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• About the StyleGuide
The LegalCitation.net StyleGuide is designed to provide resources specifically pertaining to legal research and writing, with a specific focus on resources useful to the process of citing authorities properly. This StyleGuide is an online supplement to a series of style manuals governing the formatting of legal citations: A Uniform System of Citation, the ALWD Citation Style manual. Please note that these works provide invaluable information on legal research and writing that is not replicated in this StyleGuide.

Please report inaccuracies and problems to the editor.

• Introduction to Legal Citation
Introduction to legal citation
Structure and purpose of legal citations in general.
A note on the importance of brevity.
The LegalCitation database program.
Database programs and databases in general.
Large online database collections.
Personal database programs.
Standard database programs.
Textual database programs.
Bibliographic database programs.
Note: Bluebook and ALWD style.
Glossary of basic database terms for the LegalCitation database system.
Summary: bibliographic database programs and your research.
How to use legalcitation.net.
Places to look for additional information.
Note: Working with online databases such as LEXIS, Westlaw, Findlaw.
Note: Editing the custom format files for local court rules.
• Legal Citation Fundamentals
Case name formatting notes
Parallel citations
Parenthetical information / explanatory phrases
Pinpoint citations
Section and paragraph symbols, multilingual characters
Traditional keywords for legal research and writing
Local Court Citation Rules (ALWD Appendix online)
Local Court Citation Rules (using LegalCitation software)
Basic components for legal citations
Data entry forms in LegalCitation
General rules for entering data in LegalCitation database records
Basic definitions for database terms and legal terms used in the styleguide.
• Cases.
• US Supreme Court decision.
• US Supreme Court decision, parallel cite included.
• US Supreme Court decision, dissenting opinion noted.
• US Supreme Court decision, decision overruled.
• US Supreme Court decision, per curiam decision noted.
• US Supreme Court decision, split decision noted.
• US Supreme Court decision, reported in U.S.L.W.
• State Supreme Court decision.
• State Supreme Court decision, parallel citation included.
• US Court of Appeals, decision reversed, subsequent history noted.
• US Court of Appeals, petition for certiorari filed.
• US District Court decision.
• Multiple decisions by the same court.
• Table cases, parallel citation to Westlaw included.
• Named (early American) reporters.
• Cases published on the internet.
• Unreported decision available on LEXIS or Westlaw.
• Unreported decision available on Westlaw.
• Unreported decision available on LEXIS, Genfed Library.
• Unreported decision available on LEXIS, per curiam decision.
• Case, public domain (medium neutral) format.
• Case, pending, filed but not decided.
• Case, pending, order granting preliminary injunction.
• Case, pending, slip opinion (unpublished decision).
• Case, pending, slip opinion, subsequent history noted.
• Case, reported in service.
• Case, reported in newspaper.
• Constitutions.
• Article of the US Constitution.
• Article of the US Constitution, specific clause referenced.
• Amendment to the US Constitution.
• Preamble to the US Constitution.
• Article of the US Constitution, amended.
• Amendment to the US Constitution, repealed.
• Article of the US Constitution, amended or repealed by a specific provision.
• Amendment to the US Constitution, repealed by a constitutional amendment.
• State Constitution.
• State Constitution, superceded (no longer in force).
• State Constitutional provision, superceded by a revised constitution.
• Constitution, international source.
• Public and historic documents
• Declaration of Independence.
• The Federalist Papers.
• Statutory Code and session laws.
• Statute currently in force, U.S. Code (official source).
• Statute currently in force, U.S. Code (official source), name of act or statute included.
• Statute currently in force, U.S. Code (official source), material in appendice(s).
• Statute, U.S. Code Annotated (unofficial source).
• Statute, U.S. Code Service (unofficial source).
• Amended Statute.
• Date of publication differs from effective date.
• Historical information on original legislation included.
• Federal session law.
• Federal slip law.
• Statute, State Code, explanatory phrase included.
• State session law.
• Legislative Materials
• Congressional bills and resolutions.
• US House of Representatives, unenacted bill.
• US Senate bill, title included.
• US Senate bill, title included, unenacted status noted.
• US House of Representatives, resolution.
• US House of Representatives, resolution, explanatory phrase included.
• US Senate, resolution.
• US House of Representatives, concurrent resolution, enacted.
• US Senate, concurrent resolution, parallel citation to US Congressional Record.
