Unofficial Tips On Footnoting

UNOFFICIAL TIPS ON FOOTNOTING
BASED ON THE BLUE BOOK

& FROM THE ATENEO L.J. WHITE SHEETS
RULE 1:
Rule 1.1:
INTRODUCTORY SIGNALS
Signals that manifest support
(a) direct citation

authority
without
any
introduction
if
cited
(i) directly states or sustains the text;

(ii)
identifies the source of a quotation; or
(iii)identifies the authority relied upon in the text

(b) See, if cited authority
(i)
indirectly states or sustains the text;
(ii)
is paraphrased by the text; or
(iii)
provides an inferential step between itself and

the text
(c) See, e.g., if cited authority

(i)
provides example of the proposition in the text
(d) See also, if cited authority

(i) provides additional direct support for the text, but
not as important as the primary authority cited
(e) See generally, if cited authority
(i) points to background material related to the text;
or
(ii) is too broad to allow a citation of a specific page
(f)
Cf., if cited authority

(i)
Rule 1.2:
provides analogous support to the text

Signal that advises comparison
(a) Compare [and/with], or Contrast [and/with], if

cited authorities
(i) support the text when set in relation with one
another; or

(ii)
provides contracting views on the text
Rule 1.3:
views
Signals
that
manifest
divergence
of
(a) Contra, if cited authority

(i)
directly states or sustains the contrary of the

text
Contra is used to contradict a direct citation without
introduction. It is strongly advised that a
parenthetical explanation follow the comparison or
contrast of authorities.
(b) But see, if cited authority

(i) indirectly contradicts the citing text
But see is used where see is applied for support.
But should be omitted from but see whenever the
signal follows a negative signal.
(c) But cf., if cited authority
(i) provides analogous support to the contrary of the
text
But should be omitted from but cf. whenever the
signal follows a negative signal.
Rule 1.4:
Signals as verbs
(a) Signals are not italicized if they are used as verbs of

sentences, as when they are included in a
parenthetical explanation.
(b) If used as verbs, see, e.g. becomes see for example;
cf. becomes compare with; and but cf. becomes but
compare with.

RULE 2:
Rule 2.1:
ORDER OF AUTHORITIES
Order of importance
The most supportive authority relied upon in the text

should be cited first, then all other authorities follow in
descending order of importance, whether in the same
citation sentence as separated by semicolons or in
subsequent citation sentences in the same citation
number.
Rule 2.2:
Order
Hierarchy
of
Statutory
or
Doctrinal
If no particular order of importance is followed in the

citation sentence or number, the following shall be
controlling:
(a) Constitutions and foundational documents of the
United Nations and the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations
(b) Statutes, treaties and order international instruments
(c) Cases
(i) Supreme Court
(ii) Court of Appeals
(ii)
Sandiganbayan and Court of Tax Appeals
(iii)
Regional Trial Court
(iv)
Municipal Trial Court
(v)
International judicial and arbitral bodies
(vi)
Foreign judicial and arbitral bodies
(d) Legislative documents other than statues

(e) Administrative or executive documents
(f) Court documents
(g) Documents of intergovernmental organizations

(h) Secondary materials

RULE 3:
PARENTHETICAL EXPLANATIONS
Additional information within the citation sentence should

be provided if it would aid in explaining the significance or
purpose of the cited authority.

RULE 4:
Rule 4.1:
(a)
REFERENCE TO AUTHORITIES
General Matters
Internal Citation
Citation to a specific part of a work should correspond to

the internal ordering system the work itself uses. Indicate
the precise location of the supporting statements within
the authority, using the page number, section number (),
paragraph number (), chapter number (ch), or note
number (n), or any combination of these.
(b)
Authority Included in Another Source
When an authority is collected, reprinted, or otherwise

included in whole or in part in another source, cite by
joining the citation clauses for the two works either with
an appropriate descriptive phrase or within parentheses.
An
Act
Authorizing
the
Financing,
Construction, Operation and Maintenance of
Infrastructure Projects by the Private Sector,
and for Other Purposes, Republic Act No.
6957, as amended by Republic Act No. 7718,
2, cited in Tatad v. Garcia, Jr., 243 SCRA
436, 456 (1995).
Tatad v. Garcia, Jr., 243 SCRA 436, 456 (1995)
(citing An Act Authorizing the Financing,
2).
Rule 4.2
(a)
Cases
Reported Cases
Decisions of the Philippine Supreme Court

