# Michigan Citation Format in an Index of Authorities: No Periods

> Michigan style drops the periods: People v Huston, 489 Mich 451; 802 NW2d 261 (2011), MCL 776.20, MCR 2.306. MCR 7.212(C)(3) and an example index.

*Updated: 2026-09-26*

**The short answer:** Michigan's appellate courts publish their opinions in a citation style without periods: “v” instead of “v.”, reporters written as “Mich App,” “NW2d,” “F2d” and “US,” parallel citations separated by a semicolon, statutes cited as “MCL 776.20” and court rules as “MCR 2.306.” The style comes from the Michigan Appellate Opinion Manual of the Supreme Court's Office of the Reporter of Decisions. In a brief, the table is called an **index of authorities**, and MCR 7.212(C)(3) requires it to list “in alphabetical order all case authorities cited, with the complete citations including the years of decision, and all other authorities cited, with the numbers of the pages where they appear in the brief.”

Last verified: 2026-09-26. This is formatting guidance, not legal advice; follow the current Michigan Court Rules.

**Fast facts**

- MCR 7.212(C)(3): “An index of authorities,” cases alphabetical “with the complete citations including the years of decision,” and all other authorities, with page numbers. (Michigan Court Rules updated Sept. 2, 2026.)
- MCR 7.212(D)(1): the appellee's brief “must conform to subrule (C),” so it has an index of authorities too.
- Michigan Appellate Opinion Manual (2014, revised December 2017): “Do not use periods in abbreviations of reporter names, even if there are two or more words.”
- Parallel citations are separated by a semicolon: *Ypsilanti Charter Twp v Kircher*, 281 Mich App 251; 761 NW2d 761 (2008).
- Statutes: “use MCL, not MCLA or MCLS,” e.g. MCL 776.20. Court rules: “MCR and the rule number,” e.g. MCR 2.306.
- Federal courts of appeals: “CA” plus the circuit number in the parenthetical, e.g. *Ierardi v Gunter*, 528 F2d 929 (CA 1, 1976).
- MCR 7.212 does not name a citation manual. The Opinion Manual says it “may also be of interest to those who prepare pleadings and filings.”

## Where the Michigan style comes from

The Michigan Appellate Opinion Manual “sets forth those standards observed in the editing of opinions for publication” in the Michigan Reports and the Michigan Appeals Reports. It was published in 2014 and revised in December 2017. Its introduction adds that it “may also be of interest to those who prepare pleadings and filings for submission to the Courts” ([Opinion Manual, PDF](https://www.courts.michigan.gov/4a4a11/siteassets/publications/manuals/msc/miappopmanual.pdf)). MCR 7.212 itself does not require the manual. It requires complete citations with years in the index and compliance with MCR 7.215(C) on citing unpublished Court of Appeals opinions. A brief can follow the manual, so its citations match the opinions it quotes, or a national style such as the Bluebook. Either way, use one style throughout.

## Michigan style vs. Bluebook style

**The same authorities in two styles (Michigan forms from the Opinion Manual)**

| Authority | Michigan Appellate Opinion Manual | Bluebook-style equivalent |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Michigan Supreme Court case | *People v Huston*, 489 Mich 451; 802 NW2d 261 (2011) | *People v. Huston*, 489 Mich. 451, 802 N.W.2d 261 (2011) |
| Michigan Court of Appeals case, with pinpoint | *Hays v Lutheran Social Servs of Mich*, 300 Mich App 54, 56-59; 832 NW2d 433 (2013) | *Hays v. Lutheran Soc. Servs. of Mich.*, 300 Mich. App. 54, 56-59, 832 N.W.2d 433 (2013) |
| U.S. Supreme Court case | *Mincey v Arizona*, 437 US 385; 98 S Ct 2408; 57 L Ed 2d 290 (1978) | *Mincey v. Arizona*, 437 U.S. 385 (1978) |
| Federal court of appeals case | *Ierardi v Gunter*, 528 F2d 929 (CA 1, 1976) | *Ierardi v. Gunter*, 528 F.2d 929 (1st Cir. 1976) |
| Michigan statute | MCL 776.20 | Mich. Comp. Laws § 776.20 |
| Michigan court rule | MCR 2.306 | Mich. Ct. R. 2.306 |
| Michigan Rule of Evidence | MRE 801 | Mich. R. Evid. 801 |
| Michigan Constitution | Const 1963, art 6, § 1 | Mich. Const. art. VI, § 1 |

The Michigan column is copied from the Opinion Manual's quick reference chart and its examples. The Bluebook column is our conversion for comparison. The Michigan forms keep more parallel citations: the manual's *Mincey* example cites US, S Ct and L Ed.

## The rules of the Michigan style

- **No periods in reporter names:** “Do not use periods in abbreviations of reporter names, even if there are two or more words.”
- **Spacing:** no space when single letters abbreviate the words (NW, US, ALR); a space when more than one letter is used (Mich App, F Supp, S Ct, L Ed). No space before the series when the last word is a single letter (F2d, NW2d, A2d).
- **Semicolons between parallel citations:** the official citation, then a semicolon, then the regional or other reporter: 489 Mich 451; 802 NW2d 261 (2011).
- **Pinpoints:** after the official page, before the semicolon: 300 Mich App 54, 56-59; 832 NW2d 433.
- **Short forms:** *Hays*, 300 Mich App at 59; *Id.* at 60.
- **Federal circuits:** “CA” and the circuit number, “CA Fed” for the Federal Circuit: *Loveladies Harbor, Inc v United States*, 28 F3d 1171 (CA Fed, 1994).
- **Statutes and rules:** MCL (not MCLA or MCLS), MCR, MRE, with no section symbol for MCL.

