Bluebook Title Case Rules for Legal Writing | TitleCasePro
Bluebook title case capitalizes major words and lowercases short prepositions of four letters or fewer. The standard for legal citations and law reviews.
Quick answer: Bluebook title case capitalizes the first word, the last word, and all major words. It lowercases articles, coordinating conjunctions, and prepositions of four letters or fewer — similar to Chicago. It is the standard for legal citations, law review articles, and court documents.
Bluebook refers to The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation, the dominant citation standard in US legal writing. It is used by law schools, legal journals, courts, and practicing attorneys. Its title capitalization rules follow a conservative, Chicago-like approach.
Bluebook Title Case Rules
According to the Bluebook (Rule 8), for titles and headings:
- Capitalize the first word of the title and any subtitle.
- Capitalize the last word of the title.
- Capitalize all major words — nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.
- Lowercase articles: a, an, the (unless first or last word).
- Lowercase coordinating conjunctions: and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet.
- Lowercase prepositions of four letters or fewer: at, by, for, in, of, on, to, up, with, from, into.
- Capitalize prepositions of five or more letters: About, Above, Between, Through, Without.
The defining rule: Like Chicago, Bluebook uses a length threshold for prepositions — lowercase four letters or fewer, capitalize five or more. This makes Bluebook and Chicago title case nearly identical.
Bluebook Quick Reference Cheat Sheet
| Word | Bluebook treatment | How other styles differ |
|---|---|---|
| about (5 letters) | Capitalize | APA / MLA: lowercase |
| between (7 letters) | Capitalize | APA / MLA: lowercase |
| with (4 letters) | lowercase | AP: Capitalize |
| of, in, to | lowercase | Same in most styles |
| is, are, be | Capitalize (verbs) | Same in all styles |
| First word after colon | Capitalize | Same in all styles |
Examples
Bluebook title case:
- The Right to Privacy in the Digital Age
- Liability Without Fault: A Modern Analysis
- Contracts and Remedies Under Common Law
In the second example, Without (7 letters) is capitalized per the 5+ letter rule, while to, of, and and stay lowercase.
Special Bluebook Considerations
Beyond basic title case, Bluebook has legal-specific rules:
- Case names (e.g. Roe v. Wade) follow their own italicization and abbreviation rules.
- Statutes and acts retain their official capitalization.
- Headings in law review articles typically use Bluebook title case as described above.
⚠️ Note: Bluebook is primarily a citation standard. Its title case rules apply to article titles, headings, and the titles of works being cited — not to every sentence in a legal brief.
Get It Right Automatically
The Bluebook title capitalizer applies the 4-letter preposition threshold automatically, so you don’t have to count letters on deadline. Paste your title and see a word-by-word breakdown of every decision.
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