Author Style Guide

Manuscript Preparation

Please review this style guide carefully. Also, please share this guide with anyone who will be assisting you significantly with the preparation of your manuscript (coauthor, researcher, assistant, etc.).

Authorship

Please indicate on the manuscript the names of all authors in the order in which they are to be listed on the title page, followed by each author’s firm and city. A prior author’s name will be listed in an acknowledgment if you have used any of that author’s materials in your chapter.

We will not publish any materials for which we do not have clear copyright allowing us to do so. This includes reproduction of proprietary materials such as forms that are unique to a specific organization.

If there are multiple authors on your chapter, please consolidate your work and send us one document that reflects all of the authors’ contributions rather than sending us separate pieces.

Note about this style guide

Depending on your device, screen size, or personalized settings, the display of this page may vary. To ensure you have a consistent reference, we have created a PDF version of this guide for you to download. [Download File]

Formatting Style

The Institute observes a standard formatting style for all publications. We will edit your manuscript electronically and format the material according to our specifications, which in some cases may differ slightly from traditional Bluebook style for consistency’s sake across the entire library of IICLE publications.

Footnotes and Endnotes

Please do not use footnotes or endnotes. All citations and “sidebar” information should be integrated into the text. The IICLE® Online Library does not allow formatting for footnotes or endnotes.

Automatic Numbering and Other Formatting

Please do not use automatic numbering or any similar formatting when working on your chapter. The IICLE® Online Library platform does not support these types of formatting.

Track Changes

It is not necessary to use track changes when updating your chapter. If, however, it helps you organize your updates, feel free to use track changes and we will incorporate the track changes into an editable version of the chapter.

Scope and Content

Our goal with IICLE publications is to define and organize a law practice area by the types of “jobs” or “problems” it contains and to explain in a useful way how successful, experienced lawyers in that area handle those problems. Accordingly, please bear in mind the goal of defining and organizing your subject matter and explain in full detail each of the considerations, procedures, forms, and pitfalls to be avoided. Because our readers usually consult our books when faced with a specific client or case, your material should be presented generally in the order in which problems would confront the practitioner.

General Considerations

When discussing the law, please state the law in its current form at the time you write your material. Provide historical information as to how the law came to its present state if necessary for understanding current law. Further, if it is necessary to discuss prospective legislation or regulations, make any such discussion factual. Please do not hesitate to explain that a particular issue is unsettled or is the anticipated subject of near-future litigation or legislation.

If it becomes necessary or useful to make other than factual statements (for example, when a point of law is unclear and/or some controversy in the law exists), please indicate clearly that these are your assertions and be careful not to give the impression that you are stating the law. In such a situation, it may also be necessary or useful to provide the opposing view or views on a controversial point of law. But again, please make sure that any such statement in your materials is clearly defined as an opinion and not presented as a factual statement. Finally, please remember that a chapter is not the place to advocate a particular political or social point of view.

If you are working with a previously prepared outline or scope notes, feel free to reorganize, modify, or expand that material to give full treatment of your subject. The previous outline or scope notes are not intended to be restrictive. Use your discretion as to coverage and emphasis. Feel free to remove redundancies and overly lengthy string citations.

While your chapter should follow an outline from an organizational standpoint, it should consist of substantially more discussion than a mere outline alone. Each section should contain a complete analysis of its own subtopic.

Citations

Please supply authoritative citations that are as complete as possible and integrate them into the body of the text. Please do not use footnotes or endnotes as our online platform does not allow formatting them . All citations and “sidebar” information should be integrated into the text.

If you are updating an existing chapter and retaining citations included in the previous edition, please do not alter the formatting of the citations or remove any reporter information.

When adding new citations, you generally may follow the citation style set forth in the most current edition of THE BLUEBOOK: A UNIFORM SYSTEM OF CITATION (Harvard Law Review Association). However, in some instances IICLE prefers a different form. Some of the most common of these are as follows:

Attorney General Opinions, Illinois:
	12 Op. Att’y Gen. (Ill.) 1157 (1914) [before 1916]
	Op. Att’y Gen. (Ill.) No. 3843 (1932) or Op. Att’y Gen. (Ill.) No. S-318 (1979) [1916 – July 1980]
	Op. Att’y Gen. (Ill.) No. 92-016 [after July 1980]

Bibliography Entries [alphabetize by last name or by title if no author is listed]:
	Anderson, Robert M., AMERICAN LAW OF ZONING (3d ed. 1986).
	Babcock, Richard F. and Charles L. Simeon, THE ZONING GAME REVISITED (1985).
	Blaeser, Brian W. and Alan C. Weinstein, eds., LAND USE AND THE CONSTITUTION (1989).
	ZONING AND LAND USE ENCYCLOPEDIA (1991).

BLACK’S LAW DICTIONARY:
	Good-Faith Bargaining, BLACK’S LAW DICTIONARY (12th ed. 2024).

