.C. The source of this fact is Mr. Dames' deposition testimony.

Your citation for this fact would approximate the following example:

According to Mr. Dames, he was waiting to cross New Jersey Avenue NW outside the Edward Bennett Williams Law Library at approximately 6:15 p.m. on Sept. 3, 2009, when he saw a blue car traveling at approximately 70 miles per hour through the intersection of New Jersey Avenue NW and Massachusetts Avenue NW. Dames Dep. 12, Aug. 7, 2002.

Writing "at" before the page number is generally not required, although it is generally used when citing documents in an appellate record (see Rule B17.1.2).

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Your Guide on Bluebook Citation: All That You Need to Know

Understanding What Is a Bluebook Citation

For a long time, the Bluebook has been the ultimate source of guidance regarding legal Citation in the United States, with law students, attorneys, academics, judges, and other legal professionals relying on its distinctive citation system.

The development of the Bluebook, from its first publication in 1925, as an eight-page booklet for Harvard Law, to its present status as a three-volume manual used by most law schools of the country, has been well documented in detail. The Bluebook has been accepted and critiqued, but it's now much better with the Bluebook uniform system of citation edition 20th.

The primary goal of a legal citation is to enable the reader to quickly find the cited source. For this reason, the citations in The Bluebook are structured to provide the essential data to take the reader straight to the specified items cited.

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Where Is the BlueBook Used: Application

This set of citation rules applies to students of law, judges, attorneys, police, and politicians and is based on the law. The Bluebook can be used to refer to passages in legal writing, including sources of officials, judges, lawyers, authorities, and news reports on governmental affairs. As such, learning to write under Bluebook legal citation is necessary for university dissertations and documents created by professionals.

When borrowing from the words of another, it is essential to acknowledge the source with quotation marks and a reference. Doing so grants both you and the creator of the work the appropriate credit.

Citing sources and providing quotes indicate the research that has been completed and the reading level that has been conducted. Furthermore, they enable others to trace your work and build on it.

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What Elements Make Up the Legal BlueBook?

Before going to law school, you need to know that the Legal Bluebook is an all-encompassing resource for legal authorities striving for precise and uniform citations in their legal documents. It is composed of the following:

Understanding Bibliography

A Bluebook bibliography must feature an alphabetically organized list of all sources referred to in a legal document, ordered by the author's surname or, in the absence of an author, by the initial word of the title. Every entry should comprise the following:

• Author: It is essential to include the author's name exactly as specified in the source. If there are multiple authors, they should be listed in the same order as they appear in the source.
• Title: The source title should follow sentence case formatting, with the initial word and any proper nouns capitalized and italicized.
• Publication Information: This comprises the author's name, the place of publication, and the date of publishing. For journals and magazines, the volume and issue numbers should be appended.
• Page numbers: If relevant, specify the page numbers from which the details were sourced.

Here's what a Bluebook bibliography entry for a book looks like:

• Fisher, Spencer. Legal Writing for Dummies. Chicago: Dolphin Press, 2023.

And here's an example of a legal review article:

• Smith, Jane. "The Impact of Social Media on Jury Selection." Harvard Law Review 133, no. 4 (2021): 567-598.

Understanding Footnotes

Bluebook footnotes contain more detailed information regarding the sources mentioned in a legal document.  Bluebook footnote citations are used to:

• Cite a source
• Include the author(s), title, publisher, year of publication
• Pinpoint citation (page numbers or section numbers). 

These footnotes are generally located at the bottom of the page with the source.

For example, the Citation in the Bluebook Footnote could look like the following:

• Spencer Fisher, Legal Writing for Dummies (Chicago Dolphin Press, 2023.) 15-17.

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Bluebook Citation Examples

Understanding the different approaches when drafting a proper reference document is important. To grasp these differences better, we need to refer to Bluebook citation examples and recognize these distinctions before we write a law paper. As an example, a court case and a tabloid are different. Let's delve into more specific examples below, prepared by our admission essay writer :

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Is Bluebook Similar to APA?

What is the bluebook citation format, how do you cite a bluebook in apa.

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Answered By: Harvard Law School Library Research Services Last Updated: Dec 11, 2023     Views: 100407

Bluebook Rule 15 gives the citation format for books, reports, and other nonperiodic materials as well as shorter works in collection, including book chapters. 

Generally, the a book citation should include the author's full name , the title of the book , the page cited , e ditor's name (if applicable ), edition (if applicable) , and year of publication . A chapter citation will also include the chapter author and starting page. 

• Book Citation: See J ONATHAN Z ITTRAIN , T HE F UTURE OF THE I NTERNET AND H OW TO S TOP IT 125 (2008).
• Book Chapter Citation: See Matthew C. Stephenson, Law and Corruption , in  E LGAR C ONCISE E NCYCLOPEDIA OF C ORRUPTION L AW  (Mark Pieth & Tina Søreide eds., 2023).

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Cite a Thesis in BLUEBOOK2

Don't let plagiarism errors spoil your paper

Consider your source's credibility. ask these questions:, contributor/author.

• Has the author written several articles on the topic, and do they have the credentials to be an expert in their field?
• Can you contact them? Do they have social media profiles?
• Have other credible individuals referenced this source or author?
• Book: What have reviews said about it?
• What do you know about the publisher/sponsor? Are they well-respected?
• Do they take responsibility for the content? Are they selective about what they publish?
• Take a look at their other content. Do these other articles generally appear credible?
• Does the author or the organization have a bias? Does bias make sense in relation to your argument?
• Is the purpose of the content to inform, entertain, or to spread an agenda? Is there commercial intent?
• Are there ads?
• When was the source published or updated? Is there a date shown?
• Does the publication date make sense in relation to the information presented to your argument?
• Does the source even have a date?
• Was it reproduced? If so, from where?
• If it was reproduced, was it done so with permission? Copyright/disclaimer included?
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