This citation format can be easily created using a bluebook citation generator. To have your reference list or bibliography automatically made for you, try our free citation generator. It is now in its 20th edition, more than an inch thick, and consists of over 500 pages of guidance on legal citation. Bluebook citation to format legal documents and cases. The style manual used by the new york state law reporting. Introduces a citation format for ebooks, stipulating that the print versions of books are authoritative, but that ebooks may be cited if they are the sole media through which the book is available. A uniform system of citation edition 20 available in other format. Bluebook citation style is designed for both students and researchers to be used in academic writing the whitepages and practitioners clerks, lawyers, and other legal professionals to be used in nonacademic legal documents the bluepages citation format of the whitepages and the bluepages differs in typeface and elements of citation. This is a newly updated citation podcast, using the 20th edition of the bluebook.
As such, every thought, sentence and idea must refer to a legal underpinning be it case law, statute, regulation, book, law reivew etc. 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. It takes practice to learn the rules of any citation method. Close the citation by indicating the edition and year the book was published inside of parentheses. It sets forth rules for the forms of citation for cases, statutes. A uniform system of citation and alwd guide to legal citation. This book is brought to you for free and open access by the law school publications at university of maine school of law digital commons.
The bluebook a uniform system of citation nineteenth edition. As with previous editions, this 20192020 edition is designed to be used in conjunction with the bluebook. The central function of a legal citation is to allow the reader to efficiently locate the cited source. Editors of the yale law journal have announced that the bluebook. The indigo book is a free implementation of the bluebook method, and is the preferred source for paralegal students at rasmussen college. Citation clause like a citation sentence, but set off my commas rather than periods. Uniform maine citations, 2017 2018 edition superseded michael d. It has been accepted for inclusion in uniform maine citations by an authorized.
Welcome to the bluebook, the definitive style guide for legal citation in the united states. For example, a complete citation for a book might look like this. Learning to save time and optimize efforts is crucial for any law school student. It informs students how to cite all types of law documents. I admonish him not to submit further briefs to this court unless demonstrating a good faith effort to comply with proper format.
Outline bluebook citation libguides at northeastern. Abbreviated reporter names can be found in table t1 of the blue book. Consult the blue pages, rule b12, if you are writing a brief or memo. University of maine school of law university of maine. A uniform system of citation, prescribes the most commonly used legal citation system for law professionals in the united states. Use this free bluebook website citation generator to save time. The bluebook legal citation guide now available online. A logical question to ask is, what is blue book format. General authorities should be consulted on matters not covered by this manual.
Illinois has little in the way of controlling authority addressing citation format. Bluebook citation is the most commonly used legal citation system for law students in the us. A uniform system of citation, is the style manual for citing to legal documents within the united states. Bluebook format is a uniform system of citation, commonly used in the legal documents or argumentative essays in law. A uniform system of citation is where you can spend hours delving into details and norms and still have no clear idea of how to cite a certain source.
Blue pages first section of rules for practitioners, organized as. A few mistakes may be tolerable, but his blatant failure to follow proper citation format is inexcusable. The best free bluebook citation generator for books. The most current version of uniform maine citations, 20192020 edition is available in pdf format. For generations, law students, lawyers, scholars, judges, and other legal professionals have relied on the bluebooks uniform system of citation in their writing. The bluebook offers a uniform system of citation which is standardized for most law essays in college. Effective january 1, 2008, however, california rule of court, rule 1. Whether you are learning how to cite a textbook in bluebook format or checking if you have cited any other source correctly, it is important to know the basics.
It is important to note that many state courts and the. A uniform system of citation, 20th edition the bluebook. California style manual for many years, the california style manual has served as the official guide for styling citations to legal materials in documents filed with state courts in california. We all have heard about mla, apa, and other writing styles so far, but many students share that they have no idea what bluebook is. Minnesota citation form if you are familiar with bluebook rules, minnesota citation form is very straightforward due to the lack of relevant local rules about citation. Westlaw and lexisadvance allow you to copy citations in standard bluebook format, but they dont know if youre supposed to be in the bluepages or whitepages, so you cant rely on the citation without checking to see if it is correct. The white pages of the bluebook illustrate the proper way to cite in academic and scholarly writing. This manual provides a rule only where the practice. The two main style guides are florida rule of appellate procedure 9. Bluebook is a style of referencing which is the most used legal citation system in the united states, used at the majority of us law schools. It was most recently revised in october of 2019 to update the links to state rules and several other external resources. Thats why we offer you to save some time and trouble by using this free bluebook website citation generator. Word of warning, the citations you get when you copy a citation from lexis or westlaw are not in bluebook format. Needless to say, it is large, a bit unwieldy, and challenging at first.
The precise format of a case citation depends on a number of factors, including the jurisdiction, court, and type of case. 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. The bluebook citation is the uniform citation system that prescribes a commonly used citation system for the law profession. The indigo book is a free, creative commonsdedicated implementation of the bluebooks uniform system of citation. Introduction bluebook guide guides at georgetown law. Uniform maine citations university of maine school of law. Part i, the manual of citations, governs the citation format used in supreme court opinions and other opinions. This manual supplements general citation and style authorities, providing more detail on new york materials and a more specific focus on judicial opinions. You may also want to buy a copy of the book mastering the blue book or something similar to help you understand how to use this book. Consisting of three parts, the writing manual addresses broad areas of interest to judges and lawyers. In case the book is being published by more than one publishing house, write the. Just remember that between the 18th and 20th edition, a lot has changed. For help with other source types, like books, pdfs, or websites, check out our other guides.
A uniform system of citation, 2015 edition the bluebook. Blue pages are mostly used in briefs, motions, memoranda, and opinions. 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. Major changes in the 20th edition bluebook 101 library. Generations of law students, lawyers, scholars, judges, and other legal professionals have relied on the bluebooks unique system of citation in their writing. You wont be able to succeed if you dont acquire the skill early on.
A uniform system of citation is now available online. However, the basic format of a case citation is as follows. Bluebook citation machine bluebook referencing tool. Citation format examples for footnotes general rules times new roman, size 10, 1 line spacing, justified. One of the keys to citing statutes properly is knowing where to find the proper legal citation abbreviations. The first question to be answered before we move to the main idea of this article is who needs a bluebook paper format. A professional system of citation published by the alws association of legal writing. A uniform system of citation, a style guide, prescribes the most widely used legal citation system in the united states. The bluebook twentieth edition is a uniform system of citation. Minnesota courts do not require parallel citations, and they have expressed no preference as to whether to use bluebook or alwd manual citation format. Lexisnexis law school publishing advisory board paul caron. Citing cases bluebook guide guides at georgetown law.