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Law - Legal Citation Guide

Guide to help with legal citation for the most common situations.

Journal Abbreviations

Follow this priority list when abbreviating journal titles:

  • Use the abbreviation designated by the journal itself. For example, you may find the statement:  "Cite as: ...."
  • Create abbreviations based on commonly abbreviated words (e.g., J for Journal, Rev for Review) and analogy. Omit punctuation. Omit spaces between capital letters, except U for University (e.g., use Monash U L Rev not Monash UL Rev)
  • Consult Prince's Dictionary of Legal Abbreviations.
  • Use the full title. 

Keep in mind that the purpose of legal citation is to ensure the reader can find the item being footnoted, not to follow an abbreviation guide slavishly.