Guidelines for Authors
Guidelines for Citation
As LEHR aspires to contribute to the resolution of conflicts within human rights law using a multidisciplinary approach—many of the scholars who publish in the journal are from different academic disciplines and fields—and thus are used to a sundry of citation formats. For those authors who are from the legal field our apologizes; these guidelines are in no means an affront, but rather an aid or summary for material you are already aware of. For those authors who are from outside of the legal arena, it is the Editors hope that these guidelines assist you in citing and referencing and prevent any additional work from you at the final editing period.
The Bluebook A Uniform System of Citation
The LEHR uses The Bluebook A Uniform System of Citation (18th ed. 2005) hereinafter The Bluebook). The Bluebook is a legal format used for formatting citations in legal writings, including scholarly writing and court documents. Its purpose is to attain a comprehensive source for uniform legal writing and particularly citing of references.
The Purpose of Citation
Legal writing includes references, citations, authorities, and sources for all facts, numbers, theories, etc., in a footnote format. According to The Bluebook:
Use of Citation in Legal Writing
In legal writing, citation serves two purposes: attribution and support. Citation facilitates attribution by identifying the source of ideas developed in the text, and materials quoted or referenced therein. In general, you should provide attribution for all sources—whether legal or factual—outside your own reasoning process. Citation facilitates support by directing the reader to specific legal or factual authority that provides support for, or is otherwise relevant to, a proposition stated on the text. Citation is used not only to tell the reader where to find the authority, but also to indicate the nature and degree of support the authority provides.
There are a number of online summaries of The Bluebook that are resourceful and can assist in understanding this legal system of citation. Additionally, this is a well-known citation format and is available in most university libraries. Please remember the eighteenth edition is the latest edition and is slightly different than previous editions. The editorial staff is available to answer any questions in this regard. Please feel free to contact Michele Manspeizer at with any questions, suggestions, or comments.