Bluebook Citation 101 -- Practitioner Format

Bluebook

Rule 16.7.6 of The Bluebook (22nd ed. 2025) covers how to cite ALRs. 

Elements

The citation should contain:

• Author
• the word "Annotation"
• Title (italicized or underlined)
• ALR volume
• ALR series
• Page number or article number (newer ALRs use articles). If pinpoint citing use the page number or the section for newer ALRs.
• Copyright date of volume and supplement if appropriate

Examples

William B. Johnson, Annotation, Use of Plea Bargain or Grant of Immunity as Improper Vouching for Credibility of Witness in Federal Cases, 76 A.L.R. Fed. 409 (1986 & Supp. 2025).

Linda Sharp, Annotation, Definition of "Sex" Under Title VII of Civil Rights Act, 42 U.S.C.A. §§ 2000e et seq., Concerning Discrimination on Basis of Sexual Orientation, Gender Conformance, or Transgender Status—Post-Bostock, 67 A.L.R. Fed. 3d Art. 14, § 10 (2022).

ALWD

Rule 22.5 of The ALWD Citation Manual (7th ed.) covers the citation of ALRs.

Elements

The citation should contain:

• Author
• the word "Annotation"
• Title (italicized or underlined)
• ALR volume
• ALR series -- See Chart 22.2 for abbreviations
• Page number or article number (newer ALRs use articles). If pinpoint citing use the page number or the section for newer ALRs.
• Copyright date of volume and supplement if appropriate
  • If you are using an ALR on Westlaw, rather than the copyright date provide the database and the month, day, and year you accessed it.

Examples

William B. Johnson, Annotation, Use of Plea Bargain or Grant of Immunity as Improper Vouching for Credibility of Witness in Federal Cases, 76 A.L.R. Fed. 409 (1986 & Supp. 2025).

Linda Sharp, Annotation, Definition of "Sex" Under Title VII of Civil Rights Act, 42 U.S.C.A. §§ 2000e et seq., Concerning Discrimination on Basis of Sexual Orientation, Gender Conformance, or Transgender Status—Post-Bostock, 67 A.L.R. Fed. 3d Art. 14, § 10 (2022).

Linda Sharp, Annotation, Definition of "Sex" Under Title VII of Civil Rights Act, 42 U.S.C.A. §§ 2000e et seq., Concerning Discrimination on Basis of Sexual Orientation, Gender Conformance, or Transgender Status—Post-Bostock, 67 A.L.R. Fed. 3d Art. 14, § 10 (Westlaw through June 18, 2025).

Bluebook

Rule 15.8 of The Bluebook (22nd ed. 2025) governs the citation of dictionaries. You may also find it helpful to look at B15.1.

Elements

The citation should include the following:

• The word or title of entry (italicized or underlined)
• Title of dictionary (italicized or underlined)
• Edition
• Year

Online Dictionaries

Rule 15.9 of The Bluebook (22nd ed. 2025) covers databases and online secondary sources. It also refers to R. 18.2. Follow the elements above plus add a citation to the database or source.

Examples: 

Replevin, Black's Law Dictionary (10th ed. 2014).

Replevin, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/replevin [https://perma.cc/ZK5T-FHZA] (last visited June 18, 2025).

Note that the underscore in the above examples does not indicate a link but is an example of Bluebook form.

Short Form

Use Id. or Supra. -- See R. 15.10 and R. 4

ALWD

Rule 22.1 of The ALWD Citation Manual (7th ed.) covers the citation of Dictionaries.

Elements

• The word or title of entry (italicized or underlined)
• Title of dictionary (italicized or underlined)
• Edition
• Year

Example: 

Replevin, Black's Law Dictionary (10th ed. 2014).

Bluebook

Rule 15.8 and B15.1 of The Bluebook (22d ed. 2020) covers the citation of encyclopedias. 

Elements

The citation should include the following:

• Volume
• Encyclopedia abbreviation
• Article title (underlined or italicized)
• Section
• Copyright date of the volume (in the parenthetical)

Elements for an Encyclopedia on Lexis or Westlaw

The citation follows the print except it should also include a citation to the database and when the database was last updated (or copyright if that is the only date supplied).

Examples

88 C.J.S. Trial § 192 (1955).

88 C.J.S. Trial § 192, Westlaw (database updated May 2025).

17 Am. Jur. 2d Contracts § 74 (1964).

17 Am. Jur. 2d Contracts § 74, Lexis (database updated 2025).

14 Ohio Jur. 3d Civil Rights § 82 (2006).

Short Form

Use Id. or Supra. -- See R. 15.10 and R. 4

ALWD

Rule 22.3 of The ALWD Citation Manual (7th ed.) covers the citation of legal encyclopedias.

Elements

The citation should include the following:

• Volume
• Encyclopedia Abbreviation (see Chart 22.1)
• Title or Topic (italicize or underline)
• Section
• Year (in the parenthetical)
  • When citing an encyclopedic entry in a commercial database, rather than the year in the parenthetical, add the name of the database provider and provide the date through which the database is current.

Examples

88 C.J.S. Trial § 192 (1955).

88 C.J.S. Trial § 192, Westlaw (database updated May 2025).

17 Am. Jur. 2d Contracts § 74 (1964).

17 Am. Jur. 2d Contracts § 74, Lexis (database updated 2025).

14 Ohio Jur. 3d Civil Rights § 82 (2006).

Short Forms

Rule 22.3 of the ALWD Citation Manual (7th ed.) covers short forms for encyclopedias.

Use Id. or when Id. is not appropriate use the citation above but leave out the publication parenthetical.

Bluebook

Rule 16 & B16 of The Bluebook (22nd ed. 2025) covers the citation of law reviews and other legal periodicals. 

