Free Bluebook Citation Generator
The Bluebook is the standard citation system for US law reviews, court documents, and legal memoranda. CiteMe generates Bluebook footnotes and references automatically from scholarly databases — search by case name, DOI, or topic for formatted legal citations in seconds.
How to use the Bluebook citation generator
Search your source in Bluebook
Enter a title, DOI, URL, ISBN, or author name to find the right source in real academic databases.
Verify the metadata
Check author names, year, title, and source details before copying the final citation.
Copy the citation and in-text format
Get the full Bluebook reference plus the matching in-text citation or footnote format instantly.
Why Use Our Bluebook Citation Generator?
Real Academic Databases
Search 250M+ works from OpenAlex, Semantic Scholar, and CrossRef. Every citation is real and verifiable with DOI links.
Bluebook 21st Edition Compliant
Formatted according to The Bluebook, 21st edition. Proper citation format for law review articles (white pages) and court documents (blue pages).
Footnote & Short-Form Citations
Get full footnote citations and short-form references. Handles id., supra, and hereinafter signals for subsequent citations.
Export Options
Copy formatted citations or export to BibTeX/RIS for use with Zotero, Mendeley, EndNote, and other reference managers.
Bluebook Citation Examples
US Supreme Court Case
In-text: 1
Federal Statute
In-text: 2
Law Review Article
In-text: 3
Legal Treatise
In-text: 4
Examples formatted in Bluebook 21st Edition (academic/white pages)
Bluebook Footnote Citations
Full Citation (First Use)
Complete citation in the footnote:
¹ Cass R. Sunstein, On the Expressive Function of Law, 144 U. Pa. L. Rev. 2021 (1996).Short Form (Subsequent)
Use id., supra, or hereinafter:
² Id. at 2030. / ³ Sunstein, supra note 1, at 2025.Frequently Asked Questions
What is Bluebook citation style?
The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation is the most widely used legal citation system in the United States. Published jointly by the Columbia, Harvard, Penn, and Yale law reviews, it provides rules for citing cases, statutes, regulations, legislative materials, and secondary sources.
What is the difference between white pages and blue pages?
White pages (Rules 1-21) are for academic legal writing like law review articles. They use footnotes for all citations. Blue pages (Practitioners' Notes) are for court documents and briefs, where citations appear inline in the text.
How do I cite a US Supreme Court case in Bluebook?
Format: Case Name, Volume U.S. Page (Year). Example: Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954). Italicize the case name in law review footnotes but not in court documents.
Is this Bluebook citation generator free?
Yes! CiteMe offers free Bluebook citations with a generous free tier. Perfect for law school assignments and legal writing.
Does Bluebook use footnotes or in-text citations?
It depends on the context. Law review articles use footnotes (white pages rules). Court documents and briefs use in-text citations (blue pages rules). Our generator handles law review footnote formatting.
What is the difference between Bluebook and ALWD?
Both are US legal citation systems. Bluebook is used by most law reviews and many courts. ALWD (Association of Legal Writing Directors) Guide is used by some law schools for teaching. The formats are very similar but differ in some details.
Common Bluebook citation mistakes
Avoid the most frequent formatting errors with a quick checklist by source type.
Open mistakes guide →Cite by Source Type in Bluebook
Start with the source pages most readers need, then explore the full set of examples and formatting rules for this style.
Citation tools & comparisons
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Need a different style? (secondary)
These cross-style links are intentionally secondary to keep style-specific journeys focused.