How do you cite a book or treatise?

Study for the Bluebook Citation Test. Access comprehensive flashcards and multiple-choice questions with detailed explanations. Prepare effectively for your exam!

The format for citing a book or treatise in Bluebook style centers on clearly identifying the edition and year right after the title, using parentheses. The edition is abbreviated with ed., and the numeral is written in its ordinal form as 3d ed., not 3rd ed. So the correct form shows the title followed by a parenthetical that contains the edition and year: (3d ed. 2010). This mirrors Bluebook practice for standalone books, where you indicate exactly which edition you consulted.

Using 3d ed. aligns with the standard’s use of the ordinal with a small letter d, rather than spelling out “3rd.” Writing “3rd ed.” would not match the preferred Bluebook convention, and specifying a different edition, like 4th ed., would refer to a different work altogether. Therefore, the example John Doe, Constitutional Law (3d ed. 2010) correctly demonstrates the correct edition format and placement after the title. In plain text the title is shown plainly, but in formal work the title would be italicized.