The Bluebook
NOTE: This guide is based on the 21st Edition of The Bluebook. The 22nd edition was published in 2025. When the Law Library receives the 22nd edition, this guide will be updated.
The Bluebook contains three major parts:
- Bluepages
How-to guide for basic legal citation - Rules (white pages)
- Rules 1-9
General standards - Rules 10-21
Specific authorities, e.g. cases
- Rules 1-9
- Tables (blue stripe)
Authorities, abbreviations, etc.
This guide contains select examples of Bluebook formatting. Other examples can be found in the official Bluebook® Quick Start Guide.
| Rule / Table | Pages | Description |
|---|---|---|
| B2 | 6-7 | Typeface conventions for court documents and legal memoranda |
| R1.2-1.4 | 62-65 | Introductory signals, order of signals, and order of authorities within signals |
| R4 | 79-82 | Short citation forms (i.e., citing materials previously cited) |
| R5 | 83-86 | Formatting quotations |
| R10 | 95-116 | Citing cases |
| R11 | 119-120 | Citing constitutions |
| R12 | 120-134 | Citing statutes |
| R14 | 142-146 | Citing regulations and administrative materials |
| R18 | 174-186 | Citing electronic sources and Internet sources |
| T1 | 227-298 | Preferred U.S. federal and state sources and abbreviations |
| T6 | 304-307 | Abbreviations for case names |