Bluebook Guide: General Whitepage Rules

Rule 15 guides the citation of books, treatises, reports, white papers, dictionaries, encyclopedias, and anything else that constitutes nonperiodic materials.

This Whitepage rule provides direction regarding the first time a work is cited, citing two authors, citing more than two authors, citing for the relationship between two authors, citing institutional authors, and using abbreviations for institutional authors.  Review the examples provided by The Bluebook for the rule referenced above.  See R15.1, pp. 148-49.

General Points on an Author

• The typeface will be large and small caps
• Include any designation like "Jr." or "III" (insert a comma before the designation only if the author does)
• A designation such as "Dr." or "Prof." (even if it appears on the title page) will not be included
• To cite a single volume of a multivolume work, provide only the author(s) of the volume cited

Two Authors

• The authors' names are listed in the order based on the names' appearance on the title page and separated by an ampersand (&)
• When the title page establishes a relationship between the two authors, such as "with" or "as told to," use this designation to separate the authors' names

More Than Two Authors

• To save space, use et al. after the first author's name
• List all of the authors' names when all are relevant
• To list all of the authors' names, separated with commas, except the final name, which will be set off with an ampersand (&) without a comma

Institutional Authors

• Start with the author's complete name to cite works by institutional authors
• If an individual author is credited on behalf of the institution, use the individual's name followed by the institution's name
• Only include an institution's subdivision if particularly relevant
• If no individual author is credited, then use the smallest subdivision that prepared the work followed by the overall body of which that subdivision is a part

Abbreviations

• Provide an abbreviation for an institutional author only if its result will be completely unambiguous
• Use the abbreviations found in T6 and T10
• Abbreviate "United States" to "U.S."
• Terms like "Inc." and "Ltd." should be omitted if the name also contains a word such as "Ass'n," "Bros.," "Co.," or "Corp.," which will clearly indicate that the institution is a business citing for the relationship between two authors, citing institutional authors, and using

General Principles

• Use ordinary typeface
• Provide the full name of an editor and/or translator, followed by the abbreviation "ed.," or "trans.," (in that order if both apply)
• The parenthetical will contain information about the edition, publisher, and date
• A comma should separate the designation of an editor and/or translator from other publication information

Institutional Editors

• Follow R15.1(c) to substitute the name of the institution for the name of the individual editor
• Abbreviate the institutional editor's name in accordance with R15.1(d)

No Named Parties

• When a piece contains no named author, editor, or translator, the work will be designated by the publisher of the edition in accordance with R15.4
• The publisher's name will be abbreviated subject to R15.1(d)

Review the examples provided by The Bluebook for the rule referenced above.  See R15.2, p. 149.

• Use large and small capitals
• The citation will consist of the full main title as it appears on the title page
• Capitalization will be in accordance with R8
• If the title is not in English, then follow rule R20.2.2(b)
• Provide a subtitle only when it is relevant
• Do not abbreviate words or omit articles in the title

Review the examples provided by The Bluebook for the rule referenced above.  See R15.3, p. 150.

General Principles

• Use ordinary typeface
• In general, cite the latest edition of a work supporting the proposition at issue, unless an earlier edition would be more relevant or authoritative

Single Edition

• Indicate the year of publication in a parenthetical
• Also, cite by the date of the edition rather than the date of a particular printing
• However, when the printing has a relevant difference for the purposes of the citation, provide the printing designation and the date of printing instead
• If the work's title incorporates the date, do not omit the date of publication even if it is the same date

Multiple Editions by the Same Publisher

• In this case, give the edition and the year of its publication
• Track the publisher's terminology when indicating an edition
• See T14 for a list of publishing abbreviations

Editions by a Different Publisher

• In this case, provide the following in this order:  (1) the editor and/or translator (if any), (2) the publisher, (3) the edition cited if not the first, and (4) the date of publication of the edition cited
• The publisher's name will be abbreviated in accordance with R15.1(d)
• A second parenthetical indicating the date of publication of the original edition should be added unless the work is regularly updated or revised

Review the examples provided by The Bluebook for the rule referenced above.  See R15.4, pp. 150-51.