How to Cite a Deposition

Courtroom practice dictates that any reference to court documents in a legal brief must be cited within the text. Bluebook citation style, the standard form of legal citation in the United States, provides simple guidelines for the proper citation of evidence from a witness deposition. According to Bluebook style, evidence from a deposition should be cited in parentheses within the text.

Step 1

List the last name of the witness providing the deposition. The first letter should be capitalized.

Step 2

List the type of court document, followed by the page number and a period. Use the Bluebook abbreviation for deposition, which is "dep."

Step 3

Cite directly after quoting or paraphrasing from a deposition. The citation should be enclosed in parentheses. Place your citation after the period, so that it forms its own parenthetical sentence.