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Beyond the Blue Pages

This guide provides an overview of common citation rules used in scholarly legal writing. Particular emphasis is placed on the white pages of the Bluebook. Preemption checking basics and resource collection is also covered within this guide.

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How to Use this Guide

After your 1L year, you may begin to feel confident with your Bluebooking skills. Good! However, once you begin scholarly projects or legal writing, you must begin to familiarize yourself with the different rules of the the Bluebook that cover non-court citations -- this guide will guide you through some of the white pages of the Bluebook.

Remember -- this guide is a starting point and is not exhaustive.

 

After viewing the interactive tool, Beyond the Blue Pages, please explore the resource links below.

Beyond the Blue Pages Tool - 2023 Update

Download the Citation Checklist and Pace Law's Comparison Chart Below

Resource Links

Finding Materials

Finding Hard-To-Find Resources

Resource Gathering: Quiz & Tips

Topic Selection and Preemption Checks

Choosing a Topic & Preemption Checking