Last summer, the latest edition of The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation was published. As the most recent edition, it now governs how you should structure you citations in legal memos, briefs, and papers. The law library has several copies available in either the reserve room or at the reference desk if you would like to consult it. Below are a few of the more noteworthy changes:
- Pincites are now required for all citations unless preceded by “see generally.” Rule 1.2.
- Double spaces after periods are officially not allowed unless using a monospaced font. Rule 5.1(a)(i).
- A turned comma should be used instead of an apostrophe for old cases such as M‘Culloch v. Maryland. The turned comma originated when printers did not have a superscript “c” type piece, so instead used an inverted comma type piece. Compare “McCulloch” and “M‘Culloch.” In order to type a turned comma, you can either come back to this blog post and copy-paste it, or you can type “alt + 0145” on Windows or “option + ]” on Mac. Rule 10.2.1(a).
- Just like “Westlaw” can be abbreviated “WL” in case citations, “Lexis” can now be abbreviated “LX.” Rule 10.8.
- “American Law Institute” can now officially be abbreviated “A.L.I.” instead of Am. L. Inst.” Rule 12.9.4.
- Previously, a citation to a work with more than two authors would just have the first author listed, followed by “et al.” Now, the rule applies to works with more than three authors. For example: “Joe Cleary, Clinton Jones & Earl Hardy.” Rule 15.1(a).
- In what was previously a section detailing how to cite to the Bible, Rule 15.8(c)(v) now also includes an example from the Book of Mormon.
- Rule 18, which covers internet, electronic media, and other nonprint resources, has been substantially updated, now covering citation forms for numerous different types of resources in detail, including AI-generated content, TV-shows, and YouTube videos.
- Any citation to an internet source should include a citation to an archived version of the source. Rule 18.2.1(d).
For a more detailed list of changes between the 21st and 22nd editions, check out this excellent guide by the Gallagher Law Library at the University of Washington.
Written by Henry Wright, Reference Specialist