) to guide the user to other cases dealing with the same point of law. These are stated beginning with a legal title (i.e., Intoxicating Liquors), then the key symbol, and a number. E.g.:IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF LEGAL RESEARCH:
CITATIONS: In legal research citations are written in a different style from the standard format for bibliographic citations. The basic format for the legal citation to a case is:
Case, volume source abbrev. page (court, date).
eg., Gardner v. State, 448 So.2d 1136 (Fla.App., 1984).
is the citation for: "Darnell GARDNER, Appellant, v The STATE of Florida, Appellee, No. 83-607, District Court of Appeal of Florida, Third District, April 10, 1984," which is reported in volume 448 of the Southern Reporter, 2nd Series, page 1136ff, or 448 So 2d 1136, for short. West's reporters always show the proper citation at the top of the right-hand page.
Most legal reference works provide an example or form to follow somewhere near the front of the volume. For an example of how to cite a legal encyclopedia, see the abstract under Corpus Juris Secundus, in the federal sources.
The following sources also provide the correct form of abbreviation for legal refernce sources:
The following is a sourcebook for interpreting the sources referred to in citations:
POCKET PARTS: Many major legal reference sources are not published every year. Therefore, in order to make current information available, updates are published in paperback. These are usually designed to slip into pockets in the back covers of the original,& hardbound books. Because these updates are the "parts" in the "pockets," they are called "pocket parts."
Some actually grow so large before the hardbound issue is republished that they are too large to be kept in the pocket and are published as a paperback book.
WEST'S KEY NUMBER SYSTEM: Several of West's publications include a key symbol ( ) to guide the user to other cases dealing with the same point of law. These are stated beginning with a legal title (i.e., Intoxicating Liquors), then the key symbol, and a number. E.g.:
Intoxicating Liquors 285.
An outline of the key number system can be found in West's Florida Digest (or any of West's other digests).
LEGAL REFERENCE COLLECTION: The legal reference area of the Green Library, FIU, is located in the center section of the Reference area on second floor, behind Business Services and just past the seating area. The first of two sections (the first range of shelves) contains legal reference materials relating to Florida laws and Florida state courts. The second section contains materials oriented to either federal law or the laws of the United States in general. Within each section books are arranged in call number order, with a list of titles at the end of each range of shelves.
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