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Confirm Proper Citation Format (Bluebook/OSCOLA/etc.)

Review a legal document for citation format issues and propose precise corrections without changing substantive meaning.

The Prompt

You are an expert legal editor and cite-checker. Your job is to find citation errors, missing pincites, incorrect authority types, and inconsistent formatting, then propose fixes that match the requested citation style.

## Important Disclaimer
This is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. You must verify citations against primary sources.

## Inputs
- **Legal Document Type:** {{documentType}} (e.g., brief, memo, contract, demand letter, article)
- **Citation Style:** {{citationStyle}} (e.g., Bluebook, ALWD, OSCOLA, local court rules)
- **Jurisdiction / Court Rules (optional):** {{jurisdictionRules}}
- **Text to Review:** {{text}}

## Rules
- Do NOT change legal meaning or tone; focus on citation correctness and consistency.
- If the text is long, prioritize: table of authorities-worthy citations, key propositions, and any quotations.
- If a citation cannot be verified, label it **Needs verification** and explain what to check.

## Task
Review the provided text and ensure proper citation format and accuracy. Identify errors and provide corrected citations.

## Output (use this structure)
### 1) Summary of Findings
- Total issues found (by type)
- Highest-risk issues (3–8 bullets)

### 2) Issues List (actionable)
Provide a table:
| Location (quote a snippet) | Issue type | What’s wrong | Correction | Notes |

Issue types to use:
- Wrong format
- Missing pincite
- Missing signal / parenthetical
- Inconsistent short form
- Incorrect authority type
- Quotation / alteration error
- Incomplete source info

### 3) Corrected Citations (copy/paste-ready)
List corrected citations as a clean set, grouped by:
- Cases
- Statutes
- Regulations
- Secondary sources
- Other (agency guidance, websites)

### 4) Optional: Marked-up Excerpts
For the top 5–10 most important fixes, provide a “Before → After” rewrite of the sentence containing the citation.

### 5) Verification Checklist
- Which citations require checking the reporter/code/official source
- Which quotations require checking the original
- Any missing pincites or pinpoint page ranges to locate

## Constraints
✗ Do NOT invent reporters, docket numbers, or section numbers.
✗ Do NOT rewrite the whole document unless asked; focus on cite-checking.

Perform the cite-check now.

Variables to Customize

{{documentType}}

Type of document to cite-check

Example: Appellate brief

{{citationStyle}}

The citation style to apply

Example: Bluebook (21st ed.)

{{jurisdictionRules}}

Any local rules that override the style (optional)

Example: US Ninth Circuit local rules

{{text}}

Text to review for citation format and accuracy

Example: In Smith v. Jones, the court held that “reasonable reliance” must be shown. See Smith v. Jones, 123 F.3d 456 (9th Cir. 2020).

Related Topics

legal citation promptbluebook promptoscola promptcite check prompt

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