Bluebook Rules: Overview

The Bluebook provides uniformity of citations in legal publications. Additionally, it is the standard citation manual for legal publications. Proper application of the rules allows readers to easily locate any authorities cited and reflects on the quality of the legal publication. 

• The Bluepages (pp. 3-56) should be used by practitioners. 
• The Rule pages (pp. 57-231) contain general rules for all citations.
• The Series of Table pages (pp. 233-523) contain information for use in conjunction with both the Blue & White pages.

Always follow your professor's instructions on citation. Some professors may prefer to give specific guidelines to citation and you should follow those guidelines as instructed.

The Index 

Found on page 475 & indexes anything that you need to find in the Bluebook!

Law Review Footnotes & Legal Memoranda

Found on front & back inside cover

Quick Index

Found on the inside back cover.

Find this useful guide book in the Chickasaw Nation Law Library at the Circulation Desk on Permanent Reserve! Call #: KF245 .B371 2014

The Bluebook contains 3 major parts:

     1. The Bluepages

     2. Rules of Citation & Style

     3. Series of Tables

The Bluepages are your basic how-to guide for "basic legal citation". The Bluepages are designed to be easily comprehended for use by first-year law students, associates, law clerks, practicing attorneys as well as other legal professionals. This section is not as complex as others in the Bluebook which are typically used for law journal publications.  Description from legalbluebook.com

This second part of the Bluebook is the so called "heart of the Bluebook system of citation". It is divided into 2 different sections. The first section consists of Rules 1-9 which establish general standards for citation and style for use in all forms of legal writing. The second section consists of Rules 10-21 which give rules of citation for specific kinds of authority, i.e. cases, books, statutes, foreign and international material and periodicals. The examples in Rules part of the Bluebook are printed in the typeface that is standard in law journal footnotes. Description from legalbluebook.com

The third part of the Bluebook is made up of a series of tables that is to be used in conjunction with the rules. The tables show many things such as what authority to cite, proper abbreviations, and state specific materials. Specific tables are referenced throughout the book. Description from legalbluebook.com