LibGuides: Law and Legal Studies: Citing legal sources

Legal citations

Legal citations enable a reader to easily locate the cases, statutes, regulations or other material cited in legal documents. They often appear as a number, an abbreviation of the publication in which the document is found followed by another number, e.g. 410 U.S. 113 is the citation to Roe v. Wade. This case can be found in volume 410 at page 113 in the United States Reports.

Citing legal sources

Web sites

Introduction to Basic Legal Citation (2016)
This free, online guide by Cornell's Legal Information Institute is indexed to both the ALWD guide and the 19th edition of The Bluebook. It also documents the many respects in which contemporary legal writing, very often following guidelines set out in court rules, diverges from the citation formats specified by those academic texts.
Bluebook Guide
Free, online guide to Bluebook citations by Georgetown Law Library.

Books

The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation
Call Number: Ref. desk KF245 .B58
ISBN: 0615361161
Publication Date: 2010
19th edition. The Bluebook is the standard reference source for American legal citation.
User's Guide to the Bluebook by Alan L. Dworsky; Brian Christiansen
Call Number: KF245 .D853 2010
ISBN: 9780837738383
Publication Date: 2010
Revised for 19th edition. Because the Bluebook can seem exceedingly complex, the User's Guide provides simplified instructions and examples for the casual user.
ALWD Guide to Legal Citation by Association of Legal Writing Directors Staff; Coleen M. Barger
Call Number: KF245 .A45 2014
ISBN: 9781454828754
Publication Date: 2014
5th edition.

Citation abbreviations

Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations
Index to Legal Citations and Abbreviations (2nd ed., 1993)
6th floor: KD 400 .R35 1993

Prince's Dictionary of Legal Citations by Mary Miles Prince
Call Number: KF246 .P73 2006
ISBN: 9780837736075
Publication Date: 2006
7th edition.