The basics of legal citation including citation styles bluebook and alwd. For more than eighty years, the bluebook has provided authoritative guidance to legal citation for american students, professionals, and scholars. However, the indigo book formerly baby blue is a free content, public domain fork of text from a version that had lapsed into the public domain due to nonrenewal, and is nearly identical to the official. Rule 15 includes the norms of the bluebook referencing style for a book. The bluebook is a manual that codifies national citation standards in the legal field. The basic elements when citing a legal dictionary include. Hopefully bluebook will publish something definitive soon. Our citation guides provide detailed information about all types of sources in mla, apa, chicago and turabian styles.
The bluebook contains rules that prescribe how to cite a variety of legal documents. The popularity of the bluebook among law students and professionals has given rise to a new name. 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. If you do not know what the abbreviations in rule 21. Common abbreviations legal citation research guides at. Pages, paragraphs, and pincites bluebook legal citation. To have your reference list or bibliography automatically made for you, try our free citation generator. On a side note, it would not be cited wikipedia, the free encyclopedia as a couple journals have done, nor is the date the date that appears on the wikipedia site rather than the last date visited. 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. Rule 15 covers how to cite books, reports, and other nonperiodic. Secondary sources include books, articles, encyclopedias and other nonprimary sources.
Citing from other secondary sources legal citation research guide. Introduction bluebook guide guides at georgetown law. There are different norms for citation of academic sources, such as books and legal documents, e. For help with other source types, like books, pdfs, or websites, check out our other guides. The bluebook legal citation guide now available online. The bluepages section located at the start of the bluebook is a miniguide to court documents andor legal memoranda.
Page numbers are typically cited following the name of a work and before a date parenthetical. A volume that explains the organization of a state government and provides the names of state officials. Just select add annotation while finalizing your citation. Each different kind of secondary source has a slightly different set of rules for citation, which will be enumerated below. Bluepage rules are sometimes different but are always based upon the normal nonbluepage rules. If the article is written by a student author, the designation of the piece see r.
Skip to main content important coronavirus covid19 update. Encyclopedias first year legal research guide libguides at. Secondary sources bluebook citation 101 practitioner format. 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. Blue book legal definition of blue book legal dictionary. Citation examples use nonacademic citation format i.
Henry julian abraham, justices, presidents, and senators 29095 5th ed. 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. A short primer on bluebook citation formats for federal and state cases and statutes, as well as books, journals, and other secondary sources. The bluebook is a style guide for legal citation in the united states that is used by lawyers, scholars, judges, law students, paralegals, and others involved in the legal profession. There are many permutations of citing to a book or treatise. How to cite books basic legal citation cornell university. Citing secondary sources sample bluebook citations libguides.
The most recent edition of the bluebook prescribes adding the name of the sponsoring entity, abbreviated, in the concluding. The apa manual provides explicit directions for the citation of cases, statutes, and administrative materials, but defers to the latest edition of the bluebook. Few books cause law students as much dread, pain, anger, and frustration as the bluebook the bluebook, formally titled the bluebook. Secondary authorities bluebook citations libguides at william s. Originally published in 1926, it is periodically updated to reflect new types of authorities cited in legal text and new ideas about how to organize them. Law school bluebook basics one of the books that all 1l law students are required to purchase is the bluebook. A bluebook guide for law students suffolk university.
Claudia catalano, annotation, unlawful access under stored communications act, 18 u. How to cite a encyclopedia article in bluebook law. Chapter anthology conference proceedings congressional publication dictionary entry dissertation abstract encyclopedia article. It is now in its 20th edition, more than an inch thick, and consists of over 500 pages of guidance on legal. The best free bluebook citation generator for books. There are too many rules for this introductory guide to cover.
Volume, author s, title pinpoint cite edition year. To have your reference list or bibliography automatically made for. If required by your instructor, you can add annotations to your citations. Compiled at the direction of spruille braden, who had been ambassador in buenos aires before returning to washington late in 1945 as under secretary of state for american republic affairs, the blue book documented. The central function of a legal citation is to allow the reader to efficiently locate the cited source. Attribution to identify the source of ideas expressed in the text, and. American law reports alr is good resources for background, analysis, and citations about law cases, statutes, and other legal details. Secondary sources bluebook citation 101 practitioner. A standard book citation consists of the following elements in order. There are many permutations of citing to legal periodicals. Be sure to consult the bluebook for specifics in general, cite to the authors, title of the article in italics, volume number of the source, title of the source i. The department of economic development has warned it will impose penalties on those who violate the rules of trade as stated in the bluebook that sets out the rights of consumers in the uae. Citing other resources bluebook guide guides at georgetown. Always check for local court citation rules for court documents.
Internet citation bluebook citation 101 practitioner. There are two main legal encyclopedias in the united states that are national in. Legislative history definition, blacks law dictionary 9th ed. Legal encyclopedias contain brief, broad summaries of legal topics, providing introductions to legal topics and explaining relevant terms of art. In large multivolume treatises, you will often have to indicate which volume you are using. Chicago manual of style 16th edition full note american psychological association 6th edition. As men of law rely upon a great number of various sources, legal citation also covers the usage of signals that present.
Legal materials citation help for apa, 7th edition. See jonathan zittrain, the future of the internet and how. When creating legal references in apa style, most legal materials are cited using the standard legal citation style found in the bluebook, 20th edition legal materials include federal and state statutes, court decisions and court cases, executive orders, legislative materials, federal hearings and testimony, federal regulations, patents, constitutions and charters. Citation rule for books, reports, and nonperiodical materials. A uniform system of citation, is the style manual for citing to legal documents within the united states. Generations of law students, lawyers, scholars, judges, and other legal professionals have relied on the bluebooks unique system of citation in their writing. While you generally will not cite to an alr annotation, rule 16. Bluebook rule 15 gives the citation format for books, reports, and other nonperiodic materials. Generally speaking, the citation should include the authors full name, the title of the book, the page cited, editors name if applicable, edition if applicable, and year of publication an example of a book citation would be. Rule 15 in the bluebook explains how to properly cite a book.
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