Generally: {case name}, {volume number} {reporter,

Philippine Reports or Supreme Court Reports Annotated}
{1st page}, {cited page; do not include for the initial
citation}* ({year}).
Tatad v. Garcia, Jr., 243 SCRA 436 (1995).
Id. at 456.
Tatad, 243 SCRA at 456.
If an advance sheet containing the decision is
{case name]}, {G.R. Number}, {date}
used:
Agan et al. v. PIATCO et al., G.R. No. 155001, May 5,

2003.
Agan, G.R. No. 155001 at 5.
Advance sheets are only be used when the reported
versions have not yet been published.
Decisions of other Philippine courts
{case name}, {volume number} {reporter, usually the
Court of Appeals Reports or Official Gazette} {1st page},
{cited page; do not include for the initial citation}
({court} {year}).
People v. Collantes, 37 O.G. 1804 (Court of
Appeals 1926).
(b)
Pending and Unreported Cases
Citing a pending or unreported case

{case name}, {docket no.} ({jurisdictional court}, {date
of filing}) ({status of case}, {date of status check}).
Someone v. Somebody, Criminal Case No.
67890 (Regional Trial Court, National Capital
Judicial Region, Branch 159, Pasig City, June
25, 2003) (presentation of evidence for the
prosecution, July 25, 2003).
However, if author consistently cites the page even in his initial citation, this may
be allowed.

Someone Else v. Somebody Else, Civil Case

No. 12345 (Court of Appeals, 1st Division,
Feb. 25, 2003) (resolution denying motion for
reconsideration, July 25, 2003).
Citing a pleading, motion, or court action in a pending
case
{case name}, {docket no.} ({jurisdictional court}, {date
of filing}) ({pleading, motion, or court action}, {date of
filling or issuance}).
Someone v. Somebody, Criminal Case No.
67890 (Regional Trial Court, National Capital
Judicial Region, Branch 159, Pasig City, June
25, 2003) (denial of motion for continuance,
July 24, 2003).
Someone Else v. Somebody Else, Civil Case
No. 12345 (Court of Appeals, 1st Division,
Feb. 25, 2003) (motion for reconsideration,
June 25, 2003).
Rule 4.3:
Periodical Articles
{author}, {title}, {volume number} {periodical} {1st

page}, {cited page; do not include for the initial citation}
({date}).
Francisco Ed. Lim, Commercial Arbitration in
the Philippines, 46 ATENEO L.J. 394 (2001).
Lim, supra note 7, at 405.
For non-consecutively paginated journals,
Cesar L. Villanueva, Corporate Contract Law:
Unifying Theme on Theories Relating to
Promoters Contracts, De Facto Corporations,
Corporations by Estoppel, Articles of
Incorporation, By-Laws and Ultra Vires Acts,
ATENEO L.J., June 1994, at 1.
Villanueva, supra note 8, at 10.

Student Works. For student-written works in law journals,

the authors name should be followed by the designation
used in the journal, such as Note, Comment, or Case
Note.
Kristoffer James E. Purisima, Comment, The
Public Character of Coconut Levy Funds in
Republic v. COCOFED, 47 ATENEO L.J. 154
(2002).
Purisima, supra note 6, at 200.
Rule 4.4:
Books and Treatises
As a general rule, cite the authors or editors full name as

given on the first page or the title page of the source
cited. In subsequent references give only the last name.
{AUTHOR; FIRST AUTHOR and SECOND AUTHOR; FIRST AUTHOR, ET
AL.}, {TITLE} {cited page} ({year}; {edition number} &
{year}; or {year of edition}).
RUBEN F. BALANE, JOTTINGS
SUCCESSION 53 (2d ed. 2002).
IN
CIVIL
LAW:
RUBEN F. BALANE, JOTTINGS

SUCCESSION 53 (2002 ed.).
IN
CIVIL
LAW:
BALANE, supra note 1, at 103.

