How do you cite a legal encyclopedia or common-law encyclopedia entry?

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Citing a legal encyclopedia entry uses the author of the entry and the exact entry title, then points to the encyclopedia as the source by including its title and edition after the word “in.” This structure shows clearly that you’re referencing a specific article within a edited reference work, and it specifies which edition was consulted so others can locate the same material.

The best form is: Author, Title, in The New Encyclopedia of Law (3d ed. 2003). It starts with the entry’s author and the entry’s title, then uses “in” to connect to the encyclopedia, followed by the encyclopedia’s title and the edition year in parentheses. This matches Bluebook practice for a contribution within a common-law or legal encyclopedia and avoids ambiguities about edition or editors.

Other formats either omit the appropriate “in” construction, misplace or omit the editors, or fail to indicate the edition, which can make locating the exact entry harder.