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Finding Books, Book Chapters, and Book Reviews: Citation Manuals & Book Citation Examples

Citation Manuals & Guides

Citation Examples Using Bluebook Style

A Few Common Errors with Book Citations Using Bluebook Style

1) Incorrect formatting of the book author's name. See, e.g., B. 15.1(a) ("The first time a work is cited, always give the author’s full name as it appears on the publication, . . . ").

2) Misusing "et al." with the authors' names. See, e.g., B 15.1(b) (For three or more authors-"Either use the first author’s name followed by “et al.” or list all of the authors’ names. . . . ").

3) When there are two authors, using incorrect order of authors' names and using "and" instead of an ampersand. See, e.g., B 15.1(a) ("List the authors’ names in the order in which they appear on the title page, separated by an ampersand . . . ).

4) Incorrect capitalization of prepositions in the book title. See, e.g,. B 8(a) ("Do not capitalize articles, conjunctions, or prepositions when they are four or fewer letters, unless they begin the heading or title, or immediately follow a colon."). This rule applies (usually) even if the book's actual title is capitalized differently. See B 15.3 (Cite the full main title as it appears on the title page, but capitalize according to rule 8 (unless the title is not in English, in which case follow rule 20.2.(b)).