Bluebook 101
Books to Help with The Bluebook
For books on using and understanding the Bluebook, search the Law Library catalog by keyword "bluebook".
***NOTE: some of these books are keyed to earlier editions of The Bluebook. Always double check that the rule cited in these materials matches the rule in the current edition of The Bluebook.
Maybe it sounds crazy that you'd need a manual to help you with a manual, but there are some, such as:
Cite-Checker: Your Guide to Using the Bluebook, 5th ed. by Publication Date: 2021Ebook.
Includes- Overview of changes in the 21st Edition of The Bluebook
- A new section in Chapter One on how to construct any citation
- New figure explaining the meaning of phrases used to show weight of authority, such as per curiam and en banc
- Exercises with answer keys in the appendix
- A special section on preparing tables of authorities for briefs and court documents
Interactive Citation Workbook for the Bluebook by Call Number: Ref. Kf245 .M343 2013Publication Date: 2013
Legal Writing Citation in a Nutshell by Publication Date: 2016Also available online in West Academic Study Aids.
Prince's Bieber Dictionary of Legal Abbreviations by Publication Date: 2017
Prince's Dictionary of Legal Citations by Publication Date: 2021
Understanding and Mastering the Bluebook, 4th ed. by Publication Date: 2020
User's Guide to the "Bluebook" by Publication Date: 2020
- The Indigo Book: A Manual of Legal Citation
By Christopher Jon Sprigman
The Indigo Book isn’t the same as The Bluebook, but it does implement the same Uniform System of Citation that The Bluebook does. NOTE, however, that the rule numbers in the Indigo Book are not the same as the Bluebook.
Other Resources
- Cardiff Index to Legal AbbreviationsA database that allows you to search for the meaning of abbreviations for legal publications from over 295 jurisdictions.
- Introduction to Basic Legal Citation (LII)This is a free citation guide that is not The Bluebook, however, most of its rules and examples are consistent with The Bluebook