What is "legal citation"?

It is a standard language
that allows one writer to refer to legal authorities
with sufficient precision and generality that others
can follow the references.
Purposes of Legal Citation
The task of "legal citation" is to
acknowledge the source of the data and
to provide sufficient information to the
reader about the source.
Introduction to Basic Legal Citation (LII 2007 ed.)
by Peter W. Martin http://www.law.cornell.edu/citation/index.htm
Citation
A reference properly written in "legal
citation" strives to do at least three things,
within limited space:

identify the document and document
part to which the writer is referring to

provide the reader with sufficient
information to find the document, and

furnish important additional information
about the referenced material and its
connection to the writer's argument to
assist readers in deciding whether or not
to pursue the reference.
Electronic Sources
Citations making specific reference to an electronic
source are necessary only when the cited material is
not widely available from multiple sources and when
identifying the electronic source is likely to aid readers'
access to it.
Cite material as it is denominated and organized in
"print" unless much better access is available
electronically. Even where an electronic source is
used, if the material is reasonably available in print,
cite in relation to the print version, but put the parallel
citation of the electronic source.
A date should be furnished for an electronic source
when the document citation does not itself carry that
information unambiguously. If there is no information,
put a "last visited" or "accessed" date.
PLACING CITATIONS IN CONTEXT
Principle 1: Short quotations (fewer
than 50 words) are generally enclosed
in quotation marks __. Any quotation
marks within such a quote are
converted to a single mark (').
Principle 2: Longer quotations (50
words or more) and shorter quotations
to which the author wishes to give
special emphasis are set off from the
text by being indented both right and
left (without quotation marks).
Principle 3: When the quoted work itself
includes a quotation, that quotation
should if possible be attributed to the
original work in a parenthetical clause.
Principle 4: Changes to a quoted work are shown
with square brackets and ellipses [" . . . ]. When
omitted material comes at the beginning of a
quotation the omission is shown by capitalizing
the first letter of the first quoted word and
placing that letter in brackets rather than with
ellipses. Changes in emphasis and omissions of
citations or footnotes are indicated by
parenthetical clauses.
Introduction to Basic Legal Citation (LII 2007 ed.) by Peter W. Martin
http://www.law.cornell.edu/citation/index.htm
RULES OF CITATION
FORMATTING GUIDELINES

1.1 Basic structure: AUTHOR . full name (in
large and small capital letters, not all
capitals), TITLE (large and small capital
letters), page number(s) for the proposition
being cited, year of books publication in
parenthesis.


Example: WILLIAM T. BURKE, THE NEW
INTERNATIONAL LAW OF FISHERIES 292 (1994).

RULES OF CITATION AND STYLE GUIDELINES
JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL WILDLIFE LAW & POLICY
http://www.jiwlp.com/formattingguidelines.pdf
Note: In contrast to some other systems of
citation, the Bluebook style does not require
inclusion of the publisher.
1.1.1 Author

If a book has more than one author, cite all
authors the first time the book is cited, with a
maximum of three (in case of two or more
authors, do not use and but &);
If a book has more than three authors, list
only the first author, followed by et al.
1.1.2 Title
Provide the full title as it appears on the title
page of the book, including subtitles;


Capitalize the initial word, the word
immediately following a colon, and all other
words except articles, conjunctions, and
prepositions of less than four letters.

1.1.3 Page number(s)
Cite page number(s) if a specific
reference is made;
Do not use any introductory abbreviation
such as p. or pp;
Example: JOHNSON, THE LAW OF ARMED CONFLICT 432
(1986).

Use at if the page number may be confused
with a part of the title or any other numerical
sequence. In other cases, do not use a comma
before the page number.

