NALA Legal Research & Citation Methods 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In Bluebook citation format, which typeface is used for case names in law review footnotes?
- Regular roman type
- Italics (Correct answer)
- Small capitals
- Bold
Correct answer: Italics
Case names in law review footnotes are italicized under Bluebook rules.
Question 2: Which database is the primary source for retrieving federal administrative regulations currently in force?
- Federal Register
- Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) (Correct answer)
- United States Code (USC)
- Congressional Record
Correct answer: Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) contains codified, currently effective federal administrative regulations.
Question 3: What does a negative Shepard's or KeyCite symbol on a case indicate?
- The case is frequently cited as persuasive authority
- The case has been overruled or its authority negatively affected (Correct answer)
- The case is from a mandatory jurisdiction
- The case has been cited in secondary sources only
Correct answer: The case has been overruled or its authority negatively affected
A negative treatment symbol warns that the case has been overruled, distinguished, or otherwise criticized in a way that undermines its authority.
Question 4: When citing a law review article using the Bluebook, what information must appear in the citation?
- Author, title, volume, journal abbreviation, first page, and year (Correct answer)
- Author, title, publisher, edition, and year
- Title, journal name, issue number, and URL
- Author, year, volume, and ISBN
Correct answer: Author, title, volume, journal abbreviation, first page, and year
A proper Bluebook law review citation requires the author's name, article title, volume number, journal abbreviation, first page of the article, and year of publication.
Question 5: A legal assistant needs the text of a bill introduced in Congress that has NOT yet been enacted into law. The best source is:
- United States Code
- Congress.gov or THOMAS (Correct answer)
- Code of Federal Regulations
- Federal Register
Correct answer: Congress.gov or THOMAS
Congress.gov (formerly THOMAS) provides full text of pending and recent legislation introduced in Congress.
Question 6: Which of the following best describes the term 'mandatory authority'?
- Any published legal opinion from any U.S. court
- Authority a court is required to follow when deciding a case (Correct answer)
- Secondary sources that courts frequently cite
- Persuasive opinions from courts of equal rank
Correct answer: Authority a court is required to follow when deciding a case
Mandatory authority consists of controlling law—statutes and binding precedent from higher courts in the same jurisdiction—that a court must follow.
Question 7: The West Key Number System is primarily useful for:
- Finding statutes by subject in the United States Code
- Locating cases on the same point of law across different reporters (Correct answer)
- Checking whether a case is still good law
- Retrieving administrative agency decisions
Correct answer: Locating cases on the same point of law across different reporters
West's Key Number System classifies points of law with numbers so researchers can find cases addressing the same legal issue across all West reporters.
NALA Legal Research & Citation Methods 3
In Bluebook citation format, which typeface is used for case names in law review footnotes?