Books/Treatises:
	Robert S. Hunter, TRIAL HANDBOOK FOR ILLINOIS LAWYERS §245 (6th ed. 1989)

Cases
	United States Supreme Court
		Walton v. Arizona, 497 U.S. 639, 111 L.Ed.2d 511, 110 S.Ct. 3047, 3049 (1990).

	Illinois Supreme Court
		West v. Kirkham, 147 Ill.2d 1, 588 N.E.2d 1104, 1106, 167 Ill.Dec. 974 (1992). 

	Illinois Appellate Court 
		Heerey v. City of Des Plaines, 225 Ill.App.3d 203, 587 N.E.2d 1119, 1120, 167 Ill.Dec. 504 (1st Dist. 1992). 

	Illinois Public Domain Citations
		Supreme Court
			Doe v. Coe, 2019 IL 123521, 135 N.E.3d 1, 434 Ill.Dec. 117.

		Appellate Court Districts
			People v. Caraga, 2018 IL App (1st) 170123, 138 N.E.3d 725, 435 Ill.Dec. 725.

		Rule 23 orders 
			White v. Manny’s Blue Room, Inc., 2011 IL App (1st) 103829-U

		Pinpoint citation
			Doe v. Coe, 2019 IL 123521, ¶20, 135 N.E.3d 1, 434 Ill.Dec. 117.

Westlaw and LEXIS Citations (use only if an opinion is unpublished or is too new to have a reporter citation; please use Westlaw citations rather than LEXIS citations if possible as we have no way to verify LEXIS citations)

	John Crane, Inc. v. Admiral Insurance Co., No. 04 CH 8266, 2006 WL 1010495, *27 (Cook Cty.Cir. Apr. 12, 2006).

	Quality Croutons, Inc. v. George Weston Bakeries, Inc., No. 05 C 4928, 2006 U.S.Dist. LEXIS 60715, *6 (N.D.Ill. Aug. 14, 2006).

	Code of Federal Regulations:
		40 C.F.R. §405.53 [specific section]
		40 C.F.R. pt. 400 [whole part]

	Constitution, Illinois:
		ILL.CONST. art. I, §2 [in citation sentence]
		Article I, §2, of the Illinois Constitution provides . . . [in text sentence]

	Constitution, U.S.:
		U.S.CONST. art. I, §9 [in citation sentence]
		Article I, §9, of the U.S. Constitution provides . . . [in text sentence]

	House Bills, Illinois [include name if available]:
		H.B. 2693, 95th Gen.Assem. (2007)

	House Bills, U.S. [include name if available]:
		H.R. 743, 104th Cong., 2d Sess. (1996)

	House Reports:
		H.R.Conf.Rep. No. 1037, 98th Cong., 2d Sess. (1984), reprinted in 1984 U.S.C.C.A.N. 3018.

	Illinois Administrative Code:
		77 Ill.Admin. Code §415.39 [specific section]
		77 Ill.Admin. Code pt. 414 [whole part]

	Illinois Compiled Statutes:
		750 ILCS 60/217

	Illinois Pattern Jury Instructions:
		Illinois Pattern Jury Instructions — Civil No. 150.15 (I.P.I. — Civil) [initial citation in chapter]
		I.P.I. — Civil No. 149.16 [subsequent citation in chapter]

	Illinois Register:
		15 Ill.Reg. 1,268 (Mar. 7, 1993)

	Illinois Rules of Evidence:
		Illinois Rule of Evidence 101 [initial citation in chapter]
		Ill.R.Evid. 801 [subsequent citation in chapter]

	Journals:
		Florence Smith, How To Represent the Plaintiff, 21 Harv.L.Rev. 413 (1971) 
		[consecutively paginated]
		Paul Weinberg, Tax Planning for the Coal Miner’s Daughter’s Father, 120 Tr. & Est., No. 10, 55 (Oct. 1981)
		[not consecutively paginated]

	Newspapers:
		Ari L. Goldman, O’Connor Warns Politicians Risk Excommunication over Abortion, New York Times, June 15, 1990, at Al, B2

	Private Letter Rulings:
		Pvt.Ltr.Rul. 200020011 (May 19, 2000)

	Public Acts:
		P.A. 80-1468 (eff. July 30, 1988)

	Public Laws:
		Pub.L. No. 95-292, 92 Stat. 307 (1978) [unnamed]
		Education Amendments of 1974, Pub.L. No. 93-380, 88 Stat. 484 [named]
		Jones-Miller Act, ch. 202, 42 Stat. 596 (1922) [pre-1957 Public Law]

	Senate Bills, Illinois [include name if available]:
		S.B. 7, 95th Gen.Assem. (2007)

	Senate Bills, U.S. [include name if available]:
		S. 295, 104th Cong., 2d Sess. (1996)

