Law Reviews: Legitimate Citations?

can you use law reviews as citations

Law review articles are considered secondary sources and are used to analyze and interpret the law. They are scholarly articles about a legal issue or topic and are often used in academic citation styles. When citing law reviews, it is important to follow specific guidelines, such as the Bluebook rules, which vary depending on the type of document being cited. For example, when citing a law review article, you would typically include the author's name, article title, journal title in italics, volume number, issue number, page numbers, and publication date. It is also essential to verify source details, such as author names, publication dates, page numbers, and titles, to ensure the accuracy of your citations.

Characteristics Values
Law review article definition A scholarly article about a legal issue or topic
Law review article type Secondary source
Law review article citation style Same as citation style for journal articles
Bluebook citation rules Rules for citing a variety of legal documents, including the U.S. Constitution, state constitutions, and administrative materials
Bluebook citation example Author, title, volume number, periodical name, first page, specific pages cited, year
Additional Bluebook citation considerations Use correct typeface, pay attention to formatting, double-check complex citations, and verify source details
Citation best practices Favor primary sources, use recent sources, incorporate leading scholarship, clarify questionable source choices, credit original ideas, and avoid "string citation"
Citation review tips Be open to feedback, clarify ambiguities, anticipate edits, and create a separate checklist to ensure attention to detail

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Law reviews are secondary sources

Law reviews are considered secondary sources. They are scholarly publications that analyse, critique, and interpret the law. They are often edited by law students in conjunction with faculty members and contain articles, essays, comments, notes, and reports on developments in the law. Law reviews can be general in nature, or they may focus on a particular area of law, such as gender or environmental law. They are valuable for their depth of analysis and extensive references to other sources, including primary sources.

Law reviews are an important resource for legal research, offering critical insights and discussions on novel or complex legal topics. They provide a platform for legal scholars to debate issues, propose new theories, and lead discussions on emerging areas of law. They can be found in law libraries and academic databases like HeinOnline, JSTOR, and Bloomberg Law, as well as being published online by many law schools.

When using a law review, it is important to first identify relevant articles by scanning the table of contents or using the search function in electronic databases. Once a relevant article is found, it should be read carefully, paying attention to the footnotes, which can lead to primary sources and other valuable secondary materials.

In terms of citation, law review articles are typically cited in the same way as journal articles, following the style recommended by the chosen citation style guide, such as APA, MLA, or Chicago. For academic citation styles, it is important to spell out the name of the journal rather than using abbreviations. Specific guides, such as the Bluebook, provide rules and examples for citing law reviews and other legal documents.

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Citing law reviews: the basics

Law review articles are considered secondary sources as they analyse and interpret the law. Statutes and case documents are considered primary sources.

When citing law reviews, it is important to adhere to the specific style guide you are using for consistency. For example, APA, MLA, Chicago, or Bluebook style.

  • Use the correct typeface and formatting, including italics, underlining, and small caps.
  • Pay attention to capitalisation rules.
  • Use the article title as it appears, without abbreviations.
  • Include the author's name, article title, journal title in italics, volume number, issue number (if applicable), page numbers, publication date, and URL (if accessed online).
  • For non-consecutively paginated periodicals, such as newspapers and magazines, specify the location differently, usually with a specific date.
  • Verify source details: double-check author names, publication dates, page numbers, and titles.
  • Favour primary sources whenever possible, but incorporate leading scholarship and secondary sources to demonstrate awareness of the broader discourse.
  • Be open to feedback and clarification requests from editors to enhance the quality and professionalism of your article.

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Citing law reviews vs. newspapers

Law reviews and newspaper articles are both considered secondary sources. However, they differ in their content and purpose. A law review article is a scholarly article that focuses on a specific legal issue or topic, providing analysis and interpretation of the law. Newspaper articles, on the other hand, cover a wide range of topics, including current events, news, and opinions.

