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Legal Citation

The basics of legal citation including citation styles Bluebook and ALWD.

General Information

The purposes of Legal Citations are:

  • Show the reader where to find the cited material in the original case, statute, rule, article, or other authority.
  • Indicate the weight and persuasiveness of each authority, for example, by specifying the court that decided the case, the author of a document, and the publication date of the authority.
  • Convey the type and degree of support the authority offers, for example, by indicating whether the authority supports your point directly or only implicitly.
  • Demonstrate that the analysis in your document is the result of careful research.

There are two major legal citation formats.

  1. The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation
  2. ALWD Citation Manual

See the Bluebook and ALWD tab for more detailed information.


NOTE: If you can't get to the library for the Bluebook and just need quick information on how to cite legal documents, check out the sites below.

Social Sciences Librarian

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Dieter Mackenbach
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Contact:
Research, Teaching, & User Services
The Claremont Colleges Library
909 607-5341