Multi-volume Work. Whenever another volume of the
same multi-volume work is cited, such other volume must
also be initially cited in full.
{volume number} {AUTHOR; FIRST AUTHOR and SECOND
AUTHOR; FIRST AUTHOR, ET AL.}, {TITLE} {cited page} ({year};
{edition number} & {year}; or {year of edition}).
4 OSCAR B. HERRERA, REMEDIAL LAW 150 (2001
ed.).
Two Authors. When there are two authors separate their
names with &.
JUSTICE JOSE C. VITUG & JUDGE ERNESTO D.
ACOSTA, TAX LAW AND JURISPRUDENCE 150 (2d

ed. 2000).
VITUG & ACOSTA, supra note 4, at 250.
More Than Two Authors. If there are more than three
authors, it is adequate to list the first author and then ET
AL.
NARCISO PEA, ET AL., REGISTRATION OF LAND
TITLES AND DEEDS 200 (1994 ed.).
PEA, ET AL., supra note 5, at 300.
Editor or Translator. When referring to an edited piece of
work or collection of works, place the editors name within
parentheses after the page number, followed by ed. A
translator or a special editor should be indicated in the
same manner (followed by trans. and sp. ed.,
respectively).
ADAM SMITH, THE WEALTH OF NATIONS 30-31
(Edwin Cannan ed., 2000).
SMITH, supra note 10, at 567.
MICHEL FOUCAULT, DISCIPLINE AND PUNISH 30-31
(Alan Sheridan trans., Vintage Books 2d 3d.
1995) (1978).
FOUCAULT, supra note 11, at 678.
Rule 4.5:
Constitutions
Incumbent Constitution:
{subdivisions}.
{STATE
OR
COUNTRY}
CONST.
PHIL. CONST. art VII, 11, 2.

Repealed Constitution: {year of adoption} { STATE OR
COUNTRY} CONST. {subdivisions} (year superceded}.
1935 PHIL. CONST. art 1, 1 (superceded
1971).

Rule 4.6:
Codes and Statutes
Initial citation for statutes: {full title} [{ SHORT TITLE}]

{subdivisions}.
Subsequent citation
{subdivisions}.
for
statutes:
{SHORT
TITLE},
An Act Revising the Penal Code and Other

Penal Laws [REVISED PENAL CODE] arts. 11-14.
REVISED PENAL CODE, arts. 11-14.
Initial citation for statutes: {full title}, {statute number},
{subdivisions} ({year}).
Subsequent citation for statutes: {abbreviated statute
number}, {subdivisions}.
An Act Penalizing the Making of Drawing and
Issuance of a Check Without Sufficient Funds
or Credit and for Other Purposes, Batas
Pambansa Blg. 22, 6 (1978).
B.P. Blg. 22, 6.
An
Act
Authorizing
the
Financing,
2.
R.A. No. 6957, as amended, 2.
Rule 4.7:
Legislative Materials
As a general rule: {title}, {legislature}, {session}

{date of session} in {publication, if any}
{subdivision} ({date}).
S 2404, 97th Cong, 2d Sess (April 13, 1982),
in 128 Cong Rec S 7091 (April 20, 1982).
Committee
or
Subcommittee
Reports:
{title
of
the

report}, {S or HR} Rep No xx, xxth Cong, x Sess {page}

({year})
Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday
Commission, HR Rep No 98-893, 98th Cong,
2d Sess 4 (1984).
Committee or Subcommittee Hearings: {title, including
bill number and committee name}, xxth Cong, x Sess
{page} ({year}).
Service Industries Commerce Development
Act of 1982, Hearings on HR 5519 before the
Subcommittee on Commerce, Transportation
and Tourism of the House Committee on
Energy and Commerce, 97th Cong, 2d Sess
69 (1982) (statement of Gordon J. Cloney, II,
Chamber of Commerce of the United States).
Rule 4.8:
Executive and Administrative Materials
As a general rule, {issuing agency}, {title}, {official