When it comes to citing law reviews and newspapers, there are several widely recognised styles, including APA, MLA, Chicago, and Bluebook. Each style has its own specific format and guidelines that should be followed consistently. Here is an overview of how to cite law reviews and newspapers using these different styles:

Citing Law Reviews

APA Style

In APA style, the citation structure for a law review article typically includes the author's last name, the publication year, the article title, the journal title in italics, the volume number, the issue number (if available), the page numbers, and the DOI or URL if accessed online:

> Author, A. A. (Year). Title of article: Subtitle of article. *Journal Title*, *Volume*(Issue), pp.-pp. [DOI] / URL

> Fee, J. (2020). The freedom of speech-conduct. *Kentucky Law Journal*, *109*(1), 81-126. https://doi.org/10.xxxxxxxxxx

MLA Style

MLA style citations for law review articles include the author's name, the article title, the journal title in italics, the publication date, the volume and issue numbers, the page range, and the URL if accessed online:

> Lastname, Firstname, MI. "Article Title." *Journal Title* volume #, no. # (Publication Date): pp.-pp. URL

> Fee, John. "The Freedom of Speech-Conduct." *Kentucky Law Journal* 109, no. 1 (2020): 81-126. https://heinonline-org.libproxy.highpoint.edu/HOL/P

Chicago Style

Chicago style citations for law review articles are similar to MLA, but the URL is omitted, and the access date is included:

> Lastname, Firstname, MI. "Article Title." *Journal Title* in italics volume #, no. # (Publication Date): pp.-pp. Accessed month day, year.

> Fee, John. "The Freedom of Speech-Conduct." *Kentucky Law Journal* in italics 109, no. 1 (2020): 81-126. Accessed June 28, 2021.

Bluebook Style

Bluebook style is specifically designed for legal citations. For consecutively paginated journals, the citation includes the author, title, volume number, abbreviation of the periodical name, first page of the article, specific pages cited, and the year:

> Author, Title, Volume, Abbreviation of periodical, First page, Specific pages (if any), Year

> Pamela Samuelson, Functionality and Expression in Computer Programs: Refining the Tests for Software Copyright Infringement, 31 Berkeley Tech L.J. 1215, 1258–67 (2016).

Citing Newspapers

APA Style

When citing a newspaper article in APA style, the citation includes the author's last name, the publication year, the article title, the newspaper name in italics, and the URL if accessed online. If accessed in print, include the page number(s):

> Author, A. A. (Year). Article title: Subtitle. *Newspaper Name*, pp. ##. / URL

> Cook, L. (2017, June 14). EU warns 3 nations of legal action. *San Francisco Chronicle*, p. A4+.

MLA Style

MLA style citations for newspaper articles include the author's name, the article title, the newspaper name in italics, the publication date, and the URL if accessed online. For print sources, include the page number(s):

> Lastname, Firstname. "Article Title: Subtitle." *Newspaper Name*, Date, pp. ##. URL

> Cook, Lorne. "EU Warns 3 Nations of Legal Action." *San Francisco Chronicle*, June 14, 2017, p. A4+.

Chicago Style

Chicago style recommends citing newspaper articles in footnotes, omitting them from the bibliography. The citation includes the author's name, the article title, the newspaper name in italics, and the URL if accessed online. No page range is included, and the page number is omitted from the footnote:

> Author's Last Name, First Name. "Article Title." *Newspaper Name* in italics, Date. URL

> Russolillo, Steven. "Why the Housing Market is Getting Stronger." *Wall Street Journal* in italics, May 22, 2016. https://url.com

In conclusion, both law reviews and newspapers can be cited using standard academic citation styles such as APA, MLA, Chicago, and Bluebook. It is important to follow the specific guidelines and formats for each style to ensure accurate and consistent citations.

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Bluebook rules for law review citations

The Bluebook is a style guide for legal citations, compiled by editors of the Columbia Law Review, the Harvard Law Review, the University of Pennsylvania Law Review, and the Yale Law Journal. It contains rules for citing a variety of legal documents, including law reviews and journals.

