Bluebook Citation: Electronic & Nonprint

This page covers citations to nonprint material including:

• Internet;
• AI-Generated Content;
• Electronic Databases;
• Electronic Storage Media; 
• Microform;
• Videographic Media;
• Audio Recordings and Streaming;
• Images; 
• Social Media; and 
• Hardware & Software 

Rule 18 covers the citation formatting for nonprint materials

The Bluebook provides tables of basic citation forms for each material discussed to the right. These basic citation forms can be found on pp. 182-184.

Rule 18.2 governs citations to materials cited to from the internet.

When an authenticated, official, or exact copy of a source is available online, the work can be cited to the original source. The Bluebook provide additional clarifying information regarding authenticated documents (Rule 18.2.1(a)(i)), official versions (Rule 18.2.1(a)(ii)), and exact copies (Rule 18.2.1(a)(iii)).

There are instances where URLs should be included, those instances are:

Obscure Sources (Rule 18.2.1(b)(i))

When cited information can be found in a traditional source, but the source is so obscure it is practically unavailable, the citation should include both the traditional source and the internet source by including the URL directly to the end of the citation and providing for archival preservation of the source under Rule 18.2.1(d), which states that all online content cited or generated by authors are required to be captured and stored in a permanent setting (permanent link). 

Web-Based Sources with Print Characteristics (Rule 18.2.1(b)(ii))

 When an online source mirrors the characteristics of its print source such that it could be fully cited to in accordance with another rule in The Bluebook, the citation should be made as if it is the print source but with the URL included directly at the end of the citation. 

If a web-based source cannot be cited according to Rule 18.2.1(a), Rule 18.2.1(b)(ii), or any other rule from The Bluebook, Rule 18.2.2 gives guidance on forming the correct citation. The citation should include:

• Author (when available)
• Title;
• Pagination;
• Publication Date; 
• URL (archival preservation in accordance with Rule 18.2.1(d));
• Document Format (when available); and 
• Pinpoint Citation (when cited document preserves the pagination of the printed version, such as a PDF)

Rule 18.3 covers content generated by AI and how to cite to it properly. 

Large Language Models (LLMs) - (Rule 18.3(a))

The Bluebook requires authors citing outputs from generative AI service save a screenshot capture of that output as a PDF to be stored on file. These LLMs include, but are not limited to, ChatGPT, CoPilot, Westlaw CoCounsel, Lexis Protege, and Google Gemini Advanced.

The prompted responses of LLMs citation should include:

1. Author of the prompt;
2.  Name of the model used (include version number if available);
3. Exact text of the prompt submission in quotation marks; 
4. Date the prompt was submitted; and 
5. Parenthetical information indicating where the PDF of the screenshot is located

Search Results - (Rule 18.3(b))

A citation to the results of search engine inquires should include:

1. Name of the search engine (small caps);
2. Exact text of the query (include Boolean operators if applicable) in quotation marks;
3. Number of results;
4. Date search was conducted; 
5. Parenthetical information indicating where the PDF file is stored; and 
6. Another parenthetical set indicating any filters implored to narrow results (if applicable)

For the purpose of this rule, commas not part of the search query should be kept outside of the quotation marks.

AI-Generated Content - (Rule 18.3(c))

Content generated by AI should be cited to according to the relevant Bluebook subrule, but the citation should also include parenthetical information that indicates the content was generated by AI, as well as the AI model used to generate the content. 

When the relevant Bluebook subrule cites to the name of the author, the author name should be the person who submitted the prompt to the AI. If the author's name is unavailable, omit the author name. 

The Bluebook offers examples for each of these AI-generated citation types, which can be found on p. 191.

Rule 18.4 lays out the formatting for citations found from electronic databases. 

LexisNexis, Westlaw, Bloomberg Law, and other commercial electronic databases are reliable and authoritative as stated by The Bluebook. 

For guidance on specific uses of commercial electronic databases, dependent upon the type of material being cited to, see the following rules: