Quick guide

A conventional reported-case full citation supplies the name, volume, reporter, first page, pinpoint when supporting a particular passage, and necessary court/year information. A first page identifies; a pinpoint locates. The deciding court may be omitted only when the citation otherwise identifies it unambiguously. The retrieval date belongs in your research record, not in place of the decision year. A source match, a passage check, and a current-validity investigation are different checks.

Identify the source type, then the claim type. Place the citation after the assertion it supports. Use a citation sentence for a complete preceding assertion, a citation clause for a portion of a sentence, and an embedded reference when naming the authority advances the prose. Preserve the distinction between a rule, an allegation, evidence, and an inference. Check the receiving document's directions before adopting a footnote system.

Use the source's actual coordinates. Separate identification from location. Verify quotations against the source, then assess the effect of every change. Use blocks at fifty words under the taught baseline. Treat readability modifications as bounded conventions subject to the receiving document's requirements.

Identify opinion → collect name, volume, reporter, first page, court, year → select pinpoint → apply name and court exceptions → add necessary opinion/history information → verify support. Reporter series and court level are independent checks. Keep a source card even when your final citation is short.

Before shortening, ask: Has this source been fully identified? Is the proposed short form permitted for this source type? Can this reader locate it unambiguously? Does the pinpoint now support the sentence? For id., add: What is the immediately preceding cited authority after all edits?

Reporter → pages. Neutral identifier → system-specific paragraphs where provided. Database identifier → database pinpoints. Slip opinion → slip pages. Receiving-court requirements can change the choice or combination. A locator never proves legal weight.

Read the source's voice and procedural posture. Classify each later event. Apply the history convention. Evaluate whether the proposition survives. Describe only the research actually completed.

Document identity → version/date → parent or docket identifier → required page/paragraph/line locator → accurate attribution → receiving-court check. A fact sentence and its record citation must agree about who said what and where.

Identify constitution/code/session law → collect jurisdiction and divisions → select precise provision → identify version → separate text from annotations → verify the sentence → check receiving requirements.

Rule: set + number + subdivision. Restatement: title/edition + section/comment + institution/year. Uniform or model text: identify its own version. Enacted version: jurisdiction's statute. Legal force requires analysis beyond the citation pattern.

Codified text: title/code/section/version. Rulemaking publication: title or subject, volume/publication/page/date/status. Agency decision: agency-specific identifying fields and pinpoint. Guidance: its actual title/date/URL and attributed role.

Bill: chamber/number + Congress/session + provision + date/version. Report: chamber/report number + Congress + pinpoint + year/status. Hearing: title/committee/body + page + date + speaker where needed. Tax: classify the instrument before selecting its specialized locator.

Book: volume if any + author + title + pinpoint + contributor/edition/year. Journal: author + title + volume/journal + first page/pinpoint + year. Other periodical: actual issue/date/locator structure. Short form: source eligibility plus clear earlier identification.

Classify item → identify creator/title/version/date → select real locator → provide direct access URL → record retrieval → compare passage with sentence → test exported link.

Governing rule → category lookup → component typography → locator syntax → punctuation → contextual capitalization → short-form recheck. Keep optional house choices labeled as choices.

Inventory → source identity → passage/support → quotations → version/treatment → full citation → short forms → receiving requirements → typography/export. Keep each status and its evidence visible.

Use the complete packet. Correct evidence and meaning first. Correct source fields and locators next. Recheck short forms, local instruction, and final paragraph flow. Record unresolved issues expressly.

Collect the receiving instructions. Inventory claim types. Identify the exact version. Locate the passage. Design the note around its function. Apply the appropriate full or short form. Recheck every cross-reference after revision. Inspect the final export.

Identify jurisdiction, institution, source type, identifier, locator, version, and language. Start with official material. Preserve distinctive local identifiers. Adapt display only after the metadata is verified. Explain the source's role in the argument and the limits of the comparison.

Identify institution, source type, official identifier, procedural stage, date, language, and pinpoint. Separate the instrument from status information and commentary. Read the actual passage. Preserve revisions and explain the source's legal role before selecting citation punctuation.

Identify the sovereign, issuing institution, instrument, version, and locator. Check local citation instructions. Preserve official names. Distinguish legal text, judicial interpretation, evidence, and commentary. Keep archival custody separate from authorship and explain any access or research limits specifically.

Identify creator, item, date or version, locator, container, and custodian. Preserve stable identifiers. Distinguish originals, copies, transcripts, and generated outputs. Disclose material uncertainty and keep the proposition within what the inspected item establishes.