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Legal Research for Undergraduates

This guide provides information on legal research for UCLA undergraduates and non-law graduate students, faculty, and staff.
URL: https://libguides.law.ucla.edu/undergrad

Legal Citation

Legal citations are commonly formatted according to the Bluebook, an ultra-detailed citation manual with complex rules about everything from consolidating single letter abbreviations to italicizing commas. Print copies of the Bluebook are available from the law library:

You can also purchase an online subscription or print version of the Bluebook:

However, for most non-law students the best bets are two free websites that provide clearer, simpler overviews of Bluebook style legal citation:

In the California court system, attorneys and judges commonly use an alternative citation style called the California Style Manual. The California Style Manual is available for free online:

Books on Scholarly Legal Writing

Books on Legal Writing Generally and In Practice

Hugh & Hazel Darling Law Library, UCLA School of Law, 385 Charles E. Young Drive East, 1112 Law Building, Los Angeles, California 90095

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