Introduction to Basic Legal Citation - access-to-law home

Principle: The components of a journal article citation are, in order:
Element (a) -The full name of the contributing author followed by a comma
• Works by more than two authors are cited using the first author's name and "et al."
unless the inclusion of the other authors' names is significant.
• Works by two authors are cited using both names separated by "&".
• Middle names are NOT reduced to initials unless that is how they appear in the
original work.
§ 2-810(b) Examples
– James Wilson Harshaw III, Not Enough Time?: The Constitutionality of Short
Statutes of Limitations for Civil Child Sexual Abuse Litigation, 50 Ohio St. L.J. 753
(1989).
– Naomi R. Cahn, Civil Images of Battered Women: The Impact of Domestic Violence
on Child Custody Decisions, 44 Vand. L. Rev. 1041 (1991).
– Steven G. Calabresi & Kevin H. Rhodes, The Structural Constitution: Unitary
Executive, Plural Judiciary, 105 Harv. L. Rev. 1155, 1158 (1992).
– Frank H. Easterbrook, Substance and Due Process, 1982 Sup. Ct. Rev. 85, 114.
Element (b) - The article title in full (italicized or underlined) followed by a comma, with
all words other than prepositions and conjunctions begun with a capital letter
§ 2-810(c) Examples
– James Wilson Harshaw III, Not Enough Time?: The Constitutionality of Short
Statutes of Limitations for Civil Child Sexual Abuse Litigation, 50 Ohio St. L.J. 753
(1989).
– Naomi R. Cahn, Civil Images of Battered Women: The Impact of Domestic Violence
on Child Custody Decisions, 44 Vand. L. Rev. 1041 (1991).
– Steven G. Calabresi & Kevin H. Rhodes, The Structural Constitution: Unitary
Executive, Plural Judiciary, 105 Harv. L. Rev. 1155, 1158 (1992).
– Frank H. Easterbrook, Substance and Due Process, 1982 Sup. Ct. Rev. 85, 114.
Element (c) - The volume number
• If the journal has no separate volume number but is paginated consecutively through
a year's issues use the year as the volume number.
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