Legal Citation

"The central function of a legal citation is to allow the reader to efficiently locate the cited source."

Source: The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (Columbia Law Review Ass'n et al. eds., 19th ed. 2010).

Additional Purposes:

1.  Helps the reader to find more information or to locate the work cited.

2.  Gives the writer credibility.  Is the work well researched?  Did you cite the critical authorities relevant to your issue?

3.  Helps the writer avoid plagiarism.  You must give credit to the creator of the information.  Conversely, you cannot claim credit for something you did not create.

Common knowledge

• If you can find the same information undocumented in at least five credible sources.
• Information that the average adult will already know.  Example: humans normally have two arms and two legs. 
• If the information can be easily found in general reference sources.
• Examples: folklore, myths, urban legends, common sense observations (like the sun rises in the east and sets in the west), and historical events (but not historical documents).

Your opinions, your ideas and your work

• Your own lived experiences, your observations, your own thoughts.
• Your own artwork, photographs, video, audio, etc.  (…but you still must cite your previous written work).

Generally Accepted Facts

• Examples: pollution is bad; writing is a process.

Source

Citation help

Abbreviations