Skip to Main Content

Bluebook Citation: Law Reviews/Articles & Other Non-Book Publications

This guide provides the basics for first year memorandums and upper class papers and journals.

Authors - Rule 15.1 & 16.2

Follow same rules as for books - Rule 15.1. The only difference is to use normal type (as versus large and small capitals).

In essence, use the authors name as found on the document (and not in reverse, i.e. its first then second name, not last, then first):

  • Decimus Junius Brutus.

When there are two authors, use an ampersand: 

  • Marcus Aemilius Lepidus & Marcus Antonius Creticus.

When there are three or more, use the first followed by et al: 

  • Gaius Cassius Longinus, et al

Follow the same rules for institutional authors (all Rule 15.1).

Article and Journal Titles - Tables 13-16

Use the article title as it appears - do not use abbreviations (like in case names). Capitalize according to Rule 8.

 

To abbreviate English language periodical titles use tables T13.1, T13.2 and T10. Omit the words "a," "at," "of," and "the." If the title only consists of one word after the words "a," "at," "of," or "the," do not abbreviate the remaining word (See Table 13).

Examples - Rule 16 & Tables 13-16

James R. Hackney, “Law and Neoclassical Economics: Science, Politics and the Reconfiguration of American Tort Law Theory,” 15 Law and History Review 275, 1997, at page 280.

becomes

James R. Hackney, Law and Neoclassical Economics: Science, Politics and the Reconfiguration of American Tort Law Theory, 15 Law and Hist. Rev. 275, 280 (1997).

Author; article title; volume; law review title; page number; pinpoint cite; year

Note: In court documents (bluepages), the article title is underlined. In law reviews, the journal name is in small-caps and the article title is italicized.

For short forms, see Rule 16.9.

Newspapers & Other Non-Conseutively Paginated Materials - Rule 16.6

Generally the same as normal articles. However, as there is no consecutive pagination within a newspaper, you have to specify a location differently (Rule 16.6).

e.g. Al Baker, Indicting DNA Profiles Is Vital in Old Rape Cases, N.Y. Times, Oct. 18, 2009, at A20,

Note: abbreviations for newspaper extract from the Tables, as with the date abbreviation. Remember for law reviews to use large and small capitals for the newspaper.

These rules also apply to other non-consecutively paginated materials. What does that mean? For example, a collection of magazines bound together in one volume. Between the magazines there is no continuity of pagination. Hence, like newspapers, you have to specify location differently, usually with a specific date (Rules 16.6 - 16.6).

Other Types

Other type of documents include:

  • Student written law review materials (Rule 16.7.1)
  • Student written book reviews (Rule 16.7.2)
  • Symposia (Rule 16.7.3)
  • Annotations, i.e. ALRs (Rule 16.7.6)