How to cite archival material

Bluebook (22d ed.) citation format · B23 / R23 · Foreign, international, tribal & archival

Example

Justice William Rehnquist, Third Draft Opinion 13, Edelman v. Jordan, No. 72-1410 (Jan. 17, 1974) (on file with Wash. & Lee Univ. Sch. of L., Lewis F. Powell, Jr. Papers, Box 399, Folders 1–3).

What the citation needs

Required

• Title or description — The title as it appears on the source. R8(a): capitalize every word except articles, conjunctions and prepositions of four or fewer letters, unless they begin the title or follow a colon.
• Date — The date the rule for this source calls for, with the month abbreviated per T12 (“Nov. 24, 1978”).
• Repository — The repository, as it appears on the source.

When they apply

• Author — The author’s full name as it appears on the publication (R15.1; R16.2).
• Affiliation — The affiliation, as it appears on the source.
• Case it relates to — The case’s name.
• Docket number — The docket number as it appears on the court’s papers (R10.8.1(a)).
• Pincite — The exact page (or section, or paragraph) your point is on — not the first page. R1.2(f): pincites are required except after “see generally”.
• Collection — The collection the piece appears in.
• Location within the collection — Where the source can be found.

In a brief and in a law review

The Bluebook sets citations two ways: the Bluepages for court documents and legal memoranda, the Whitepages for law review footnotes. Here is the first example above as each one prints it, in its typeface.

Court documents (Bluepages)

Justice William Rehnquist, Third Draft Opinion 13, Edelman v. Jordan, No. 72-1410 (Jan. 17, 1974) (on file with Wash. & Lee Univ. Sch. of L., Lewis F. Powell, Jr. Papers, Box 399, Folders 1–3).

Law review footnotes (Whitepages)

Justice William Rehnquist, Third Draft Opinion 13, Edelman v. Jordan, No. 72-1410 (Jan. 17, 1974) (on file with Wash. & Lee Univ. Sch. of L., Lewis F. Powell, Jr. Papers, Box 399, Folders 1–3).

The words are the same in both; only the typeface changes.

Common mistakes

Each of these is a citation the checker refuses, with what it says is wrong and the corrected form.

Governing rules

B23 / R23

• 23 — archival sources.
• 23.3 — title.
• 23.5 — date.
• 23.6 — archival information (owner, collection, location).
• 23.7 — case materials.

Build this citation with the generator, check one you have already written, or paste a whole list of footnotes to check them in order.

Related source types

Foreign, international, tribal & archival:

• Foreign case
• World Court case (I.C.J. / P.C.I.J.)
• Other international tribunal or arbitration
• European Union document
• Other international organization document
• International yearbook or digest
• Foreign statute or constitution
• Treaty
• U.N. document
• Tribal Nation law
• Tribal order, ordinance or resolution