In Bluebook practice, which citation term is used to refer to the immediately preceding authority?

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In Bluebook practice, the term used to refer to the immediately preceding authority is Ibidem, abbreviated Ibid. It literally means “in the same place,” signaling that the citation is the same source as the one just cited in the previous footnote. This lets you avoid repeating full citation details and you can include a pinpoint to a different page if you’re citing another page from the same source.

Understanding how it fits with the others helps, too. Supra points back to a source that’s been cited earlier but not in the immediately preceding footnote, guiding the reader to earlier material without reprinting the full citation. Infra, on the other hand, directs the reader to material that will be cited later in the document. Id. is another shorthand that also refers to the same source as the immediately preceding citation, but traditional Bluebook practice tends to favor Ibid for the immediate previous authority.