The Bluebook's Whitepages section covers academic citation, including rules for citing law reviews, journals, and other academic legal publications. The Bluepages section, on the other hand, addresses non-academic citation for practitioners and law clerks.

When citing law reviews, the journal name should be written in small caps and the article title in italics. The full article title should be used, exactly as it appears in the original source, and capitalised according to Bluebook Rule 8. English language periodical titles should be abbreviated using tables T13.1, T13.2, and T10, omitting words like "a," "at," "of," and "the."

For consecutively paginated journal articles, citations should include the following six elements: author, article title, volume, law review title, page number, and year. Volume numbers should be given as Arabic numerals, and issue numbers are not included. If a journal uses continuous pagination across issues without indicating volume numbers, the year can be used as the volume number.

The Bluebook also provides rules for citing institutional authors (Rule 15.1), short forms (Rule 16.9), and non-consecutively paginated materials (Rules 16.6-16.6). Additionally, Rule 15.8 covers citation formats for publications commonly used by first-year law students, such as legal dictionaries and encyclopedias.

Bluebook Rules for Court Documents

The Bluepages section of the Bluebook provides guidance on citing court documents, legal memoranda, and briefs. It includes rules for citing to the record (Rule B17) and the abbreviations used (Table BT1). In court documents, article titles are underlined.

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Best practices for citing law reviews

Law review articles are considered secondary sources as they analyse and interpret the law. Statutes and case documents are considered primary sources. When citing law reviews, it is important to follow the Bluebook rules for legal citation. The Bluebook contains rules that prescribe how to cite a variety of legal documents, including law reviews, which are considered periodicals.

The proper Bluebook citation for articles appearing in consecutively paginated journals is: author, title, volume number, abbreviation of the periodical name, first page of the article, specific pages cited (if any), and year. For example:

> Pamela Samuelson, Functionality and Expression in Computer Programs: Refining the Tests for Software Copyright Infringement, 31 Berkeley Tech L.J. 1215, 1258–67 (2016).

If a journal does not indicate the volume number but has continuous pagination across issues, use the year as the volume number. Volume numbers should always be given as Arabic numerals, even if the original source uses Roman numerals. Indicate special issues and publications if they do not conform to the consecutively paginated publication schedule. Note that issue numbers are never included in Bluebook citations, even if readily indicated in the original source.

For non-consecutively paginated periodicals (including most newspapers and magazines), the citation should include the date and page number, for example:

> Adam Satariano, Law Bolsters Copyrights in Europe, N.Y. Times, Mar. 27, 2019, at B1.

If an article has two authors, list both authors connected by an ampersand in the same order as they are listed in the original source. For example:

> Yuval Karniel & Stephen Bates, Copyright in Second Life, 20 Alb. J.L. Sci. & Tech. 433 (2010).

If an article has three or more authors, it is permissible to either give the first author's name followed by "et al." or list all authors as they appear.

When citing law reviews, it is important to follow best practices to ensure the citations meet rigorous standards. Here are some additional tips:

  • Double-check complex citations: Citations to legislative history, international law sources, or administrative regulations often require extra attention.
  • Verify source details: Double-check author names, publication dates, page numbers, and titles.
  • Confirm quotations: Ensure 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.
  • 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.
  • Credit original ideas: Attribute ideas to their original authors, even when encountered in another source.
  • 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 a skeptical reader's perspective to identify potential weaknesses.

Frequently asked questions

A law review article is a scholarly article about a legal issue or topic. They are considered secondary sources as they are analysing and interpreting the law. Statutes and case documents are considered primary sources.

The citation style for a law review article is the same as that of a journal article. The Bluebook, for example, recommends the following format: Author(s). (Year of Publication). Title of article: Subtitle of article. Journal Title in Italics, volume number(issue number), page numbers. URL (if accessed online).

It is important to ensure that your citations are accurate and adhere to the latest guidelines. Verify source details, such as author names, publication dates, page numbers, and titles. Favour primary sources and use the most recent and authoritative versions. Engage with prominent works in the field and credit original ideas to their authors.

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