How to bluebook cite black's law dictionary?
Asked by: Prof. Amanda Willms MD | Last update: April 2, 2026Score: 4.2/5 (20 votes)
To cite Black's Law Dictionary in Bluebook style, use the italicized legal term, followed by the dictionary name in small caps, the edition number, and the year, like this: Attractive-Nuisance Doctrine, BLACK'S Law Dictionary (12th ed. 2024). For print versions, you can add a page number if needed (Black's Law Dictionary 126 (9th ed. 2009)). For online versions, add the database, such as Black's Law Dictionary (11th ed. 2019), Westlaw.
What year is Black's Law Dictionary 2nd edition?
The second edition (1910) is an essential complement to the first edition (1891) as it provides the scholar and student of law important insights into the rapid development of law at the turn of the century.
How to cite a legal dictionary?
Legal Dictionaries
Cite to the name of the source/dictionary, page number (if pinpoint citing), edition and year. See R. 15.8 (p. 155), B15.
What is the Bluebook rule 15.8 A?
Bluebook Rule 15.8(a) provides special citation forms for frequently cited works like Black's Law Dictionary, legal encyclopedias (Am. Jur. 2d, C.J.S.), and other foundational texts (like the Bible or Shakespeare), which deviate slightly from the general book citation rules in Rule 15, often dropping publisher information and using specific abbreviations or formatting for clarity and brevity in legal writing. For dictionaries, it's the entry word (italicized), dictionary title (small caps), edition, and year, while encyclopedias use volume, abbreviation, topic, section, and year.
Is Black's Law Dictionary credible?
While some, like Black's, are considered very trustworthy, remember that the definitions in a legal dictionary are not official, authoritative statements of the law.
How To Cite Black's Law Dictionary Bluebook? - The Language Library
How to reference Black's Law Dictionary?
Citing Legal Dictionaries
There are three necessary elements to a Black's Law Dictionary citation: the italicized legal term or phrase; the underlined name of the dictionary; and. its edition and date.
Is Black's Law Dictionary used in Canada?
Here's a cool new feature we just learned about in our library's WestlawNext Canada subscription. Black's Law Dictionary, the most well-known legal dictionary on the market, is now tucked away (but free to use in our library) under the “International” tab.
How to cite a dictionary in Bluebook?
Dictionaries. Rule 15 of The Bluebook covers the format of citations to dictionaries. Authors should indicate following elements in their citations: Word (italicized), Dictionary (small caps) (Edition and Year). Some frequently cited works require special form.
How to cite a law in Bluebook?
There are generally four elements in a citation to a statute in the United States Code:
- The title number.
- The abbreviation of the code used (here, U.S.C.)
- The section symbol (§) followed by a space and the section number containing the statute.
- The year of the code. (optional if citing to the current code - Bluebook R.
Who is the author of Black's Law Dictionary?
Black's Law Dictionary is the most frequently used legal dictionary in the United States. Henry Campbell Black (1860–1927) was the author of the first two editions of the dictionary.
How to cite a dictionary as a source?
If you are creating an in-text citation for a dictionary entry, you would follow APA's standard in-text citation guidelines of including the first part of the reference and the year. For example, your in-text citations might look like this: (Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 1999) or (Onomatopoeia, n.d.).
What is the best dictionary to cite in a legal brief?
The two most commonly used legal dictionaries are Black's Law Dictionary and Ballentine's Law Dictionary. Print copies of Black's are located in the Reference section in the Reading Room.
How to properly cite legal sources?
Most legal citations consist of the name of the document (case, statute, law review article), an abbreviation for the legal series, and the date. The abbreviation for the legal series usually appears as a number followed by the abbreviated name of the series and ends in another number.
What is a mistake according to Black's Law Dictionary?
According to Black's Law Dictionary, the definition of a "mistake" is "some unintentional act, omission, or error arising from ignorance, surprise, imposition, or misplaced confidence." The law recognizes that mistakes are a natural part of the human experience, and in many legal contexts, judges have the discretion to ...
Does the Supreme Court use Black's Law Dictionary?
The use of dictionaries at the Supreme Court is increasingly popular for various reasons. Black's Law Dictionary is the most frequently used U.S. legal dictionary. It is available in print and on Westlaw.
What is the best version of the Black's Law Dictionary?
The 12th edition of Black's Law Dictionary is the new standard — the most comprehensive English-language law dictionary ever compiled, with more than 70,000 entries containing precise definitions and more than 4,800 scholarly and judicial quotations on legal terminology. Every page has been supplemented and revised.
How to cite Canadian law Bluebook?
Citation format: <case name> (<year of decision>), [<reporter year>] <volume number> <reporter abbreviation> <first page> (<country abbreviation> <province abbreviation, if applicable> <court abbreviation, if applicable>).
What is B7 1.1 Bluebook?
B7.1.1—Abbreviation in General
When citing to other court filings in the same case, abbreviate the titles of those documents and cite a paragraph or page within the document. The 19th edition of the Bluebook permits a writer to choose to enclose the cite in parentheses or not.
What does "id." mean in Bluebook?
Bluebook Rule (22nd): 4.1. Law Review Typeface: Italics (including the period) "Id." is an all-purpose short form citation that may be used for any cited authority except internal cross-references (as described in rule 3.5).
What is the Bluebook rule 18?
It has revamped Rule 18 and liberalized citation to non-print sources—now, any online source that shares the characteristics of a print source should be cited according to the rule for the print version.
What are the changes in the 22nd edition of Bluebook?
Changes in the 22nd Edition
Key revisions in the 22nd edition include the addition of the "contrast" signal in Rule 1.2, expanded guidance on citing tribal and archival sources (Rules 22 and 23), and a substantial rewrite of Rule 18 to better address digital and AI-generated sources.
How to write a reference for a dictionary?
Author of entry. Year of publication (in round brackets). Title of encyclopedia or dictionary entry (in single quotation marks),'in' plus author or editor of the book. Editors are indicated with (ed.) or, if there is more than one, (eds.).
What is Canada's most trusted dictionary?
The Canadian Oxford Dictionary (2 ed.)
Definitions are presented so that the meaning most familiar to Canadians appears first and foremost. Each of these entries is exceptionally reliable, the result of thorough research into the language and Oxford's unparalleled language resources.
What is the proper term for black Canadians?
In Canada, Black Canadian is a designation for people of African or Caribbean ancestry, who are citizens or permanent residents of Canada. In the Canadian Census Black is a self-identification choice and is included in the population group Visible Minority.
Is Black's Law Dictionary a primary source?
Secondary sources explain the law. They include legal dictionaries, legal encyclopedias, legal periodicals, annotations, and treatises. Primary sources are the law. They include codes and cases.