Bluebook Citations
Please remember you are REQUIRED to use the Bluebook form of citation when citing your
sources in every assignment, including your discussion board threads and replies.
The Bluebook is the most standardized form of citation used in the legal world; however, it is not
the only citation form. Some courts (and even specific judges) have developed their own citation
requirements. You will be expected to use the Bluebook citation form in all of your JM courses.
This primer walks through how to cite most of the sources you will be using in this course. The
pages and sections refer to the most recent publication, the 20
th
edition.
Bluebook Citation (General Information).
The Bluebook is broken into three major sections. The first section, the “blue pages,” are used by
practitioners who are writing legal documents. For this course you will spend most of your time
using the “blue pages.” The second, the “white pages” are used in academic writing or when the
“blue pages” are silent. The third section, the “tables section” is utilized for finding specific ways
to cite various statutes and courts.
In addition, the authors have created a “Quick Reference” that can be found on the back, inside
cover of the Bluebook.
Citing a Book: See page 22, Section B15
A bluebook citation looks something like this:
Linda H. Edwards, Legal Writing and Analysis 16 (4th ed. 2015).
When you cite to a book you start with the name of the author, then the title of the book, the page
number where you can find the information you just cited, the edition of the book, and finally the
date of the book’s publishing. Please notice that the citation is not placed in parenthesis.
If I cited the book in my post it would look something like this:
“A trial court’s decision usually can be appealed to a higher court.” Linda H. Edwards, Legal
Writing and Analysis 16 (4th ed. 2015).
Remember, even if you do not use a direct quote, you still need to cite the source. In addition,
note the placement of the citation at the end of the sentence. Citations go directly in the
document, not at the end of the document in a reference section.
Citing a Case: See page 10, Section B10
Jones v. Star Credit Corp., 298 N.Y.S.2d 264, 265 (Sup. Ct. 1969).
OR
Jones v. Star Credit Corp., 298 N.Y.S.2d 264, 265 (Sup. Ct. 1969).
When you cite a case you start with the last name of the first party. Then you place a v.” After
the “v.” you cite the name of the second party. After the second party, place a comma, then the
reporter volume number. Following
the reporter volume number you place the reporter
abbreviation (see T1, starting on page 233, for reporter abbreviations). After the reporter
abbreviation you place the first page of the case, followed by a comma, and the specific page
referred to in the information cited. If it is not clear in what court the case was decided then
include the court abbreviation (T1). Finally, include the date of the decision.
Citing a Law Review Article: See page 23, Section B16
Richard A. Posner, Goodbye to the Bluebook, 53 U.Chi.L.Rev. 1343, 1345 (1986).
Always start with the full name of the author, followed by a comma. Then, cite the full name of
the article (underlined or italicized), followed by a comma. Then, the volume number of the law
review, followed by the abbreviation of the law review (see T13, starting on page 510). Then, the
first page of the article, followed by a comma, then the specific page referred to in the
information cited. Finally, the year of the publication of the article should be placed at the end in
parenthesis.
Citing the Holy Bible: See page 156
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in
him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16 (King James).
Notice that the book of the Bible is italicized (or underlined see below). Also, please note the
version of the Bible in parenthesis.
Citing an Internet Source: See page 26, Section B18
Eric Posner, More on Section 7 of the Torture Convention, The Volokh Conspiracy (Jan. 29,
2009, 10:04 AM), https://www.volokh.com/posts/1233241458.html
The author's name, then the title of the specific page of the website (underlined OR italicized),
then the title of the main page of the website, the date and time the website was last updated, and
the URL (make sure to remove the hyperlink, blue font, and underlining of the URL).
Underlining and Italics:
One of the hallmarks of a great “Bluebooker” is consistency. You will notice that the Bluebook
method sometimes uses underlining and other times uses italics. These two are interchangeable
you may underline or italicize. But, you want to be consistent throughout the document. For
example, in your discussion board thread you will include multiple sources. If you cite the
Chrisman blog and the Bible you may choose to underline or italicize the appropriate parts of the
citation, but be consistent and only do one or the other throughout the document.
Short Citation Forms:
There are several short citation forms that can be used once a full citation has been provided.
*See the next page for how to use short citation forms.
Short Citation Forms Your New Best Friend
Every sentence that contains information from a source must have a citation that follows. For ease
of use, make sure to utilize the short citations.
If you are going to cite the same case that you cited in the previous sentence, simply use id.
Example of how to properly use id:
Sandra Derby, married to George Derby, filed a divorce petition alleging cruelty, but George
alleged adultery by Sandra. Derby v. Derby, 378 S.E.2d 74 (Va. Ct. App. 1989). After making a
post-separation agreement, the court examined the agreement to determine if the agreement was
unconscionable. Id.
However, if you are going to be citing to a different case then use the short form. Example of how
to properly use the short form:
Sandra Derby, married to George Derby, filed a divorce petition alleging cruelty, but George
alleged adultery by Sandra. Derby v. Derby, 378 S.E.2d 74 (Va. Ct. App. 1989). After making a
post-separation agreement, the court examined the agreement to determine if the agreement was
unconscionable. Id. However, in Jones, the plaintiffs were a married couple who purchased a
freezer. Jones, 298 N.Y.S.2d at 264. The cost of the freezer was nearly three times the value. Id.
However, in Derby, the issue was whether or not the divorce agreement was unconscionable.
Derby, 378 S.E.2d at 74.
Finally, remember that when you are using either the short form or id it is necessary to indicate
page number changes. For example:
Sandra Derby, married to George Derby, filed a divorce petition alleging cruelty, but George
alleged adultery by Sandra. Derby v. Derby, 378 S.E.2d 74 (Va. Ct. App. 1989). After making a
post-separation agreement, the court examined the agreement to determine if the agreement was
unconscionable. Id. The court developed a two prong-test to determine unconscionability. Id. at 76.