Bluebook Wednesday, October Newsletter

Welcome to the October edition of the BBW newsletter. September didn't have as many Tips as usual since we started with the newsletter celebrating one year of BBW, and I skipped the last week due to travel. But we still had a few good ones. Here they are.

Tip #51, Quotation Marks

To see Tip #51, go here.

Use quotation marks to indicate a direct quote from the source.

Commas and periods should always be inside the quotation marks, even if they were not part of the original text. Other punctuation goes inside the quotation marks if it's part of the original text. Otherwise, it goes outside the quotation marks. (Rule 5.1(b))

Examples

Original: Do you think Bluebook Wednesday the best part of the week?

Quote: I am convicted that "Bluebook Wednesday is the best . . . ."

Original: My favorite day is Wednesday.

Quote: Is your "favorite day . . . Wednesday"?

Block Quotes

Direct quotes of 49 or fewer words should be in line with the text. Direct quotes of 50 or more words should be set off form the text and indented on both sides; this is known as a "block quote."

For block quotes, indent as in the source. If the first line is indented, indent the block quote. (Rule 5.1)

Do not use quotation marks when you use a block quote. (Rule 5.1(a)) However, quotation marks that are in the quoted material stay.

Quotes Inside a Quote

"Quotation marks around material quoted inside another quote should appear as single marks within the quotation in keeping with the standard convention." (Rule 5.1(b)(i))

Original: One person said Bluebook Wednesday is "so helpful."

Quote: Would you agree that "Bluebook Wednesday is 'so helpful'"?

Tip #52, Nested Parentheticals

To see Tip #52, go here.

These can get tricky, and I don't have the benefit of colors in this format.

Nested parentheticals are used "[i]f an explanatory parenthetical contains text that itself requires a 'quoting' or 'citing' parenthetical." (Rule 10.6.4)

A nested parenthetical is a parenthetical inside of a parenthetical. With parentheses also around dates, it can get to be dizzying counting parentheses. I try to identify the pairs of parentheses to make sure I have all of mine in order, similar to how you have to change the level of quotation marks for a quote within a quote.

Example

Atkins v. Virginia, 536 U.S. 304, 311 (2002) ("[I]t is a precept of justice that punishment for crime should be graduated and proportioned to the offense." (quoting Weems v. United States, 217 U.S. 349 (1910))).

Library of BBW Tips

For a library of all BBW tips, visit the LegalEase Citations blog here.