How to cite a smart contract

Bluebook (22d ed.) citation format · B18 / R18.11.3 · Internet & electronic

Example

Smart Contract, 0x7D92f5f70cb722FFdfA752135206E7EA95C9DD18 (Ethereum, July 16, 2024, at 16:32 UTC).

What the citation needs

Required

None.

When they apply

Nature of the contract — The nature of the contract, as it appears on the source.
Parties — The parties’ names, abbreviated per T10 and joined by a hyphen.
Contract address — The contract address, as it appears on the source.
Network — The network, as it appears on the source.
Date — The date the rule for this source calls for, with the month abbreviated per T12 (“Nov. 24, 1978”).
Time — The time, where the source is dated to it.

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)

Smart Contract, 0x7D92f5f70cb722FFdfA752135206E7EA95C9DD18 (Ethereum, July 16, 2024, at 16:32 UTC).

Law review footnotes (Whitepages)

Smart Contract, 0x7D92f5f70cb722FFdfA752135206E7EA95C9DD18 (Ethereum, July 16, 2024, at 16:32 UTC).

For this source the two are set the same way.

Governing rules

B18 / R18.11.3

18 — the internet, electronic media & other nonprint resources.
18.11.3 — blockchain sources.

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

Internet & electronic: