Are you preparing to submit a new article to law reviews? Before you press send, don’t forget to check your citations!
Law review editors care about citations — a lot. They are the primary mechanism editors use to verify the thoroughness and accuracy of authors’ research. Significant citation errors or omissions in an article can raise doubts about the quality of the entire piece. So, it’s critical to get your citations right.
This blog post outlines best practices to ensure your citations meet the rigorous standards of law reviews, improving your chances of getting an acceptance decision. Let’s get to it!
Understand the purpose of citations
First, it’s imperative to consider citations in context, which will help you know when they’re necessary. As discussed by Tenielle Fordyce-Ruff in “Legal Citation Part I: The Basics of Legal Citation,” the primary purposes citations serve in legal writing are to:
- Support and strengthen an argument: Referencing authoritative sources is a way to lend weight to your claims.
- Acknowledge intellectual debt: Proper citations credit other scholars and prevent plagiarism.
- Guide readers: Citations help readers locate sources for further reading or verification.
- Demonstrate research depth: A well-cited article showcases the breadth and rigor of the author’s engagement with the topic.
Keep these objectives in mind to ensure you’re not unintentionally omitting necessary citations and that the citations you do include are not merely perfunctory but integral to the substance of your article.
Follow the Bluebook consistently
The Bluebook is the dominant citation guide for law reviews in the United States. So, familiarity with it is crucial for any author submitting to a US law review.
As you embark on your Bluebook journey, here are a few quick tips:
- Invest time in mastery: Focus on mastering the citation rules for commonly referenced materials, such as cases, statutes, and law review articles, and create a personalized checklist to quickly reference rules for less familiar sources like treaties or foreign legal materials.
- Use the correct typeface: Pay attention to formatting distinctions such as italics, underlining, and small caps.
- Double-check complex citations: Citations to legislative history, international law sources, or administrative regulations often require extra attention.
For examples of citing commonly used sources, check out this Bluebook quick guide.
Of course, the above information is just a starting point and not meant to substitute reviewing the complete Bluebook! Be sure to reference the latest version of the Bluebook for the current guidelines.
Prioritize accuracy
Errors in citations can undermine an author’s credibility and make it harder for editors to verify claims — so you don’t want to have any in your paper! To ensure that your citations are accurate, be sure to:
- Verify source details: Double-check author names, publication dates, page numbers, and titles.
- Confirm quotations: Ensure that quoted material is reproduced verbatim and accompanied by precise page citations.
- Cite the most authoritative version: For example, cite the official reporter for court cases rather than a commercial database whenever possible.
Tools like citation management software can assist in maintaining accuracy, but they should not replace meticulous manual review.
Be strategic about citation density
While thorough citation is essential, overloading your text with citations can be counterproductive. Consider these general rules of thumb:
- Cite once when sufficient: If a single citation adequately supports a point, avoid redundant references.
- Cluster related citations: When multiple sources support the same proposition, group them in a single footnote.
- Avoid citation of common knowledge: Legal principles or widely known facts may not require citation unless disputed or central to the argument.
Remember, at the end of the day, your goal is to write an article that is compelling to read! So, your citations should support and enhance your argument, not weigh it down in excessive exposition.
Use parentheticals wisely
Parentheticals are an effective tool for providing additional context or explanation about cited sources — but you don’t want to overuse them!
Below are a few best practices to keep in mind:
- Be concise: Parentheticals should be brief yet informative.
- Clarify relevance: Use parentheticals to explain how a source supports the proceeding statement.
- Vary the style: Avoid repetitive or formulaic parentheticals. For example, instead of noting that a source “discusses” an issue each time you employ a parenthetical, change up the wording, such as “(analyzing the constitutional implications of the ruling).”
Cite authoritative and current sources
We spoke a bit about the importance of citing authoritative sources, but it bears repeating. The quality of the sources you cite can significantly affect the perceived credibility of your article.
Below are some additional recommendations:
- Favor primary sources: Whenever possible, rely on cases, statutes, and other primary legal materials.
- Avoid outdated sources: Use the most recent and authoritative version of a source.
- Incorporate leading scholarship: Engage with prominent works in the field to demonstrate awareness of the broader discourse.
- Clarify potentially questionable source choices: If older or less authoritative sources are necessary, explain their relevance in the text or footnotes.
Properly attribute secondary sources
Secondary sources, such as law review articles, treatises, or reports, play a vital role in legal scholarship. When citing secondary sources, be sure to adhere to the following recommendations:
- Credit original ideas: Attribute ideas to their original authors, even when encountered in another source.
- Avoid “string citation” of commentators: When citing multiple commentators, ensure each adds unique value to the discussion.
- Evaluate credibility: Not all secondary sources are equal; prioritize peer-reviewed or widely respected works. Authors should be judicious in distinguishing between when to rely on secondary versus primary sources.
- Seek permission for extensive quotation: For lengthy excerpts, obtain permission from copyright holders if required.
- Disclose potential conflicts of interest: If citing your own prior work, clearly indicate this in the text or footnotes.
Always proofread one last time before submitting
Now that we’ve gone through all of those citation best practices, here’s your reminder to thoroughly proofread your paper (with a focus on citations!) before hitting send. So again:
- Check formatting consistency: Ensure uniform application of citation rules throughout the article.
- Review for missing citations: Confirm that every claim requiring support has a citation.
- Conduct a final read-through: Approach the article from the perspective of a skeptical reader to identify potential weaknesses.
Many authors find it helpful to create a separate checklist for citation review to ensure they don’t overlook any details (not a bad idea!).
Collaborate with editors
Once your paper makes it through article selection, the editors of the law you work with will serve as partners in ensuring the quality of your citations. Help them help you! On that note, a few tips:
- Be open to feedback: Accept constructive criticism and suggestions for improving citations.
- Clarify ambiguities: If an editor queries a citation, provide additional context or explanation promptly.
- Anticipate edits: Familiarize yourself with common citation issues to minimize editorial intervention.
Proactive collaboration with editors can significantly enhance the quality and professionalism of your article and the overall value of your submission experience.
Putting it together
Citations are far more than mere formalities in legal writing — they are integral to the integrity and impact of scholarship. By following these tips, you can ensure your citations meet the exacting standards of law reviews and help promote clarity, transparency, and accountability in legal discourse.
