ALWD Citation Manual
Encyclopedia
The ALWD Citation Manual is a legal citation
system for the United States
compiled by the Association of Legal Writing Directors
. Its first edition was published in 2000. Currently, it is in its fourth edition (2010).
It primarily competes with the Bluebook
style, a system developed by the law reviews at Harvard
, Yale
, The University of Pennsylvania
, and Columbia
. Citations in the two formats are roughly similar. However, ALWD differs from Bluebook in one key respect.
Under the Bluebook system, the type styles used in citations found in academic legal articles (always footnoted) are very different from those used in citations within court documents (always cited inline). While the ALWD system follows the standard convention of footnotes within academic articles and inline citations in court documents, it rejects Bluebook's insistence on using different type styles in the two classes of documents. The ALWD type style is identical to that used in the Bluebook system for citations within court documents.
Legal citation
Legal citation is the practice of crediting and referring to authoritative documents and sources. The most common sources of authority cited are court decisions , statutes, regulations, government documents, treaties, and scholarly writing....
system for the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
compiled by the Association of Legal Writing Directors
Association of Legal Writing Directors
The Association of Legal Writing Directors , formed in 1996, is a non-profit professional association of directors and former directors of legal research, writing, analysis, and advocacy programs from law schools in the United States, Canada and Australia...
. Its first edition was published in 2000. Currently, it is in its fourth edition (2010).
It primarily competes with the Bluebook
Bluebook
The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation, a style guide, prescribes the most widely used legal citation system in the United States. The Bluebook is compiled by the Harvard Law Review Association, the Columbia Law Review, the University of Pennsylvania Law Review, and the Yale Law Journal....
style, a system developed by the law reviews at Harvard
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
, Yale
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
, The University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania Law School
The University of Pennsylvania Law School, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the law school of the University of Pennsylvania. A member of the Ivy League, it is among the oldest and most selective law schools in the nation. It is currently ranked 7th overall by U.S. News & World Report,...
, and Columbia
Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School, founded in 1858, is one of the oldest and most prestigious law schools in the United States. A member of the Ivy League, Columbia Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Columbia University in New York City. It offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in...
. Citations in the two formats are roughly similar. However, ALWD differs from Bluebook in one key respect.
Under the Bluebook system, the type styles used in citations found in academic legal articles (always footnoted) are very different from those used in citations within court documents (always cited inline). While the ALWD system follows the standard convention of footnotes within academic articles and inline citations in court documents, it rejects Bluebook's insistence on using different type styles in the two classes of documents. The ALWD type style is identical to that used in the Bluebook system for citations within court documents.
Adoption
Four U.S. jurisdictions have adopted ALWD:- United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh CircuitUnited States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh CircuitThe United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* Middle District of Alabama...
- This court accepts citations in either ALWD or Bluebook format, but also requires that citations to United States Supreme CourtSupreme Court of the United StatesThe Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
decisions provide both official "U.S." and West's "S.Ct." citations, when available. See latest court rule at 11th Circuit Court Rules.
- This court accepts citations in either ALWD or Bluebook format, but also requires that citations to United States Supreme Court
- United States Bankruptcy Court, Montana
- This court accepts any "nationally recognized citation form," and specifically names the ALWD Citation Manual. It does not mention The Bluebook, but given its general recognition, it should be accepted. See page 50 of the local rules (PDF file).
- United States District Court for the District of MontanaUnited States District Court for the District of MontanaThe United States District Court for the District of Montana is the United States District Court whose jurisdiction is the state of Montana...
- This court specifically accepts either ALWD or Bluebook. See page 30 of the local rules (PDF).
- Command Judge Advocate Office on the Kwajalein Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands.
See also
- Oxford Standard for Citation Of Legal AuthoritiesOxford Standard for Citation Of Legal AuthoritiesThe or OSCOLA is the modern method of legal citation in the United Kingdom. First developed by Peter Birks of the University of Oxford Faculty of Law, and now in its 4th edition, it has been adopted by most law schools and publishers in the United Kingdom as well as the courts.-Cases:Cases are to...
or "OSCOLA" - The Bluebook: a Uniform System of CitationBluebookThe Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation, a style guide, prescribes the most widely used legal citation system in the United States. The Bluebook is compiled by the Harvard Law Review Association, the Columbia Law Review, the University of Pennsylvania Law Review, and the Yale Law Journal....
- Case citationCase citationCase citation is the system used in many countries to identify the decisions in past court cases, either in special series of books called reporters or law reports, or in a 'neutral' form which will identify a decision wherever it was reported...
- The Chicago Manual of StyleThe Chicago Manual of StyleThe Chicago Manual of Style is a style guide for American English published since 1906 by the University of Chicago Press. Its 16 editions have prescribed writing and citation styles widely used in publishing...
External links
- The ALWD Citation Manual Aspen Publishers' dedicated ALWD Citation Manual website.
- Cornell Legal Information Institute, Introduction to Basic Legal Citation, 2006, by Peter Martin.(Discusses differences between the Bluebook and ALWD.)
- Raktas i Bluebook ir ALWD, http://www.ltlaw.lt/raktas.htm, 2008, by Tadas Klimas.(Adapts Bluebook and ALWD to Lithuanian texts and sources.)