Consecutively paginated law reviews and journals (R. 16.4, B16.1.1)

For articles appearing in legal periodicals that keep page numbering throughout the same volume and do not restart page numbering with each new issue..

Elements

The citation should include the following:

• Author's name
• If the article is written by a student author, the designation of the piece such as note, comment, book review, recent case, etc. (see R. 16.7.1 & B16.1.3)
• Title of the article (in italics or underlined)
• Volume number (if no volume, use the year as the volume and don't put the year at the end)
• Abbreviation of journal name (See T.10 and T.13)
• The beginning page number (if pinpoint citing, include the beginning page number and the pinpoint cite)
• Year (don't use issues, months, seasons etc.)

Databases & Online Sources

Follow R. 16 but add a citation to the database. Use a database identifier if one is available. See R. 16.8.

Example:

Charles A. Reich, The New Property, 73 Yale L.J. 733, 737-38 (1964).

Delaney Cook, Student Note and Comment, When Courts Collide: How Statutory Interpretation Divides the Fifth and Eighth Circuits on Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, 93 U. Cin. L. Rev. 799 (2025).

Short Form:

Use Id. or Supra -- See R. 16.9

ALWD

Rule 21 of The ALWD Citation Manual (7th ed.) covers the citation of periodicals.

Consecutively paginated law reviews and journals

Elements

The citation should include the following:

• Author
• Designation of the work (case note, note, etc.)
• Title (italicized or underlined)
• Volume (if no volume put the year and don't repeat the year at the end)
• Periodical Abbreviation (see Appendix 5)
• Page (if pinpoint citing, include the beginning page number and the pinpoint cite)
• Year (don't use issues, months, seasons etc.)

Example

Charles A. Reich, The New Property, 73 Yale L.J. 733, 737-38 (1964).

Delaney Cook, Student Note and Comment, When Courts Collide: How Statutory Interpretation Divides the Fifth and Eighth Circuits on Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, 93 U. Cin. L. Rev. 799 (2025).

Bluebook

Rule 16 & B16 of The Bluebook (22nd ed. 2025) covers the citation of law reviews and other legal periodicals. 

Nonconsecutively paginated periodicals (R. 16.5 & B16.1.2)

For articles appearing in legal periodicals that restart their page numbering with each new issue.

Elements

The citation should include the following:

• Author
• Title of the article (in italics or underlined)
• Abbreviation of journal name (see T. 6,10 & 13)
• Date as it appears on the cover (if no date of issue is available, provide the issue number and indicate the volume number before the title)
• the word "at"
• The beginning page number (if pinpoint citing, include the beginning page number and the pinpoint cite)

Newspapers (R. 16.6 & B16.1.4)

 The citation format for newspapers and newsletters is largely the same as for nonconsecutively paginated periodicals. See your Bluebook for specific exceptions involving special designations, place of publication etc.

Databases & Online Sources (R. 16.6, 16.8)

Follow R. 16 and include a citation to the database or URL. If there is a specific database identifier, provide it. Online newspapers may be used instead of print publications but authors and cite checkers should be aware of paywalls that may impede readers from accessing the source.

Examples

Susan A. Berson, Starting Up: If You're Hanging a Shingle in 2011, A.B.A. J., Jan. 2011, at 40.

Catie Edmondson et al., Senate G.O.P. Unveils Domestic Policy Package With Big Medicaid Cuts, N.Y. Times, June 17, 2025, at A13.

Kaycee Sloan, What Pardon Means for Sittenfield, Cin. Enquirer, May 30, 2025, at A9, 2025 WLNR 13205076.

Short Forms

Use Id. or Supra.-- See R. 16.9

ALWD

Rule 21 of The ALWD Citation Manual (7th ed.) covers the citation of periodicals.

Elements

The citation should include the following:

• Author
• Title of the article (in italics or underlined)
• Abbreviation of journal name (see Appendix 5)
• Date as it appears on the cover (if no date of issue is available, provide the issue number and indicate the volume number before the title). Use abbreviations from Appendix 3.
• the word "at"
• The beginning page number (if pinpoint citing, include the beginning page number and the pinpoint cite)

Newspapers

Elements

• Author
• Title
• Volume (if exists)
• Publication Title (abbreviate per Appendices 3 & 5)
• Include place of publication in a parenthetical if the place is not evident from the publication name
• Date (abbreviate per Appendix 3) -- skip this if it is an online newspaper
• Initial page (include the section if sections exist).
• If it is an online newspaper, add a parenthetical with the date and time of posting and then follow with the URL

Examples

Susan A. Berson, Starting Up: If You're Hanging a Shingle in 2011, 97 A.B.A. J., Jan. 2011, at 40.

Catie Edmondson et al., Senate G.O.P. Unveils Domestic Policy Package With Big Medicaid Cuts, N.Y. Times, June 17, 2025, at A13.

Bluebook

Rule 15 of The Bluebook (22nd ed. 2025) covers citing treatises.Shorter works within collections fall within this rule.

Elements

The citation should include the following:

• Individual work author
• Individual work title (italicized or underscored)
• the word "in" (italicized or underscored)
• Volume number of the collection if applicable
• Title of the collection (italicized or underscored)
• Page on which the individual work begins and any pinpoint pages
• Editors, translators, editions in the parenthetical
• Year

Examples

Michael Solimine, Party Patronage in Oxford Handbook of American Election Law 503-21 (Eugene Mazo, ed., 2024).

Short Form

Use Id. for the shorter individual work if it was cited in the immediately preceding citation. Do not use id. for the larger work if the shorter individual work is different. Use supra. See R. 15.10.1