bibliottBluebook Citation Generator — 21st edition
Free, accurate Bluebook citations in seconds. Built for law (us). AI fills in missing metadata; you copy or export.
What is Bluebook 21st edition?
Bluebook (21st ed., 2020) is the dominant US legal citation system, used by virtually every US law school, law review, and federal court. It is famously dense — over 600 pages of rules — and distinguishes "academic" formatting (law-review footnotes) from "practitioner" formatting (court briefs and memos).
When to use Bluebook
- US law school papers and legal memos
- Federal and state court filings
- US law reviews and journals
- Statutes, cases, regulations, and legal commentary
Bluebook quick reference
In-text citation
Footnoted citations. Practitioner format uses inline citations in legal writing.
See Smith v. Jones, 123 U.S. 456, 460 (2023).
Footnotes (and table of authorities for briefs)
Case Name, Vol. Reporter Page, Pinpoint (Court Year).
Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483, 494 (1954).
Title U.S.C. § Section (Year).
17 U.S.C. § 107 (2018).
Author, Article Title, Vol Journal Page, Pinpoint (Year).
Jane D. Smith, AI and the Future of Citation, 134 Harv. L. Rev. 1, 12 (2023).
Key Bluebook formatting rules
- Use small caps for journal and book titles in academic format (italics in practitioner).
- Pinpoint cite (specific page) is almost always required.
- Use "Id." for immediately preceding source; "supra" for earlier non-consecutive references.
- Abbreviate court names per Table T1 (U.S. for Supreme Court, 2d Cir. for Second Circuit).
Other citation styles
Bluebook FAQ
No — the print and online editions are paid (~$45). The free ALWD Citation Manual is a respected alternative used at some schools, but Bluebook remains the dominant standard.
Law-review papers use academic format (full citations in footnotes, small caps for sources). Court briefs and legal memos use practitioner format (italics for case names, abbreviated case citations in the body).