A case citation is a formatted system used to identify past case decisions. Although the formats may vary by jurisdiction, they generally contain the same information.
Example: Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka
An example of a full case citation is:
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 (1954)
- Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka - the name of the case
- 347 - volume number
- U.S. - abbreviation of the reporter, in this case, the United States Supreme Court
- 483 - the page number where the opinion begins
- 1954 - the year the court came to the decision on the case
If you are looking for a case in Westlaw, you can use Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka or 347 U.S. 483.
For citing scholarly sources, use the Citation Tutorial guide:
