Bluebook Citation: Other Sources

Rule 15 controls the citation formatting for books, reports, and other nonperiodic materials (i.e., treatises, white papers, dictionaries, encyclopedias, etc.).

Author's Full Name

According to Rule 15.1, using small caps, give the author's full name as it appears in the publication, including suffixes such as "Jr". Do not include any education or recognition suffix or prefix, such as "Dr.," "Prof.," or "Justice" regardless of whether it is states on title page. 

If there is more than one author, but less than four, list the author's names in the order in which they appear on the title page. If there are more than three authors, use the first author's name followed by "et al."

Refer to Rule 15.1 for citation guidance regarding institutional authors, pen names, and tribal affiliation.

Title of Book

Rule 15.3 covers the formatting guidance for a title of a nonperiodic material. Citation should include the full main title, as it appears on the title page, but capitalized according to Rule 8. Give the subtitle only if it is particularly relevant, and do not abbreviate words or omit articles in the title. Small caps should be used for the title. 

Editor (or Translator) Name

Rule 15.2 gives guidance to formatting the editor's part of the citation. Always give the full name of the editor and/or translator according to Rule 15.1 (author's name). The editor and/or translator name should be followed by "ed.," or "trans.," in that order if both apply. This information is contain in parenthetical information along with the edition, publisher information (if needed), and date. Editor and translator information is separated from the other parenthetical information by commas. 

Edition, Publisher, and Date

Rule 15.4 governs the citation format regarding editions, publishers, and dates in nonperiodic material.

Always cite to the latest edition of a work that supports the point being made, unless an earlier edition would be authoritative and/or relevant. If there is only one edition, just provide the year of publication rather than both if there are multiple editions. For more information about editions, publishers, or dates that are not discussed above, see Rule 15.4. 

Other Sub-Rules under Rule 15

Rule 15.5 (pp. 159-160) discusses shorter works in a collection. Rule 15.6 (p. 160) provides guidance for prefaces, forewords, introductions, and epilogues. Rule 15.7 (p.160) explains how and where to place serial numbers in a nonperiodic material. Rule 15.8 (pp. 161-162) controls special citation forms, such as frequently cited works, The Federalist, and others. Rule 15.9 (pp.162-163) explains the citation format for a nonperiodic work found through electronic databases and online sources. 

Unlike most of what we covered, citing to the record of a case is only found in the Bluepages. More specifically, Bluepages Rule 17 (B17) covers how to cite to the record, and the abbreviations that are used when citing to the record are listed in Bluepages Table 1 (BT1). 

The citation should include:

1. Name of the document (abbreviated in accordance with BT1);
2. Page number the fact can be found; and
3. Date of the document (if required- see Rule B17.1.3)

Using "at" before citing to the page number is typically unnecessary, however, it is general practice to use "at" when citing record documents in an appellate record. For more information on whether "at" is needed, look to Rule B17.1.2.

Rule 16 governs periodical materials, including law review articles. 

Basic citation format for law review articles:

Basic citation format for magazine articles:

Basic citation format for newspaper articles:

The Bluebook provides a list of other materials that fall under this category including, but not limited to, symposiums, book reviews, and newsletters. (p. 165).

For specific rules regarding elements of periodical materials: