Bluebook citation generator
Legal citation for US courts and law reviews: case names in italics, volume–reporter–page, the court and year in a parenthetical, and short forms like “Id.” for repeated cites.
Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 444 (1966).
Short form: Miranda, 384 U.S. at 444. Immediately repeated: Id. at 444.Anatomy of a Bluebook reference
Pick an example, then tap any part of the reference to see the rule behind it.
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Bluebook rules at a glance
| Case | Name v. Name, Vol. Reporter Page, Pinpoint (Court Year). |
|---|---|
| Supreme Court | Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 444 (1966). |
| Federal courts | Add the court: (9th Cir. 2020), (S.D.N.Y. 2019). |
| Statute | Title U.S.C. § Section (Year): 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (2018). |
| Law review | Author, Title, Vol. Journal First page, Pinpoint (Year). |
| Books | Author, Title Pinpoint (ed. Year). |
| Short forms | Id. for the immediately preceding authority; Miranda, 384 U.S. at 445 for a later cite. |
| Typeface | Practitioner documents: italics/underline for case names and titles. Law reviews use large and small caps for books and journals in footnotes. |
Short forms and footnotes
- Bluebook citations appear in footnotes (law reviews) or directly in the text of briefs and memos.
- Short form for a case after the first cite: Miranda, 384 U.S. at 445.
- Id. refers to the immediately preceding authority: Id. at 447.
- “Supra” is used for articles and books, never for cases or statutes: Warren & Brandeis, supra note 3, at 196.
Ask about Bluebook
Answers are AI-generated from the published style rules and can be wrong. Check your journal’s or school’s author guidelines for house variations.
Bluebook examples
Real works, formatted by the generator above.
Supreme Court case
Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 444 (1966).
Federal statute
42 U.S.C. § 1983 (2018).
Law review article
Samuel D. Warren & Louis D. Brandeis, The Right to Privacy, 4 Harv. L. Rev. 193, 195 (1890).
Book
Daniel Kahneman, Thinking, Fast and Slow (2011).
Website
World Health Organization, Hypertension, World Health Organization (Mar. 16, 2023), https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hypertension.
Source types supported here: Court case, Statute, Journal article, Book, Book chapter, Web page.
Bluebook citation questions
How do I cite a case in Bluebook format?
Case name (italicised), volume, reporter abbreviation, first page, pinpoint page, and a parenthetical with the court and year: Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 444 (1966). For lower courts add the court abbreviation: United States v. Jones, 565 F.3d 1100 (9th Cir. 2009).
How do I cite a statute?
Title number, code abbreviation, section symbol, section, and the code year: 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (2018). You can put the act’s name first: Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e (2018).
Is this Bluebook generator free?
Yes. Everything runs in your browser; there is no account, no paywall and no limit on citations.
Does the generator handle signals like “See” or “Cf.”?
Signals depend on how you use the source, so add them yourself before the citation (See, See also, Cf., But see) and italicise them.
What is the difference between Bluebook and ALWD?
The ALWD Guide to Legal Citation produces nearly identical citations for cases and statutes; it differs mainly in presentation and a few typeface rules. Many courts accept either.