Website
Website Example
Supreme Court of the United States, Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954), https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/boundvolumes/347bv483.pdf (last visited Mar. 15, 2024).
Bluebook Citation Generator
Bluebook style is the standard citation format for legal documents in the United States, used primarily in law schools and legal practice. This citation generator follows The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (21st edition).
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Open the generatorWhat sources can you cite in Bluebook format?
- Cases and court decisions
- Statutes and legislation
- Regulations and administrative materials
- Law review articles
- Books and treatises
- Legislative materials
- International materials
- Websites and online sources
How to create Bluebook citations
Reference list citations
Bluebook citations vary significantly by source type. For cases: Case Name (italicized), Volume Reporter Page, Pin Cite (Court Year). Example: Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483, 495 (1954). Reporter preference follows this hierarchy for federal cases: official reporter (U.S. for Supreme Court) > West reporter (S. Ct., F.3d, F. Supp.) > regional reporter. For law review articles: Author, Title, Volume Journal First Page, Pin Cite (Year). Example: Jane Doe, Legal Theory, 100 Harv. L. Rev. 1, 15 (2020). For statutes: Title U.S.C. § Section (Year). Example: 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (2018). Use standard abbreviations for reporters, journals, and courts (see Bluebook Tables T.1 through T.16). Include pin cites whenever referencing particular passages - pin cites are mandatory for directly quoted material.
In-text citations
Bluebook uses footnotes for citations in academic work. First reference uses full citation format. Subsequent references use short forms: 'Id.' for the immediately preceding source (italicized, capitalized at the start of a footnote), 'Id. at [page]' for a different page in the same source, '[Author], supra note [#], at [page]' for earlier cited sources. In court documents (practitioner format), citations appear in the main text. Signals like 'See', 'See also', 'Cf.', and 'But see' introduce citations and should be italicized - pay close attention to Bluebook Rule 1.2 for signal ordering. Always include pin cites for specific references.
Bluebook Citation Examples
See how to format different source types in Bluebook.
Journal Article
Journal Article Example
John Smith & Mary Doe, Legal Research Methods, 45 Harv. L. Rev. 123, 145 (2024).
Book
Book Example
Charles Brown, Introduction to Law (3d ed. 2023).
Quick Bluebook Rules
Author Format
Last name, First name Middle name. Use '&' between authors in case names.
Title Format
Case names italicized. Article titles in quotation marks. Book titles italicized.
Date Format
Year in parentheses for cases. Include full date for statutes and regulations.
Journal/Source
Journal name abbreviated, volume number, journal name, first page, pin cite (year).
In-text Citations
Use full citations in footnotes. Short form citations use 'id.' or 'supra' for subsequent citations.
About this Bluebook citation generator
This citation generator follows The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation, 21st edition (published 2020), the dominant legal citation guide in the United States. The Bluebook was first published in 1926 by the Harvard Law Review and is now co-edited by the law reviews of Columbia, Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, and Yale. It contains over 300 rules and extensive jurisdictional tables covering every US state and federal court. Bluebook distinguishes between academic style (footnotes used in law reviews and scholarly writing) and practitioner style (in-text citations used in court documents and legal memos). Many courts have 'local rules' that override Bluebook formatting - check your court's practice before filing. For non-US jurisdictions, consider OSCOLA (UK) or AGLC (Australia) instead.
Common Bluebook citation mistakes
- Not italicizing case names and signals (e.g., 'see', 'cf.')
- Using incorrect reporter abbreviations
- Forgetting pin cites when referencing specific pages
- Confusing 'id.' and 'supra' usage for short form citations
- Not including court information when citing lower court cases
- Using '3rd' instead of '3d' for edition numbers
- Forgetting or failing to italicize introductory signals like 'see', 'see also', 'cf.', or 'but see'
- Omitting the comma before the year in case citation parentheticals (e.g., '347 U.S. 483, 495 (1954)' not '347 U.S. 483 495 (1954)')
Bluebook Frequently Asked Questions
What is Bluebook citation style?
Bluebook is the standard citation format for legal documents in the United States, used in law schools and legal practice. It uses footnotes for citations.
How do I cite a case in Bluebook?
Include case name italicized, volume number, reporter abbreviation, first page, court abbreviation, and year in parentheses.
What are short form citations in Bluebook?
Short form citations use 'id.' for the immediately preceding citation, or 'supra' with a note number for earlier citations.
Does Bluebook require pin cites?
Yes, Bluebook requires pin cites (specific page numbers) for cases and statutes. Use 'at' before the page number.
Bluebook Citation Guides
Bluebook Short Form Citations: Id., Supra, and Hereinafter
A complete guide to Bluebook short form citations under Rule 4, including when to use id. vs. supra, shortened case names, and hereinafter, with worked examples.
How to Cite a Federal Statute in Bluebook Format
A complete guide to citing U.S. federal statutes in Bluebook 21st edition format, covering the U.S.C., popular names, session laws, and common Rule 12 mistakes.
How to Cite a Supreme Court Case in Bluebook Format
A complete guide to citing U.S. Supreme Court cases in Bluebook 21st edition format, with reporter hierarchy, pin cites, parentheticals, and worked examples.
Maintained by the AllCitations team. Our citation data is reviewed against the latest official style manuals.
Other Citation Styles
Last updated: April 2026 - Bluebook formatting rules.