Nation - Bluebook OKs citations to Internet sources

By Allison McAndrew The Daily Record Newswire BOSTON, MA -- The latest edition of The Bluebook citation guide allows attorneys to cite Internet sources in the same way print sources are cited. In the 19th edition, issued in May, Rule 18.2.1 states: "When an authenticated, official, or exact copy of a source is available online, citation can be made as if to the original print source (without any URL information appended)." As many states have started to discontinue the printing of official legal sources -- opting for online versions as the official resource -- this rule allows the citation of an Internet-based source as an attorney would cite a print source, even the document is actually found on Westlaw or Lexis Nexis. An "exact copy" is defined as a scanned page image -- usually in PDF format -- that preserves the original pagination of the printed work, like the scanned versions of journals found on sites like HeinOnline. The Internet-related changes in Rule 18 are also reflected in rules 10, 12, 15, 16 and 17, which involve the citation of law reports, books and other published print materials. A change was also made to Rule 18.2.2(a), which now states that when no author of an Internet source is clearly announced, the author information should be omitted from the citation, unless there is a clear institutional owner of the domain. Published: Thu, Aug 26, 2010

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