The Uniform System of Citation allows anyone reading a legal document to easily locate the sources used in the document. The Bluebook demonstrates how to cite court cases, law review articles, treaties, foreign statutes and foreign court cases, as well as other sources typically used in legal writings.
As of March 2010 there had been 18 editions of the book created. The first edition was published in 1926. Each edition includes updates regarding references, citation style and rules. Whenever a new printing of the book occurs, it lists the minor revisions that have been made since the last printing. These updates are included in the text and are available to download.
The Bluebook has three major sections. The first section provides a quick reference guide of basic legal citations for the most popular sources used. This section is known as the Bluepages. The second section demonstrates how citations should be formatted based on the type of legal paper being written and the type of authority being used as a reference. The third section has tables that show which authorities should be cited and provides the proper abbreviations for the most common terms used in legal writing.
Some federal and state courts have their own citation rules. The third section of the Bluebook provides the citation rules for each of those courts. It also lists other reference guides that can be used when writing legal documents for those jurisdictions.
The Association of Legal Writing Directors (ALWD) is another legal citation style. Unlike the Bluebook, ALWD has the same citation style for all legal writings, making no distinction between the citation style for a legal brief submitted to the court or an article for a law journal. ALWD provides a listing of the law schools, law journals and courts that have adopted its citation style.
A uniform style creates an atmosphere of efficiency. The software and search engines of such popular legal research tools as LexisNexis and Westlaw are set up to accommodate the Bluebook citation system. This makes it easier for legal professionals to find the sources they need. Even though there are other citation styles and guides, the Bluebook remains the dominant reference guide when citing materials in legal documents.