	Senate Reports:
		S.Rep. No. 797, 95th Cong., 2d Sess. (1978), reprinted in 1978 U.S.C.C.A.N. 9260

	Technical Advice Memoranda:
		Tech.Adv.Mem. 8504005 (Sept. 28, 1984)

	Treasury Regulations:
		26 C.F.R. §1.761-1 [in citation sentence]
		Treas.Reg. §1.761-1 provides . . . [in text sentence]

	United States Code:
		26 U.S.C. §1245

	Websites [please include the title of the page or site in case the URL changes]:

		Federal Election Commission, Purposes of disbursement, www.fec.gov/help-candidates-and-committees/purposes-disbursements
		 [in citation sentence]

		See the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov, for further information. [in text sentence]

You are encouraged to cite to other IICLE publications. The lawyer reading your material is seeking practical answers and will appreciate being referred to an additional source of practical information. However, except in extraordinary circumstances, cite only to current editions and handbooks in print. A current list of all IICLE publications is available within the IICLE Online Library.

Handbook citation in citation sentence or text sentence:

	FAMILY LAW: PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS IN DISSOLUTION ACTIONS (IICLE®, 2023).

Chapter citation in citation sentence or text sentence:

	David C. Ainley and Ameena Syed, Ch. 2, Attorneys’ Fees, FAMILY LAW: PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS IN DISSOLUTION ACTIONS (IICLE®, 2023).

Specific section citation in citation sentence: 

	David C. Ainley and Ameena Syed, Ch. 2, Attorneys’ Fees, FAMILY LAW: PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS IN DISSOLUTION ACTIONS §2.8 (IICLE®, 2023).

Specific section citation in text sentence: 

	For more information, see §2.8 of David C. Ainley and Ameena Syed, Ch. 2, Attorneys’ Fees, FAMILY LAW: PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS IN DISSOLUTION ACTIONS (IICLE®, 2023).

Potential Items to Add to Your Chapter

Checklists

Undoubtedly among the most valuable components of IICLE handbooks are thoughtfully drawn, comprehensive procedural checklists that effectively summarize statutory requirements, provide hints on what (and what not) to do, and emphasize points to consider at each stage of a case. Checklists should be clearly identified in terms of their intended use.

Checklist example:

Checklist for Creditors of Chapter 12 Debtors

1. Conduct a detailed comparison of the debtor’s bankruptcy petition plan with financial statements.
2. Examine tax returns from the past two or three years. (The interest/dividend disclosure could reveal possible undisclosed assets.)
3. Do a physical inspection of grain bins and fuel tanks.
4. Ask probing questions. See Fed.R.Bankr.P. 2004.
5. Obtain copies of records from crop insurance agents to establish proof of yields to show that there is a projected yield falling far short of the government-supervised proven yield.
6. Conduct a detailed review to assure compliance. See 11 U.S.C. §§1222 – 1225.
7. Note that because of potential loss of appreciation of assets inside of bankruptcy, dismissal of the bankruptcy could result in a more favorable amount upon the ultimate liquidation of the debt.
8. Remember that it is a condition of discharge that the debtor pays liquidation value within the period of the plan.

Forms

Whether you include forms in your manuscript that you have personally drafted, that were your firm’s creations, or that are prescribed by statute or regulation, readers will want, need, and use them. While we welcome sample forms created by you personally or by your law firm, please do not send unedited forms from real case files that contain real information about real clients. We appreciate and take seriously the confidentiality of attorney-client privilege, and if we inadvertently receive sensitive client information, we redact and discard the identifying details immediately upon discovery. If you are including preprinted forms or if your forms need to retain the exact original appearance, we will need an original (not a photocopy) that we can scan.

Please note that, as a general rule, we do not routinely include official forms that are readily available and fillable online. Also, if the form is copyrighted by another person or organization, IICLE must have a copyright release before we can use the form. Contact the Director of Publications for details.

In preparing or selecting forms for inclusion, please update them to be sure that they express the most current state of the law and are not encumbered by archaic legal expressions. Also, please make sure any forms from the previous version of the chapter are still up-to-date.

Practice Pointers

To help readers benefit from your knowledge and experience, we encourage you to include “Practice Pointers” in your chapter where appropriate. A Practice Pointer is a practical suggestion based on the author’s experience to help the reader in his or her practice. Practice Pointers are especially helpful to attorneys working in an unfamiliar or new area of law or who come from a different jurisdiction. You need not worry about formatting the Practice Pointers; just include them where you determine they should go and label them as Practice Pointers, and we will format them in our style.

Proofreading

Please read over your manuscript before you submit it. This simple step can save us all considerable time at the “proofing” stage. When reading over your chapter, please look for such things as:

• clarity (e.g., in case discussions mixing up plaintiff and defendant or singular and plural)
• consistency
• parallelism of lists
• unattributed quotations (especially online material)