QUICK GUIDE:  SOURCE COLLECTION & CITE CHECKING

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Step 2

Decipher the abbreviation. Citations come from many different sources and often the author invents his or her own citation, or uses the one he or she has been using for years even if it is not correct. Citations may be to unfamiliar non-legal materials. Use the publications listed below to decipher difficult abbreviations. In addition, the cite checker may always go to LexisNexis or Westlaw and plug the citation in as a search term to locate a more complete cite or context which may help identify the source of the cited material.

• Acronyms, Initialisms & Abbreviations Dictionary: a guide to acronyms, abbreviations, contractions, alphabetic symbols, and similar condensed appellations
  (LL2: PE1693.A27 1996; 3-part set)
• Online analog: Acronym Finder  
• Periodical Title Abbreviations
  (Ready Reference: PN4832 .P47)
  
  
• Bieber’s Dictionary of Legal Abbreviations (5th ed.)
  (Ready Reference: KF246 .B46 2001)
•     Prince's Dictionary of Legal Citations (7th ed.)
      (Ready Reference: KF246 .B45 2006)
• Acronyms and Abbreviations in Government Contracting
  (Reference and SL3: KF850 .A25 1997)
  
  
• The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (18th ed.)
  (Ready Reference, Reserve: KF245 .B58 18th)
  
  

For deciphering foreign and international abbreviations, try the following:

• Glossary of EC Terms and Acronyms
  (Reference: HC241.2 .F678 1992)
  
  
• World Dictionary of Legal Abbreviations
  (Ready Reference: K89 .K38; 4-volume set)  
  
  
• Noble’s Revised International Guide to the Law Reports
  (Ready Reference: K89 .N63 2002)
  
  
• Index to Legal Citations and Abbreviations (United Kingdom)
  (Ready Reference: KD400 .R33 1993)  
  
  
• International Acronyms, Initialisms, & Abbreviations Dictionary
  (Reference: P365 .I57)
  

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