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Paper Topic Selection: International: Academic Legal Writing: BLSL's Books

Sources to identify international law developments.

Bluebook Tips for BLS Students

Acquire The Bluebook Online - Includes Blue Tips, in which editors respond to questions about legal citation, and Bluebook Updates.  See Quick Style Guide (intended for use in law review footnotes).    

Table 2: Foreign Jurisdictions is publicly accessible. It provides citation format/recommends sources for non-U.S. legal materials.

Bluebook & Other Noted Style Manuals/Handbooks Available Through BLS Library

The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (22nd ed. 2025) compiled by Harvard Law Review Association & others

BLS Library provides 8 print copies of the 22nd ed. (2025) of this legal citation guide (call #: KF245 .B58) on Reserve.  

The Chicago Manual of Style Online by University of Chicago Press w/ "input from a team of advisers and many others both inside and outside the University of Chicago Press"

Excerpt from this Manual's description: "The venerable, time-tested guide to style, usage, and grammar in an accessible online format." In SARA catalog record, click: ACCESS ONLINE VERSION -- (U. Chicago Press).

MLA Handbook (9th ed. c2021) by The Modern Language Association of America

1 print copy of this reference guide for writers (call #: LB2369 .G53 2021) is on Reserve.

The Redbook: A Manual on Legal Style (5th ed. 2023) by Bryan A. Garner, with Jeff Newman & Tiger Jackson

1 print copy of this comprehensive legal style manual. (call #: KF250 .G375 2023) is on Reserve.
Includes: Scholarly writing: Student research papers and law-review notes.

Academic Legal Writing Guides Available Through BLS Library

Academic Legal Writing: Law Review Articles, Student Notes, Seminar Papers, and Getting on Law Review (5th ed. 2016) by Eugene Volokh

1 print copy (call #: KF250 .V65 2016) is on Reserve
Contents: Finding what to write about (the claim) -- Test suites : making prescriptive claims more sound -- Writing strategy -- Writing the introduction -- Writing the "background" section -- Writing the proof of the claim -- The conclusion and after the conclusion -- Finishing the first draft, and the zeroth draft -- Tips on researching -- Editing : general principles -- Editing : getting help from your faculty advisor -- Writing : logical problems to watch for -- Writing : paragraph-level problems to watch for -- Writing : sentence/clause problems to watch for -- Writing : word/phrase problems to watch for -- Writing : rhetorical problems to watch for -- Editing exercises -- Using evidence correctly -- Writing and researching : timeline and summary -- A sample highly successful student article -- Turning practical work into articles -- Writing seminar term papers -- Cite-checking others' articles -- Publishing and publicizing -- Entering writing competitions -- Getting on law review -- Academic ethics.

The Legal Scholar's Guidebook (1st ed. c2020) by Elizabeth E. Berenguer

1 print copy of this guidebook (call #: KF250 .B47 2020) is on Reserve.            
Contents:
What in the world should I write about? -- How do I find out what has been said and who has said it? -- How do I know this is worth talking more about? -- Do I really have to read everything that's out there? -- How do I use all this information? -- Putting pen to paper.

Scholarly Writing for Law Students: Seminar Papers, Law Review Notes, and Law Review Competition Papers (5th ed. 2017) by Elizabeth Fajans & Mary R. Falk

The authors of this guide are former BLS faculty. 3 print copies (call #: KF250 .F35 2017) are on Reserve + 1 circulating copy is in Main.
Contents: Introduction: scholarly writing in law school -- Exploration: choosing and narrowing a topic -- Inspiration: finding and developing a thesis -- The mostly research stage -- The writing process: getting it down on paper -- The writing process: revising and polishing -- Footnotes and the ethical use of borrowed materials -- Writing with care -- Writing with style -- The law review process: evaluating and editing the work of others -- Getting mileage: winning awards, publishing your work, and joining the conversation.

Scholarly Writing: Ideas, Examples, and Execution (4th ed. 2025) by Jessica Lynn Wherry & Kristen E. Murray

This is a recently revised guide to the scholarly writing process.  May 12, 2025: BLS Library ordered 2 print copies of this guide for Reserve.  The book distributor anticipates that the Library will receive these copies in mid-June 2025.