Common Abbreviations & Citation Forms
The following are common abbreviations that should be used when citing treaty sources. For more information, consult the Bluebook.
United States Treaties and Other International Agreements: x U.S.T. xxx
Treaties and Other International Acts Series (beginning with TIAS 1500 in 1946, and continuing to the present): T.I.A.S. No. x
Hein’s United States Treaties and Other International Agreements: Hein’s No. KAV xxx
Statutes at Large: x Stat. xxx
Treaty Series (superseded by the TIAS in 1945): T.S. No. x
Executive Agreement Series (issued by the Department of State from 1929-1945): E.A.S. No. x
Senate Treaty Documents: S. Treaty Doc. No. x
Senate Executive Documents: S. Exec. Doc. No. x
United Nations Treaty Series: x U.N.T.S. xxx
League of Nations Treaty Series: x L.N.T.S. xxx
Table T.10 of the Bluebook, beginning on page 293, lists the abbreviations for country names, to be used when citing treaties and other international materials. Consult this list when creating citations to treaties.
B. Citation Forms
The following should serve as a basic guide in citation of treaties and other international agreements. For more detailed information, consult the Bluebook, Rules 20.1-20.4.5, pages 140-144.
Basic Citation of a Treaty or International Agreement:
- Name of the agreement (form and subject matter) Form indicates the type of agreement, i.e. Convention, Treaty, Understanding, Memorandum of Agreement, etc. Subject Matter is the description that appears as part of the title of the actual agreement
- Exact date of signing (month, day, year)
- Parties to the agreement (ie. U.S.-Fr.)
- Subdivision of the agreement specifically referred to (if applicable)
- Source(s) in which the treaty can be found
Citation Examples:
- Convention for the Avoidance of Double Taxation, Nov. 24, 1978, U.S.-Fr., art. 17, 32 U.S.T. 1935, 1959.
- Agreement on Defense and Economic Cooperation, Sept. 8, 1983, U.S.-Greece, T.I.A.S. No. 10,814, at 4.
- Treaty of Neutrality, Jan. 25, 1929, Hung.-Turk., 100 L.N.T.S. 137.