Electronic database opinion
Original research draft · October 2026
Working pattern
[Case name], No. [docket], [database identifier], at *[star page] ([court] [date]).
Capture from the source
Database name and identifier; docket; court/date; actual star pagination
Check before you use it
Inspect the database version and verify that the asterisk locator exists there.
Common error: A star page from one service may not identify the same location in another.
Completed example
Both databases, identifiers, case details, and pagination are fictional training facts. This exercise establishes no acceptance rule for a real database or tribunal.
Quay Tools v. Meadow Fabricators, No. TRAIN-25-044, 2025 TRAIN-DBA 804, at *6 (Northmere Trial Ct. Apr. 9, 2025).
Read the supplied source facts
Fictional packet TRAIN-O04 includes two database renditions of Quay Tools v. Meadow Fabricators, docket TRAIN-25-044, decided April 9, 2025, by the fictional Northmere Trial Court. TRAIN Database A assigns the record 2025 TRAIN-DBA 804 and marks the relevant passage *6. TRAIN Database B assigns the same decision 2025 TRAIN-DBB 112 and places the passage at *4. A browser printout from Database A has physical page numbers 1 through 10; those printout pages are not its star pagination. The assignment permits either identified database rendition.
Why this works
The database identifier and star-page locator belong to one rendition and must travel together. The docket and court/date fields provide additional identity checks. Preserve the star symbol because it tells the reader which locator system the citation uses. A citation to TRAIN-DBB 112 at *6 would combine Database B's identity with Database A's location. The resulting string might look polished while directing the reader to another passage. Store the database name, retrieved version, and passage text in the source card; a bare record number is not enough for later repair.
When the facts change
To cite the supplied Database B version, use Quay Tools v. Meadow Fabricators, No. TRAIN-25-044, 2025 TRAIN-DBB 112, at *4 (Northmere Trial Ct. Apr. 9, 2025). If the database supplies no star pages, do not invent them from screenfuls or browser pages. Select a verified locator that the source actually supports and check the receiving document's requirements.
Apply the receiving court or publication’s requirements. These working forms do not establish citation permission, precedential weight, or support for a legal proposition.