Reading Legal Citations
Legal citation is rather unique. In brief, the part of a legal citation that indicates where something is published typically includes the following elements:
Volume or Title number
Publication (usually abbreviated). This may be followed by a series designation.
First page or section number Note: the symbol § means section.
Examples:
421 N.W.2d 877 refers to volume 421 of the North Western Reporter, Second Series page 877
44 U.S.C. § 1901 refers to Title 44 of the United States Code, section 1901
Iowa Code § 336.8 refers to section 336.8 of the Code of Iowa
I.C.A. § 336.8 refers to section 336.8 of the Iowa Code Annotated.
For a more extensive explanation of legal citation, see
- Introduction to Basic Legal CitationPeter W. Martin of Cornell Law School maintains this guide, which is keyed to both the third edition of ALWD and the Eighteenth edition of the Bluebook.
- Legal Writing Citation in a NutshellLibrary location: Reserve KF245 .T47 2008
- Drake Guide to Legal AbbreviationsThis guide lists legal abbreviations for heavily used sources.
Starting Points
See Finding Library Materials for more information on how to find materials referenced in this guide.
- Iowa Legal ResearchThis book explains the basic legal structures and sources in Iowa.
Library location: Reserve, Ready Reference, Iowa Wing, KFI4275 .I587 2011 - Iowa Legal Research GuideEdited by John D. Edwards (William S. Hein & Co., 2003), this book offers an excellent starting point for conducting legal research in Iowa.
Library location: Reserve, Ready Reference, Iowa Wing, KFI4275.E339 2003 - Starting with a Code SectionIf you have an Iowa Code reference (e.g., Iowa Code Section 256.57), look up the code section in Iowa Code Annotated (Ready Reference; Iowa Reference). Code sections are followed by other helpful material, such as references to related court cases, statutes, and regulations; references to law review articles and other secondary materials; and stautory history.
- Starting without a Code SectionIf you do not have a specific code section, begin with the General Index to the Iowa Code Annotated. The General Index is a subject or topical index to the provisions of the code. For example, if you look up the subject "Long Term Care Facilities," you will find a listing of all the code sections that refer to some aspect of long term care facilities.
- Finding Appellate Cases by Party NameIf you need to find an Iowa case heard by the Court of Appeals or Iowa Supreme Court and you only have the names of the parties, go to the Table of Cases in the Iowa Digest (Ready Reference; Iowa Reference). In the Table of Cases, cases are listed in alphabetical order along with the appropriate citation for the case.
- Finding Appellate Cases by TopicIf you want to find Iowa Court of Appeals and Supreme Court cases on a particular topic, refer to the Iowa Digest. In a subject arrangement, the Iowa Digest provides a list of cases (with citations) pertaining to that subject along with summaries of each case's points of law.
- Finding Trial Level Cases: Iowa Courts OnlineAccess court docket information. This system can be searched by case number, party name, or attorney name.
Reference Librarian |
 Karen Wallace |
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