How to Cite American Law Reports

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: March 29, 2019

American Law Reports (ALR) is good resources for background, analysis, and citations about law cases, statutes, and other legal details. Using ALR has become the standard for many law papers and citing them can be done with either the Bluebook citation or the Association of Legal Writing Directors (ALWD) citation.^{[1]
X
Research source} In a few steps, you can create an ALR citation like, “Martha Lee, Invasion of Personal Property in the State of Nevada, 20 A.L.R. 2nd 199 (2012).”

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:
Using the Bluebook Citation

1
Begin with the author’s first and last name. Look for the author’s full name on the first page of the ALR annotation, as it is usually listed under the title. Include the author’s middle initial as well if it is noted in the annotation.^{[2]
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- For example, you may write, “James E. Pearson” or “Martha Lee.”
2
Write “Annotation” and the title of the ALR in italics. In the Bluebook citation style, you must include a note that you are citing an annotation, followed by the title of the ALR. Separate each item with commas.^{[3]
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- For example, you may write, “James E. Pearson, Annotation, Liability of Hotel Operator for Injury to Guest Resulting From Assault by Third Party.” Or, “Martha Lee, Annotation, Invasion of Personal Property in the State of Nevada.”
3
Include the key numbers for the ALR from the index listing. The key numbers are used to organize and catalog the ALR annotations. They will list the volume number, the series number, and the page number for the ALR annotation. Look for the key numbers in the index or on the top of the first page of the annotation.^{[4]
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- For example, you may find key numbers like, “17 A.L.R. 5th 536,” which means the annotation appears in volume 17 of the ALR 5th series on page 536.
- In the citation, the key numbers would appear as, “James E. Pearson, Annotation, Liability of Hotel Operator for Injury to Guest Resulting From Assault by Third Party, 17 A.L.R. 5th 536.”
4
Put the publication date in parentheses. End the citation by noting the date the annotation was published. It is usually listed in the index for the annotation or at the end of the annotation.^{[5]
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- For example, the full citation would appear as, “James E. Pearson, Annotation, Liability of Hotel Operator for Injury to Guest Resulting From Assault by Third Party, 17 A.L.R. 5th 536 (2017).”

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:
Using the Association of Legal Writing Directors Citation

1
Start with the author’s first and last name. Look for the author’s full name on the index listing or on the first page of the annotation. It is usually listed after the title of the annotation. Include the author’s middle initials, if noted in the annotation.^{[6]
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Research source}
- For example, you may write, “Juan Palante” or “Stella R. Klein.”
2
Include the title of the ALR in italics. Use the complete title for the annotation in the citation. The title will be listed on the top of the first page of the annotation. Put commas between the author’s name and the title.^{[7]
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- For example, you may write, “Juan Palante, Legal Ethics in Natural Disaster Law” or “Stella R. Klein, Creation and Application of 38 U.S.C.A. 156, Copyright Infringement.”
3
Note the key numbers for the ALR from the index listing. The key numbers help to catalog the ALR annotations in the index. They will include the volume number, the series number, and the page number for the ALR annotation. Check for the key numbers in the index or on the top of the first page of the annotation.^{[8]
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Research source}
- For example, you may have key numbers like, “20 A.L.R. 4th 245,” which means the annotation appears in volume 20 of the ALR 4th series on page 245.
- In the citation, the key numbers would appear as, “Juan Palante, Legal Ethics in Natural Disaster Law, 20 A.L.R. 4th 245.”
4
End with the publication date in parentheses. The publication date of the annotation should appear in the index listing or at the end of the annotation.^{[9]
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Research source}
- For example, the complete citation would appear as, "Juan Palante, Legal Ethics in Natural Disaster Law, 20 A.L.R. 4th 245 (2015).”