• US Senate, concurrent resolution, parallel citation to US Statutes at Large.
• Amendment to US Senate bill.
• Bill or resolution introduced before 1881.
• State Legislative materials.
• US State Legislature, Pennsylvania House of Representatives, unenacted bill.
• US State Legislature, Alaska House of Representatives, regular session, unenacted bill.
• US State Legislature, Arizona Senate, regular session, unenacted bill.
• US State Legislature, Colorado Senate, General Assembly, joint resolution.
• US State Legislature, Georgia House of Representatives, General Assembly, unenacted bill.
• US State Legislature, Minnesota House of Representatives, regular session, file.
• US State Legislature, Nebraska Legislature, resolution.
• US State Legislature, Virginia House of Representatives, joint resolution.
• US State Legislature, California Assembly, unenacted bill.
• US State Legislature, Connecticut Senate, unenacted bill.
• US State Legislature, Delaware House of Representatives, concurrent resolution.
• US State Legislature, Maryland House of Representatives, joint resolution.
• US State Legislature, Louisiana House of Representatives, concurrent resolution, title included.
• Congressional documents, reports, committee prints.
US Senate, document.
• US House of Representatives, report.
• US Senate, document, individual author, title included.
• US House of Representatives, conference report.
• US Senate report, reprinted in U.S.C.C.A.N.
• US Senate, executive report, reprinted in the Congressional Record.
• US House of Representatives, document.
• US House of Representatives, committee print.
• US Senate, committee print, titled.
• US Senate, executive report, explanatory note included.
• US Senate, commission report [error; edit gifs].
• Unnumbered report.
• State Senate document, Maine Legislature.
• State Senate committee report, Hawaii Legislature.
• Congressional debates, hearings & proceedings.
• Congressional Record, permanent edition.
• Congressional record, House debate, daily edition.
• Congressional record, Senate debate, daily edition, Senator's statement referenced.
• Annals of Congress 1789 - 1824.
• Register of Debates 1824 - 1833.
• Congressional Globe 1833 - 1873.
• Congressional Journals.
• Debate Transcripts, State House of Representatives, Illinois General Assembly.
• Floor Debate, State House of Representatives, Utah Legislature, Recording tape.
• Debate Proceedings, Titled, State Assembly, New York.
• Debate, State Senate, Texas Legislature, Transcript availability noted.
• US Senate, Hearings.
• Local ordinances.
• Municipal code, codified, chapter reference.
• County code, codified.
• Uncodified city ordinance, untitled.
• Uncodified city ordinance, titled.
• City code & Home Rule Charter.
• Police Code.
• City Ordinance, chapter, article & section reference.
• Rules of court, evidence, ethics, and procedure.
• Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure.
• Federal Rules of Evidence.
• Federal Rules of Evidence, advisory committee note, explanatory note included.
• Uniform Rules of Evidence.
• Model Rules of Professional Conduct.
• Code of Professional Responsibility, comment.
• Code of Civil Procedure, annotated, unofficial code.
• Rule no longer in force (repealed).
• Superceded Rule.
• Legal dictionaries.
• Black's Law Dictionary, 6th edition
• Ballentine's Law Dictionary, 3d edition.
• Individual author.
• Edited.
• Manual for Complex Litigation.
• Administrative and executive materials.
• Regulations, decisions.
• Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.).
• Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.), app. cited.
• Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.), titled regulation.
• Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.), titled regulation, part cited.
• Federal Register.
• Federal Regulation, cited to Fed. Reg., title included.
• Federal Regulation, cited to Fed. Reg., codification info included.
• Agency administrative review in Federal Register.
• Administrative Adjudication.
• Agency decision.
• Agency decision, published in Federal Register.
• Agency decision, subsequent publication information noted.
• Arbitration.
• Opinion of the Attorney General.
• Federal Register, agency decision.
• Federal Register, titled regulation, to be codified.
• Treasury & Tax decisions.
• Something to do with taxes.
• Treatises, books, and bound volumes.
• Book, single author.
• Book, multiple authors, translated, edition other than first.
• Multivolume treatise, one volume cited.
• Chapter or article published in a bound collection.
• Periodicals, serials, and other works published on a regular basis.
• Article in a law review, law journal, or other scholarly journal.
• Article in a popular magazine or periodical.
• Newspaper article or standard piece, editorial.
• Article in a journal, student author.
• ALR Annotations.
• Additional sources.
• Legal Encyclopedia.
• Treaty.

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