Example: JOHNSON, THE LAW OF ARMED CONFLICT SINCE 1945 at 432
(1986).
1.2 Editions
When citing to a work that has been
published by the same publisher in more
than one edition, indicate the edition and the
year the edition was published).
Example: I.A. SHEARER, STARKES INTERNATIONAL LAW 105 (11
th

ed. 1994).
RULES OF CITATION AND STYLE GUIDELINES
JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL WILDLIFE LAW & POLICY
http://www.jiwlp.com/formattingguidelines.pdf
to buy essays or copy chunks from your friend's
homework
to borrow passages from books or articles or Web
sites without identifying or acknowledging them
properly.
Written by Margaret Procter, Coordinator of Writing Support, University
of Toronto. Copyright 2004. All rights reserved.
Plagiarism
To Plagiarize is
The purpose of a thesis is to show your own
thinking, not create a patchwork of borrowed
ideas. But how do you give proper
references to all the readings you've done
and all the ideas you've encountered?
Can't I avoid problems just by listing
every source in the bibliography?
No, reference must be given as soon as
the idea is used, not just at the end of
the paragraph.
It's often a good idea to name the
authors ("X says" and "Y argues against
X,") and then indicate your own stand
("A more inclusive perspective,
however, . . . ").
If I put the ideas into my own words, do I still
have to clog up my pages with all those
names and numbers?
Sorry but yes!!! In academic papers, one
must keep mentioning authors and pages and
dates to show how own ideas are related to
those of the experts.
It's sensible to use own words to save space
and to let ideas connect smoothly.
But whether a passage is
directly quoted in quotation marks, or
paraphrased, or
just summarized,



This applies to Internet sources too: state
author and date as well as title and URL.)
the source must be identified then and there.
I didn't know anything about the subject until
I started the thesis. Do I have to give an
acknowledgement for every point made?
Its safer to over-reference, but it can be cut down by
recognizing that some ideas are "common
knowledge.
Facts easily found in standard reference books are
considered common knowledge: the date of the
Independence Day, for example. No need to name a
specific source for them, even if you learned them only
when doing your research.
Some interpretive ideas may also be so well accepted
that they don't need referencing: that Picasso is a
distinguished modernist painter, for instance, or that
smoking is harmful to health.
Check with adviser if in doubt whether a specific point
is considered common knowledge in your field.
How can I tell what's my own idea and
what has come from somebody else?
Documenting helps. Always write down the
author, title and publication information
(including the identifying information for web
pages) so you can attach names and dates to
specific ideas.
Don't paste passages from webpages into your
draft: that's asking for trouble. As you read any
textonline or on the pagesummarize useful
points in your own words.
If you record a phrase or sentence you might
want to quote, put quotation marks around it in
your notes to remind yourself that you're
copying the author's exact words.
So what exactly do I have to document?
a. Quotations, paraphrases, or summaries: If
you use the author's exact words, enclose
them in quotation marks, or indent passages
of more than four lines.
b. It's seldom worthwhile to use long quotations.
In most cases, use own words to paraphrase
or summarize the idea you want to discuss,
emphasizing the points relevant to your
argument.
c. Be sure to name sources even when you are
not using the exact original words. It is a good
idea to mention the author's name. That gains
you some reflected authority and indicates
where the borrowing starts and stops.
So what exactly do I have to document? cont
Specific facts used as evidence for your
argument or interpretation: First consider
whether the facts you're mentioning are
"common knowledge" as earlier mentioned; if
so, you may not need to give a reference.

But when you're relying on facts that might be
disputed within your disciplineperhaps
newly published dataestablish their
trustworthiness by showing you got them from
an authoritative source.

e.g. In September 1914, more than 1300
skirmishes were recorded on the Western
Front.
8
[traditional endnote/footnote system]

Distinctive or authoritative ideas, whether you agree
with them or not: The way you introduce a
reference can indicate your attitude and lead into
your own argument.
e.g. Writing in 1966, Ramsay Cook asserted that
Canada was in a period of critical instability .
174
That period is not yet over, judging by the same
criteria of electoral changeability, economic
uncertainty, and confusion in policy decisions. [new
MLA system]
e.g. One writer (Von Daniken, 1970) even argues
that the Great Pyramid was built for the practical
purpose of guiding navigation. [APA system]

Written by Margaret Procter, Coordinator of Writing Support,
University of Toronto.
Copyright 2004. All rights reserved.
So what exactly do I have to document? cont
REMEMBER:
Whenever in doubt, cite your source.
It is better to over-cite than to be accused
of plagiarism.




THANK YOU