¶1    The Universal Citation rules for administrative decisions are presented in Rules 400-409. These rules follow the standard citation format for case law as developed by the American Association of Law Libraries. These rules are intended to address all decisions and releases by state or federal agencies acting in a quasi-judicial role.

¶2    Many Federal agencies issue and publish administrative decisions in various formats. However, at the state level, the processes are less regular. For example, the decisions in state agencies may be distributed as less formal orders or releases. In addition, some states have separate administrative offices responsible for the issuance of their administrative decisions. Agencies may also release different versions of decisions, e.g., initial and final decisions.

¶3    The process of Administrative decision making and dissemination varies greatly from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. This makes standardization difficult. These rules are an attempt to establish a standard that is medium and vendor neutral. The goal is to construct accurate and unambiguous citations even if this format cannot be followed in all situations.

¶4     Rule 400 Basic Citation Form

    A researcher may cite an opinion from any source so long as it contains the data elements used in the Universal Citation. A full citation to an administrative decision includes:

        1) the decision name ( Rule 401);
        2) the year of decision ( Rule 402);
        3) the agency abbreviation ( Rule 403);
        4) the document designation (if any) ( Rule 404);
        5) the decision number ( Rule 405);
        6) the notation U - if the decision is unreported or unpublished ( Rule 406);
        7) the paragraph number - if a pinpoint citation is needed to specific text ( Rule 406)

     Examples:

    Evelyn v. Wainwright, 2000 US DOT 100 ¶ 25.
    PA Dep't of Transp. v. Ortega, 1999 PA DOT 45 ¶ 13.
 

¶5     Rule 401 Decision Name

    Decision names should conform to rule 10.2 and 14.3 and related rules of The Bluebook.

¶6     Rule 402 Year of Decision

    After the decision name, indicate the year in which the decision was rendered. Express the year as a four-digit number, e.g., 1995, not 95.

¶7     Rule 403 Agency Abbreviation

    After the year, indicate the agency that issued the decision. Identify the agency by constructing an abbreviation using the rules below.

    Generally, use US to identify a federal agency. Use the standard two letter postal code to identify a state or territorial agency. For convenience, these postal codes appear in Appendix A.

    Use common abbreviations or refer to Appendix F for guidance to identify specific agencies.

    Omit periods and other punctuation within the agency abbreviation as they are superfluous, e.g., “US Empl Comp App Bd”, not “US Empl. Comp. App. Bd.”

¶8     Rule 404 Document Designation
 

    If an agency issues more than one named type of decision, or common practice dictates, include the designation for the type after the agency name.

        For example:
            2000 US IRS Priv Ltr Rul 678 ¶ 23    [Department issues multiple types of decisions]
            2001 WA Atty Gen Op 54 ¶ 56    [Common Practice]

    For most departments or agencies, however, such designations should be considered superfluous and therefore omitted.

        For example:
            2000 NJ ABC 86 ¶ 32        [Recommended]
            2000 NJ ABC Decision 86 ¶ 32     [Not Recommended]
 

¶9     Rule 405 Decision Number

    Agencies implementing the Universal Citation will assign a sequential number to each decision upon its release. Include this decision number after the issuing agency abbreviation or document designation.

¶10     Rule 406 Unreported or Unpublished Status

    If a decision is unreported or unpublished, as determined by the issuing agency, append the letter U to the decision number.

        For example:

            2002 US FERC 34-417U ¶20

¶11     Rule 407 Pinpoint Citation by Paragraph Number

    Agencies implementing the Universal Citation will number each paragraph of text within a decision. After the decision number, a researcher may cite to particular text by use of a ¶ symbol followed by the appropriate paragraph number.

¶12     Rule 408 Parentheticals

    Use parentheticals to note significant additional information regarding the status of the decision. Information regarding the origin or status of a decision may be added in a parenthetical following the paragraph number to distinguish similar cases. Use standard abbreviations provided in The Bluebook.

        Custom Builders v. Romeo, 1999 NJ DCA 56 (Initial Decision)
       Frink v. Tracy Mgmt., 2000 ID Aviation 31 (Findings of Fact)

¶13     Rule 409 Parallel Citations

    The Universal Citation for administrative decisions requires no parallel citation as a supplemental device to identity or locate materials. If a state or agency otherwise requires a parallel citation, the researcher should consult appropriate rules of The Bluebook for guidance on constructing a parallel citation.

Part F: Administrative Agency Abbreviations

  Suggested Abbreviations for Administrative Departments, Federal and State