The Law To Know

Free tool · Legal Research and Writing

Bluebook Citation Formatter and Checker

A Bluebook case citation has the case name, the volume, reporter and first page, a pinpoint page for the proposition, and a parenthetical with the court (unless the reporter shows it) and the year: for example Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483, 495 (1954). Later references use a short form (Brown, 347 U.S. at 495) or, for the immediately preceding authority, Id. at 495. A statute citation gives the title, the code, the section symbol and the section: 42 U.S.C. § 1983. The commonest mistakes are ‘vs.’ for ‘v.’, a missing pinpoint, a missing court in the parenthetical, ‘Ibid.’, and an Id. without its period.

Tool · Citation Formatter and Checker

Case

Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483, 495 (1954)

Short form: Brown, 347 U.S. at 495

Id. form: Id. at 495

Statute

42 U.S.C. § 1983

Check a passage

5 possible citation problems.

‘See Smith vs. Jones’: ‘vs.’ in a case name. Use ‘v.’ between the parties.

‘500 F.3d 10 (2010)’: A federal court citation with only a year in the parenthetical. Add the court: for example ‘(2d Cir. 2019)’ or ‘(S.D.N.Y. 2019)’.

‘Ibid’: ‘Ibid.’ is not used in Bluebook style. Use ‘Id.’ for the immediately preceding authority.

‘42 USC 1983’: A statute or regulation citation in the wrong form. Write ‘42 U.S.C. § 1983’ with periods, a space and the section symbol.

‘Id’: ‘Id’ without a period. Write ‘Id.’ with a period.

Builds a case or statute citation in the Bluebook’s form (full, short and id. forms), and scans a passage for common citation mistakes. It follows the usual rules for United States court documents in simplified form: the Bluebook is long, local court rules and the ALWD Guide differ in places, and academic writing uses different typefaces. Use the current edition of the style manual your court or journal requires. Runs in your browser; nothing is stored or sent.

How to use it

  1. Enter the case name, the reporter details, the court and the year.
  2. Read the full, short and Id. forms, and the warnings.
  3. Enter the statute’s title, code and section to format it.
  4. Paste a passage to scan it for common errors.

Common questions

Is the Bluebook the only style?

No. Some courts and many practitioners use the ALWD Guide, and some courts have local rules that differ. Use the style your court or journal requires.

Do I always need a pinpoint?

Yes, when you cite a case for a specific proposition or a quotation. A cite to the first page alone makes the reader hunt for the point.

Is the checker complete?

No. It catches the common mistakes in a simplified form of the rules. It does not replace the style manual.

Learn the law behind the tool

This tool is part of our Legal Research and Writing course, with lectures, concept maps, flashcards, interactive exercises and a capstone case. Legal Research and Writing: Citators and Validation.

More free law tools

General information, simplified, mainly on American law, not legal advice. States and countries differ, and real cases turn on facts that a tool cannot capture.