New Ohio Supreme Court writing-citation manual released

The Ohio Supreme Court has issued a new comprehensive writing/citation manual to be applied in its opinions starting Jan. 1, 2012. The new guide replaces the original "Manual of Citations",issued in 1985, the May 2002 "interim version", and a subsequent later revision.

“Divided into three parts,” the Court’s announcement says, “the new manual contains guidance on proper citation format for opinions, cases, and statutes in Supreme Court opinions; proper style for Supreme Court opinions; and a new section with examples on how to structure an opinion.”

Several significant changes are noted, including:

• The federal circuits are now identified using “Cir.,” e.g., 6th Cir. instead of C.A.6.


• Federal statutes are now cited using “U.S.C.,” e.g., 42 U.S.C. 1982 instead of Section 1982, Title 42, U.S. Code.


• Ohio case citations no longer include Ohio Bar Reports (OBR) or Ohio Opinions (O.O., O.O.2d, O.O.3d).

Manual instructions also cover how to cite opinions before and after May 1, 2002, when the Supreme Court began posting all opinions online.

New Writing Manual (PDF)