The most commonly used location reference is a case's location in a reporter. There are four parts to location portion of a citation:
- Volume Number: Give the volume number of the reporter set that published the case.
- Reporter Set: Give the abbreviated name, referring to T1 [NOTE: cases are sometimes published in multiple journals. Refer to T1 to determine the correct reporter set to cite to. T1 will alert you if there is a specific reporter you are to report to in a note following the reporter name].
- Page Number: Cite the first page of the case.
- Pinpoint Page: The page in which the relevant information you are citing can be found. This is used unless you are referring to a case in general.
For example, a case published in the Southwestern Reporter would have the format:
[3 S.W.2d 455, 465]
Rule 10.3.2 gives the rules for citing a reporter.
Some jurisdictions use the court's geographic location as the location cite. This is known as a Public Domain cite, and generally consists of:
- Year: The year the case was heard.
- State: The state in which the case was heard.
- Number: The number assigned to the case by the court.
Rule 10.3.3 outlines how to cite a public domain case. If a citation is available for the case in a regional reporter, this must be placed before the public domain cite.