source}, {page}, and ({date}).
Bureau of Internal Revenue, Revenue
Memorandum Circular No. 37-93, 89 O.G.
4476, Aug. 9, 1993.
Rule 4.9:
International Documents
All international documents such as treaties, international

agreements, documents of the United Nations, as well as
documents of other international bodies shall be cited as
provided for in THE BLUEBOOK: A UNIFORM SYSTEM OF CITATION
(17th ed. 2000).
Rule 4.10: Internet Sources
For online resources, include the exact internet address
and the date when the site was last accessed. Because
internet websites are constantly changing, it is imperative
that the date the source was visited by the citechecker be
included.

When the both the traditional and online forms of the

cited authority are accessed: {author, if available},
{title}, available at (last accessed {date})
Agan et al. v. PIATCO et al., G.R. No. 155001,
May
5,
2003,
available
at
http://www.supremecourt.gov.ph
/
2003/toc/2003may.htm.
When only the online form of the cited authority is
accessed: {author, if available}, {title}, {internet
address} (last accessed {date})
Protected Areas an Wildlife Bureau, Tamaraw
Conservation
Project,
http://www.pawb.gov.ph/ progs/tamaraw.htm
(last accessed Dec. 27, 2002).
When the material is found exclusively online: {author, if
available}, {title}, at {internet address} (last accessed
{date})
The Board of Editors of Volume 46, at
http://www.ateneolawjournal.com
(last
accessed July 22, 2003).

RULE 5:
Rule 5.1:
SHORT CITATION FORMS
Id.
(a) Use id. only if the authority is the sole authority cited
in the immediately preceding citation.
(b) Id. should be capitalized only if it is the first word in
a sentence. It should be followed by a period.
(c) The cited and citing phrases as provided for in Rule
4.1(b) are ignored for the purposes of using id to
refer to that authority. - example
(d) Format: Id. at {page cited}.
(e) Id. may not be used to refer to the Constitution. It
may be used for all other laws.
(f) Id. may be used to refer to rulings of courts.
(g) Id. is used only when the preceding footnote
contains only one authority.
Rule 5.2:
Supra
(a) The supra form may be used to subsequently cite an

authority when it has already been fully cited
previously.
(b) Format: {last name of author}, supra note {footnote
number of initial citation}, at {page cited}.
BALANE, supra note 1, at 103.
(c) Supra may not be used for statutes and
cases.
Rule 5.3:
Hereinafter
(a) Hereinafter is used when it would be cumbersome to

cite with the usual supra form or for which the regular
shortened form may confuse the reader. This short
citation form is used in an article where there are
several authors of a work or several works by the

same author.
(b) Format:
Initial citation: {AUTHOR; FIRST AUTHOR and SECOND
AUTHOR; FIRST AUTHOR, ET AL.}, {TITLE} {cited page}
({year}; {edition number} & {year}; or {year of
edition}) {[hereinafter last name author(s) and short
title]}.
JOAQUIN G. BERNAS, S.J., THE 1987 CONSTITUTION
OF
THE
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES: A
COMMENTARY 156-58 (2003) [hereinafter
BERNAS, COMMENTARY].
JOAQUIN G. BERNAS, S.J., AN INTRODUCTION TO
PUBLIC
INTERNATIONAL
LAW
25
(2002)
[hereinafter BERNAS, PUBLIC INTL LAW].
Subsequent citation: {last name of authors an short
title}, supra note {footnote number of initial citation},
at {page cited}.
BERNAS, COMMENTARY, supra note 2, at 200.
BERNAS, PUBLIC INTL LAW, supra note 3, at 50.
(c) A subsequent citation based upon the use of
hereinafter is always accompanied by the supra form.
However, whenever a simple supra form will suffice,
hereinafter should not be used.
GENERAL RULES OF USAGE

