Citations are the way to give the reader information about where a particular legal statement or fact comes from. When a citation is used properly, the reader can assess whether the source is a primary or secondary authority; is mandatory or persuasive; and is relevant to the issue being addressed.
A citation should be in standard, standardized legal citation format, such as that found in The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation 18th edition (Columbia Law Review Association, 2005). If you are unsure about the proper way to cite a particular type of material, consult The Bluebook or another resource, such as MLA’s Handbook on Legal Writing or Cornell’s Legal Information Institute.
The citation should include the author’s name, title of article, journal volume number, abbreviation of journal, page on which the article begins, span of specific pages being cited, and date of publication. The citation should also indicate that the source is in an online or printed journal.
Web-based sources, such as websites, blogs, and social media, are increasingly accepted as sources of information. But not all professors, journal editors, or judges accept them as authoritative. So, it’s best to cite traditional, print sources as much as possible.
When citing cases, use the case name and the court’s full name in parentheses. This is the usual way to cite a case, but you can also use italics or underlining if you prefer.
If you are quoting a case that was not published in the same journal as your citation, be sure to include the date of that decision in the citation. It’s important to include this information because courts often rule on the same issue from different judicial decisions.
You may also cite a case from another jurisdiction in parallel with your citation, but this is not usually recommended. However, if the court in the case you are quoting did not consider your citation in deciding the case, then it’s okay to include this information.
This is a common citation style, and you can learn more about it in The Bluebook: A Uniform System or Citation 19th edition (Columbia Law Review Ass’n, 2005). It is also available on reserve at the Circulation Desk.
It is acceptable to cite multiple case authorities in the same paragraph, as long as you provide a logical reason for doing so. The most common examples are when you are synthesizing a rule or when you are supporting your proposition with other cases.
The citation should also include the title of the statute, whether it is in its original language or translated into English. If it is translated, the translation should be given as a footnote or cited in the same way as the original.
When a law is not yet codified in the United States Code, you should use its public law number and note where it is located in the Statutes at Large. You should also cite the act when it is spread across several non-consecutive sections of the Code.
