1. Florida Legal Citation Guide
Advanced Legal Research
Professor Mathapo

2. Why is Legal Citation so Important?
Helps reader identify and find the source
Prevents plagiarism

3. When should you cite?
Referencing every fact, thought or opinion that comes from another source (other than you or your facts)
Quoting or paraphrasing facts or holding from a case
Quoting or paraphrasing a statute or regulation
Making a proposition about the state of the law generally (need a cite to support your proposition)
Providing a rule that you synthesized from several sources

4. Legal Citation Rules of Florida
Florida Rule of Appellate Procedure
Florida Style Manual
The Bluebook

5. Florida Rule of Appellate Procedure (Rule 9.800)
You can find the most recent edition of the rules at via The Florida Bar website.
Citation rules for Florida legal documents
Provides citation format for the following:
Statutes, Rules, Courts, Administrative Agencies, Session Laws, Regulations & Court Rules.

6. Florida Style Manual
The latest edition was published in 2010 and is available online at content/uploads/2017/02/florida-style-manual.pdf.
Provides more in-depth citation rules for Florida specific legal resources
You can refer to this set of citation rules when does not address a citation rule for a Florida specific resource
Particularly helpful for Florida administrative and legislative resources

7. Helpful Tools (Florida Style Manual)
Section for miscellaneous references
Tables for citation abbreviations
Table of Contents and Index

8. The Bluebook The Bluebook is the most widely used legal citation guide in the United States.
Print
The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation
(Columbia Law Review Ass’n et. al eds., 20th ed. 2015).
Online
The Bluebook is also available for a fee at

9. Bluepages (The Bluebook)
Legal Practitioners
Legal Writing & Appellate Advocacy course assignments
Clinic, Externships & Clerkships

10. Whitepages (The Bluebook)
Scholarly writing
Law Review
Law School seminar paper

11. Helpful Tools – The Bluebook
Refer to Bluebook Bluepages rules first, if a rule is not clear – go to Whitepages for clarification.
Bluebook Rule B2 - Key Differences between Bluepages and Whitepages
Legal practitioner’s documents – Use Bluepages typeface- even if the relevant citation rule is found in Whitepages or Tables.

12. Helpful Tools – The Bluebook
Tables – Provides citation rules for abbreviations
commonly found in legal documents and jurisdiction –
specific citation materials.
Table of Contents and Index
Inside Cover – provides quick reference to commonly
used citation forms used in legal scholarly writing
Back Cover – provides quick reference to commonly
used citation forms used in legal practitioner documents

13. Internet Rules – The Bluebook
Rule B18 - The Internet (Bluepages)
Rule 18 - The Internet, Electronic Media, And Other Nonprint Resources (Whitepages)
General rule: “The Bluebook requires the use and citation of traditional printed sources when available, unless there is a digital copy of the source available that is authenticated, official, or an exact copy of the printed source..”
Rule 18.1 – provides tables of examples of citations to various electronic sources
Rule provides more detailed information about sources retrieved online
Rule Commercial Electronic Databases
Rule 18.6 – Films, Broadcasts, and Noncommercial Video Materials
Rules – Podcasts and Recordings Available Online
Rule 18.8 – Short Citation Forms

14. Mastering Citation
Remember that each set of citation rules are it’s own unique language
Read the citation rules carefully
When you are unable to find a citation form for your source, find a rule for a similar source and adapt the citation format.

15. Sources to consult
Understanding and Mastering The Bluebook, A Guide for Students and Practitioners
(3rd edition 2015 ), authored by Linda J. Barris
Florida's Uniform Citation System (July 2018), authored by Gail Mathapo, Sarah Lewis & Rachel Purcell. The CALI lesson is available at the Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction (CALI) website at (with subscription).

16. Order of Citation Rules to Consult Start with
Florida Rule of Appellate Procedure
(Rule 9.800)
If you don’t find a relevant citation rule look to
Florida Style Manual
If you don’t find a relevant citation rule look to
The Bluebook