In matters not exclusive to scholarly legal writing, general
rules of style and usage are observed. The Chicago
Manual of Style and The New York Times Manual of Style
and Usage are recommended to resolve those questions
of style not addressed in this Code. This notwithstanding,
the following rules of style in legal writing primarily
adopted from the University of Chicago Law Review
Manual of Legal Citation and modified accordingly are to
be observed.
QUOTED MATERIALS
1. Form of Quoted Materials:
a. Quoted materials of fifty words or less are
indicated by quotation marks surrounding
material in text. Quoted materials of more than
fifty words should be in block form.
b.
Quotations within the text should be enclosed

with double quotation marks. Block quotations
need not be placed in quotation marks.
c. Enclose quoted material within a quotation in

single quotation marks.
d. If quoted matter should be enclosed in two pairs
of double quotation marks (because it is itself
quoted material), only one set of standard
quotation marks should be used.
e. Put all punctuation inside the quotation marks,
except question marks and exclamation points if
they were not part of the original quotation.
2. Altering Quoted Materials: All alterations of
quotations should be noted. By enclosing such changes in
brackets. Significant mistakes in the original should be
followed by (sic), but otherwise left as in the original.
3. Omissions in Quoted Materials: Omissions should
be indicated by three ellipsis points (...).
COMMAS AND SEMI-COLONS

1.
In a series of three or more elements,
separate the elements by commas. When a conjunction
joins the last two elements in a series, a comma is used
before the conjunction.
2.
When the elements in a series are long and
complex or involve internal punctuation, separate them
by semicolons.
DASHES
There are three different kinds of dashes: em dashes,
en dashes, and hyphens.
1. Hyphens (-).
Use a hyphen:
(i) to separate numbers that are not inclusive,
such as telephone numbers and social
security numbers;
(ii) to separate the elements of a compound
word that is ordinarily hyphenated in a
dictionary or other authoritative source such
as a word book;
(iii) to separate the elements of a compound
word used as an adjective.
2. En Dashes ().
Use an en dash:
(i) to connect continuing or inclusive numbers,
such as dates, times, and reference
numbers;
(ii)
in place of a hyphen to separate the

elements of a compound word used as an
adjective, when one of the elements is an
open compound or when two or more of he
elements are hyphenated compounds.
3. Em Dashes ().
a.
Use an em dash:
(i) to denote a sudden break in thought that
causes an abrupt change in sentence
structure.
(ii)
to set off an element added to give

emphasis or explanation by expanding a
phrase occurring in the main clause.
b.
Em dashes should be preceded and followed
by a space.
c. To avoid confusion, do not use more than a
single em dashor pair of em dashesin any
given sentence.
ELLIPSES
1. Indicate the omission of a word or words within a
quoted sentence by replacing the omitted text with an
ellipsis. An ellipsis is a group of three consecutive dots
with a space on both sides of the ellipsis, but no spaces in
between the three dots.
2. The only exception is that if the omission is at the
end of the quoted material, the ellipsis may be omitted
and the quoted material may end with a period unless it is
important to show that material has been omitted. To
indicate the omission of a word or words at the end of a
quoted sentence, replace the omitted text with an ellipsis
followed by the final punctuation of the sentence.
3. Indicate the omission of a complete sentence within
quoted text by replacing the omitted text with an ellipsis
between the final punctuation of the preceding sentence
and the first word of the following sentence.
4. If the omitted material consists of one or more
complete paragraphs, then the ellipsis must appear alone
on a new line.
BRACKETS
1. Where only one word is removed from a quoted
sentence, use open and close brackets instead of an
ellipsis. Be sure to place one space between the brackets.
2. When a letter in a quoted sentence must be
changed from lower to upper case or vice versa, enclose it
in brackets.
3. Substituted words or letters in a quoted sentence
should be bracketed.
4. When quoting a passage, significant mistakes in the
original should be followed by (sic), but otherwise left as
in the original.
PARENTHESES
1. Parentheses, like em dashes, may be used to set off
an amplifying, explanatory, or digressive element.
2. When parentheses are used to enclose an
independent sentence, the period belongs inside the
parentheses. When parentheses are used to enclose only
part of a sentence, the period belongs outside. Compare:
3. If a full sentence is quoted in parentheses, periods
belong both inside and outside the parentheses.
See
Makati
Tuscany
Condominium
Corporation v. Court of Appeals, 215 SCRA
462 (1992) (We hold that the subject
policies are valid even if the premiums were
paid on installments.).
CAPITALIZATION
1. Quotations embedded in the text of a piece may
begin with an uppercase or lowercase letter, depending
on the context. As the Chicago Manual of Style directs, a
quotation used as an essential syntactic part of a
sentence should begin with a lowercase letter while a
quotation that has a more remote syntactic relation to the
rest of the sentence should begin with a capital. In most

