Quality Assurance (QA)

The bulk of the work you do as a 2L member of Pac Rim (apart from writing your comment) will be QA. Many equate QA with the term “Bluebooking,” however QA goes well beyond flipping through the Bluebook looking for that “special rule.” The concept also involves verifying the content of sources, as well as editing for style and format. The materials that follow should provide you with an introduction to Journal style conventions. Please read through these materials each time before an editing assignment. A preliminary refresher will likely save time in the long run.

I. The When, Where, How, and Why of QA

QA is one of the assignments you can expect to receive on the Journal. Every time that an Article or Comment is published by the Journal, it is the responsibility of our members to ensure that each of the sources in the footnotes support the claim they represent, and that all footnotes in the Article/Comment are formatted in conformity with the Bluebook (18th Ed.). Accordingly, a QA assignment has two principle parts: 1) Content Checking, and 2) Bluebooking.

A. Receiving a QA Assignment

Typically, 2L members will receive a QA assignment in his or her Pac Rim mailbox, as well as via email. The assignment will come from the Managing Editor of Production (ME) responsible for that Article/Comment. Besides giving you an electronic copy of the article, this email communication is your notification that you have received an assignment, or will receive an assignment shortly.

B. Logistics of a QA Assignment

Each QA assignment contains a cover sheet and the assigned Article/Comment. The cover sheet states the pages/footnotes within the Article/Comment that you are expected to bluebook and content check, as well as the time by which the assignment is to be completed. The cover sheet also has a check list to guide you through the QA process—use it! The hardcopy assignment in your mailbox will include only your assigned pages of the Article/Comment. The electronic assignment will include the entire Article/Comment.

Assignments are typically due in a week (occasionally longer), depending on the exigencies of the production schedule and when the Article or Comment was submitted for final approval. It is our intention to give each 2L member only two (2) QA assignments per quarter.

You can find the sources for your Article/Comment on the bookshelves to your right when you enter the journal room from the library. Source shelves are labeled with the name of each Article/Comment author. Each source should have a label noting all the footnotes to which it corresponds. Be sure to replace sources as you found them when you are finished. If a source is missing, see if anyone else in the office is doing QA on the same Article/Comment. If you still can’t find the source and it’s for a Comment, ask the author before giving up. If the source is for an Article, ask one of the MEs. Please note when a source is missing.

All edits and comments should be entered via Track Changes into your electronic copy of the Article/Comment. (See document titled Completing QA Assignments with Track Changes.)

C. Content Checking

Content Checking is the most important responsibility of your QA assignment. Unlike citation format (Bluebooking), once the assignment leaves your hands, no other Pac Rim member will ever verify content again. Our readership is depending on you to ensure the accuracy of our articles and comments. In other words, DO NOT neglect this part of QA. You MUST check the content of EVERYTHING in your assigned section of the Article/Comment. This is done by comparing every footnote to the original source document in order to see if the document supports the author’s stated proposition.

NOTE: You must actually read the sources for content checking. Your degree of investigation should mirror the relative importance of the footnote. For example, if the footnote states: See generally George W. Bush, I Said What? (2005) (a treatise on political humor), then you should only need to skim the introduction or the table of contents to see if it relates to what the author is claiming. On the other extreme, if the information is a direct quote, you must check the author’s version of the quote word for word against the original, including punctuation.

All discrepancies in quotes or content should be noted on your electronic copy of the Article/Comment via Tracked Changes or inserted Comment. For example, if the source supports the author’s assertion but the citation is off by a page, you may simply change the page number in the footnote. If, on the other hand, the source does not appear to relate to the author’s statement, highlight the footnote, create a new comment, and describe, if you can, why the source does not relate.

D. Bluebooking

Bluebooking is a meticulous process that involves verifying the correct format and punctuation for each citation (i.e. cases, law reviews, newspaper articles, ids, supras, etc.), as well as the accuracy of the source title, author, etc. Settling on the correct format is undoubtedly the more difficult part, especially with the many obscure sources used by Pac Rim authors.

Follow Bluebook (18th ed.) format in completing each assignment. Start by determining the type of source and which rule to consult (i.e., for cases, start at Rule 10; for foreign materials, start at Rule 20; electronic and nonprint, Rule 18). Then narrow it down by looking at the possible sub-rules and sub-categories for that rule. Don’t assume that just because something looks similar to something you’ve seen before, that it’s in the correct format. There are many subtleties to the Bluebook and you need to check that EVERY source uses the proper format. IF YOU DON’T KNOW, PLEASE ASK!!!! The MEs are available to meet with you in person (during office hours or one-on-one), by e-mail, or on the phone to answer any questions. Remember, the Journal functions in an efficient manner when QA assignments are completed correctly the first time.

It is important to note that many of the authors that publish Articles in the Journal are international and are not necessarily familiar with the Bluebook. Thus, where major formatting changes are required, it is permissible to create a separate document describing the changes and turn it in with your Tracked Changes version of the article. Make sure your suggestions include a reference to the specific section(s) or footnote(s).

E. Completion of an Assignment

When you complete all parts of the QA process (see the check list on the cover sheet), you should email your edited version to the ME who sent it to you. In addition, sign the hardcopy cover sheet and put it in the Production Inbox near the Pac Rim computers. Please note that if it is clear the sources have not been content checked, or the Bluebooking was done inadequately, the assignment will be returned to the member for completion.

II. Finding Answers Where the Bluebook is Silent

The eighteenth edition of the Bluebook offers 415 detailed pages of how to cite various kinds of legal and non-legal authority. Unfortunately, conventions for citing legal authority from some Pacific Rim countries, particularly Southeast Asian ones, are lacking. Where the Bluebook is silent, follow the steps listed below in deciding how to cite a foreign statute or case.

A. Look in back issues of the Pac Rim Journal. Chances are we have cited a statute or case from the same jurisdiction before. The previous citation format is controlling. Instead of actually flipping through the pages of the back issues, it would probably be more efficient to look on line. In LEXIS and WESTLAW you can search Journal articles.

B. If we have never cited a particular kind of statute or case, search other journal publications to see how they have done it. Compare a few different publications to find the most consistent and logical method.

C. Where it appears that a particular kind of case or statute has never been cited by any law journal, copy the citation format of an analogous statute or case. In looking for analogs, start with the Bluebook, move on to back issues of the Journal, and then to other law reviews.

D. In all cases, make a note of how you are citing an obscure type of foreign case or statute.

E. Use The Chicago Manual of Style to resolve any writing style questions that are not

addressed by the Bluebook.

F. If all else fails, don’t hesitate to ask.