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Journal Cite Checking Guide

What Is the Bluebook?

The Bluebook:  A Uniform System of Citation, is a widely used style manual for citing legal documents within the United States.  The Bluebook is compiled by the editors of the Columbia Law Review, the Harvard Law Review, the University of Pennsylvania Law Review, and The Yale Law Journal.

Within The Bluebook, there are “Bluepages” (printed on blue paper) and “Whitepages” (printed on white paper). The Bluepages provide citation rules for legal documents, such as briefs, motions, and opinions. The Whitepages are used for citations in academic legal writing, such as law review articles. Georgetown Law’s Writing Center guide, “Differences in Citation in Scholarly and Practitioner Legal Writing,” provides an introduction to the differences between the Bluepages and Whitepages.

The Law Library has 4 copies of the current edition on reserve (and several of the previous edition in the Law Library Stacks).  These can be checked out from the Circulation Desk for in-library use. 

Books

User's Guide to The Bluebook (Alan L. Dworsky)
This pamphlet, revised for the 21st Edition of The Bluebook, provides plain language interpretations of citation rules for practitioners (from the Bluepages) such as when and when not to underline words. It provides a brief overview of the rules in general, and goes into depth on commonly cited documents such as cases and statutes.