Notes on the Bluebook


©2001-2002 D.H. Kaye

Preface

This document describes some Bluebook conventions (17th ed.) that authors often fail to follow. It presupposes a working knowledge of the Bluebook.

The large-and-small-capitals font is not used in this document.

Contents

Abbreviations

Signals
  • listed and described
  • use of italics
  • order of signals

Capitalization
  • People and groups
  • Legal terms

Cases

Periodicals
  • Multipart articles (16.6.4)
  • Short forms (16.7)

Books
  • Pocket part and bound supplements (15.4(e))

Internet sources
  • Use sparingly (18.2.1)
  • at and available at (18.2.1)

Unpublished and forthcoming sources
  • Manuscripts not scheduled for publication (17.1.1)

Signals

Signals

listed and described

Use of italics

 Italicize unless the signal is used as a verb in an ordinary sentence. For instance, "See X (discussing A)." becomes "See X, for a discussion of A."

Order of signals

 When using more than one signal, group all signals of the same type (supportive, comparative, contradictory, or background) in a single citation sentence separated by semicolons. For example: "See X; cf. Y. But see Z. See generally W."

Order of citations within a footnote (1.4)

The order described here can be varied for good cause. Within the same category, use reverse chronological order.


Periodicals

Multipart articles (16.6.4)

identify the numbers of the parts in parentheses after the article's main title and give the volume number, first page, and publication year for each part D.H. Kaye, The Admissibility of "Probability Evidence" in Criminal Trials (pts. 1 & 2), 26 Jurimetrics J. 343 (1986), 27 Jurimetrics J. 160 (1987)

Short forms

Id. (means "ibid," or "the same"; refers to the immediately preceding authority in the same footnote or the sole authority within the preceding footnote) 6. David H. Kaye & David A. Freedman, Reference Guide on Statistics, in Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence 83, 141–43 (Federal Judicial Center ed., 2d ed. 2000).

7. Id. at 143; see also Alan Taylor, Mathematics and Politics: Strategy, Voting, Power, and Proof 87 (1995).
supra (means "above"; refers to a preceding authority) 6. David H. Kaye & David A. Freedman, Reference Guide on Statistics, in Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence 83, 141–43 (Federal Judicial Center ed., 2d ed. 2000); Bernard Grofman, Controversies in Minority Voting: The Voting Rights Act in Perspective (1992).

7. Kaye & Freedman, supra note 6, at 143; see also Alan Taylor, Mathematics and Politics: Strategy, Voting, Power, and Proof 87 (1995).

Books

Supplements (15.4(e))

2 David Faigman et al., Modern Scientific Evidence: The Law and Science of Expert Testimony § 19-1.2 (2d ed. 2002 Supp. 2002)

Internet (18.2)

Use sparingly (18.2.1)

Do not overuse Cite printed sources whenever available

at and available at (18.2.1)

at
for material found only on on the Internet 		Clark McCauley, Stereotypes as Base Rate Predictions, psycoloquy.94.5.05.base-rate.8.mccauley (Jan. 21, 1994), at http://www.ai.univie.ac.at/archives/Psycoloquy/1994.V5/0004.html.
available at
when citing to the Internet as a parallel citation because the traditional source is obscure or hard to find. 		Am. Mining Cong. v. U.S. Army Corps of Eng'rs. No. CIV.A.93-1754-SSH (D.D.C. Jan. 23, 1997), available at http://www/wetlands.com/fed/tulloch1.htm.

Unpublished and forthcoming sources (1.7)

Manuscripts not scheduled for publication (17.1.1)

use ordinary roman type Bob Dylan, The Time of My Life 17 (Mar. 22, 2001) (unpublished manuscript, on file with the author)

last updated 11 July 2002