Anatomy of a Citation

Citations point to authority for a legal or factual proposition, but what do they actually tell you? This PowerPoint presentation explains the elements of citations for cases, statutes and legal periodicals.

Quick Reference

View a quick reference sheet to help you understand the elements of legal citations.

Helpful Links

• Boley Law Library Map – Where to find cases, laws and other legal resources.
• Suffolk University Podcast on reporters and digests.
• Boley Law Library Research Links – Information about the legal resources available in the library and links for starting your legal research.
• Cornell University Law Library Guide to Legal Research provides helpful information for understanding how legal sources are organized and found.
• Legal Research Guides (By University of Washington Gallagher Law Library) – This website provides guides to help you search for laws on a particular subject, compile legislative history for a federal law, locate court opinions about a topic, and more.