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The Bluebook

This research guide helps law review students and students writing academic papers for law school with The Bluebook.

Commonly Mis-Cited Sources

This page lists sources that are commonly mis-cited, usually because they are identified as a different source than what they really are. 

Examples

1. Non-consecutively paginated periodicals (articles and magazines): Bluebook Rule 16.5

  • Example: John W. Welch, Joseph Smith’s Iowa Quest for Legal Assistance: His Letters to Edward Johnstone and Others on Sunday, June 23, 1844, 57 BYU Sᴛᴜᴅ. Q., no. 3, 2018, at 111.

2. Forthcoming articles and books: Bluebook Rule 17.3

  • Example: Aaron L. Nielson & Christopher J. Walker, The Early Years of Congress's Anti-Removal Power, Aᴍᴇʀɪᴄᴀɴ Jᴏᴜʀɴᴀʟ ᴏғ Lᴇɢᴀʟ Hɪsᴛᴏʀʏ
    (forthcoming 2023), https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4361394.

3. Unreported cases: Bluebook Rule 10.8.1

  • Example: Starr v. Robinson, 1814 WL 726 (Vt. July 1814).

4. Court documents (including transcripts, briefs, and other court filings): Bluebook Rule 10.8.3

  • Example of a court document for a case that does not have an opinion issued yet: Brief of Petitioner-Appellant at 48, United States v. Al-Marri, No. 03-3674 (7th Cir. Nov. 12, 2003).
  • Example of a court document for a case that does have an opinion issued: Complaint at 17, Kelly v. Wyman, 294 F. Supp. 893 (S.D.N.Y. 1968) (No. 68 Civ. 394).

5. Book reviews: Bluebook Rule 16.7.2

  • Example: Kif Augustine-Adams, Book Review, 98 Hɪsᴘ. Aᴍ. Hɪsᴛ. Rᴇᴠ. 352 (2018) (reviewing S. Dᴇʙᴏʀᴀʜ Kᴀɴɢ, Tʜᴇ INS ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ Lɪɴᴇ: Mᴀᴋɪɴɢ Iᴍᴍɪɢʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ Lᴀᴡ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ US-Mᴇxɪᴄᴏ Bᴏʀᴅᴇʀ, 1917-1954 (2017)).