cases, this rule means that a quotation introduced by
that will not be capitalized, but one introduced as a
free-standing sentence will be.
Justice Cruz stated that [h]e may seem
boorish or speak crudely or sport tattoos or
dress weirdly or otherwise fall short of our
own standards of propriety and decorum.
None of these makes him a criminal although
he may look like a criminal.
Justice Cruz stated, He may seem boorish or
speak crudely or sport tattoos or dress
weirdly or otherwise fall short of our own
standards of propriety and decorum. None of
these makes him a criminal although he may
look like a criminal.
Justice Cruz reiterated the value of due
process in Malmstedt: He may seem boorish
or speak crudely or sport tattoos or dress
weirdly or otherwise fall short of our own
standards of propriety and decorum. None of
these makes him a criminal although he may
look like a criminal.
2. The words Article, Essay, Comment, Note,
or Paper should be capitalized when referring to
themselves and should be preceded by either the,
this, or that.
3. When referring to a specific part, section, or
chapter of a written work, capitalize Part, Section, or
Chapter.
4. Capitalize nouns referring to people or groups (for
example, the Administrator or the Board, etc.) only
when they identify specific persons, officials, groups, or
government offices. Similarly, capitalize such phrases as
the Act, the Code, the Executive, the Senate, the
Congress, the Petition, and so forth only when the
referent is unambiguously identified. The phrases the
Court and the Constitution should be capitalized only
when referring to the Philippine Supreme Court and the

incumbent Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines.
5. Names of parts of a constitution or statute may be
capitalized when used in an English sentence as proper
nouns, as in First Amendment, Article III, or Section
8(e).
OTHER RULES OF STYLE
1. A scholarly legal piece should be written in the third
person. References to the writer of the piece is to be
made by using this author or these authors. First or
second person references should be avoided throughout
the article, except if such is contained in quoted texts.
2. In the text, use for example in place of e.g. and
in other words in place of i.e.
3. In footnotes, the source for a block quotation
should begin on a separate line after the quotation, flush
left with the original left margin.
4. When a single or plural noun is made possessive,
always use an apostrophe-s, except if the noun already
ends in an s, in which case an apostrophe will suffice.
5. If one were to use the subjunctive tense in a
sentence, one would be wise to use that tense
consistently across all verbs that one would wish to
include in the sentence.
6. The standard rule is that that should be used only
to introduce a restrictive (or defining) clause, which
serves to identify the entity being talked about; in this use
it should never be preceded by a comma. Only which is
to be used with nonrestrictive (or nondefining) clauses,
which give additional information about an entity that has
already been identified in the context; in this use, which
is always preceded by a comma. The easy rule of thumb
is if removing the clause forces you to ask, Which? then
you use that.

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UNOFFICIAL TIPS ON FOOTNOTING

BASED ON THE BLUE BOOK

Signals that manifest support

(a) direct citation

(i) directly states or sustains the text;

identifies the source of a quotation; or

(iii)identifies the authority relied upon in the text

indirectly states or sustains the text;

is paraphrased by the text; or

provides an inferential step between itself and

(c) See, e.g., if cited authority

provides example of the proposition in the text

(d) See also, if cited authority

Cf., if cited authority

provides analogous support to the text

(a) Compare [and/with], or Contrast [and/with], if