## Worked example: a Michigan index of authorities

**INDEX OF AUTHORITIES (Michigan style; citations from the Opinion Manual and *People v Smith*; hypothetical page numbers)**

| Authority | Page(s) |
| --- | --- |
| **Cases** |  |
| *Badeen v Par, Inc*, 300 Mich App 430; 834 NW2d 85 (2013) | 9 |
| *Hays v Lutheran Social Servs of Mich*, 300 Mich App 54; 832 NW2d 433 (2013) | 4, 7-8 |
| *Ierardi v Gunter*, 528 F2d 929 (CA 1, 1976) | 12 |
| *Mincey v Arizona*, 437 US 385; 98 S Ct 2408; 57 L Ed 2d 290 (1978) | 11 |
| *People v Huston*, 489 Mich 451; 802 NW2d 261 (2011) | 5, 10 |
| *People v Smith*, 478 Mich 64; 731 NW2d 411 (2007) | 6 |
| **Constitutional Provisions** |  |
| Const 1963, art 6, § 1 | 1 |
| **Statutes** |  |
| MCL 776.20 | 8 |
| **Court Rules** |  |
| MCR 2.306 | 9 |
| MCR 7.212 | 1 |
| **Rules of Evidence** |  |
| MRE 801 | 10 |

Cases are alphabetical, with complete citations and years, as MCR 7.212(C)(3) requires; pinpoints stay out of the index. The case citations are real: all but one are examples in the Opinion Manual, and *People v Smith*, 478 Mich 64 (2007), is a Michigan Supreme Court decision ([CourtListener](https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/842958/people-v-smith/)). The page numbers are hypothetical, and the grouping of other authorities is one common choice, not a rule.

## Common errors

- **Mixing styles.** “People v Huston, 489 Mich. 451” puts a Bluebook period into a Michigan citation. Choose one style for the whole brief, index included.
- **Commas instead of semicolons** between parallel citations in Michigan style.
- **Dropping the year.** MCR 7.212(C)(3) requires “the complete citations including the years of decision” for cases in the index.
- **MCLA or MCLS.** The manual says to use MCL.
- **Pinpoints in the index.** “300 Mich App 54, 56-59” belongs in the brief; the index lists 300 Mich App 54.
- **Two entries for one case** because it was cited once as “Huston, 489 Mich at 460” and once in full. Short forms add pages to the full entry; see [Id. and supra](/id-supra-table-of-authorities).

> **Where BriefAuthority fits:** [BriefAuthority](/table-of-authorities-generator) is a free browser tool that builds a table of authorities from your brief's final PDF or .docx. It recognizes Michigan-style citations without periods, such as “People v Smith, 478 Mich 64; 731 NW2d 411 (2007)” and federal cites like “528 F2d 929,” along with MCL and MCR citations, and its Michigan preset heads the table “Index of Authorities.” You can also [check an existing index](/table-of-authorities-checker) against the brief or print a [proofreading checklist](/table-of-authorities-proofreading-checklist). The brief is never uploaded.

## Frequently asked

**Do Michigan citations use periods?**

Not in the style of Michigan's published opinions. The Michigan Appellate Opinion Manual says, “Do not use periods in abbreviations of reporter names,” and its examples use “v” without a period: *People v Huston*, 489 Mich 451; 802 NW2d 261 (2011).

**What does Michigan call the table of authorities?**

An index of authorities. MCR 7.212(C)(3) requires one in the appellant's brief, and MCR 7.212(D)(1) applies subrule (C) to the appellee's brief.

**Is the Michigan Appellate Opinion Manual required for briefs?**

MCR 7.212 does not name it. The manual governs the editing of published opinions and says it may interest those who prepare filings. You can follow it or a national style such as the Bluebook; use one style consistently.

**How do you cite a Michigan statute?**

As MCL and the section number, e.g. MCL 776.20. The manual says to use MCL, “not MCLA or MCLS.”

**Why is there a semicolon in Michigan case citations?**

It separates the official citation from the parallel citations: 281 Mich App 251; 761 NW2d 761 (2008). A pinpoint to the official reporter goes before the semicolon.

**Keep reading**

- [Table of authorities rules by state](/table-of-authorities-by-state): Michigan, Texas and other states that call it an index of authorities.
- [Texas index of authorities](/texas-index-of-authorities): Tex. R. App. P. 38.1(c).
- [Table of authorities format](/table-of-authorities-format): Categories, order and page lists.
- [Kentucky statement of points and authorities](/kentucky-points-and-authorities): RAP 32: authorities listed under each contention.
- [North Dakota: paragraph numbers in briefs](/north-dakota-brief-paragraph-numbers): A table that cites paragraphs, not pages.

**Sources**

- [Michigan Courts: Michigan Court Rules, updated Sept. 2, 2026 (MCR 7.212(C)(3), (D)(1)) (PDF)](https://www.courts.michigan.gov/siteassets/rules-instructions-administrative-orders/michigan-court-rules/michigan-court-rules.pdf)
- [Michigan Supreme Court, Office of the Reporter of Decisions: Michigan Appellate Opinion Manual (2014, rev. Dec. 2017) (PDF)](https://www.courts.michigan.gov/4a4a11/siteassets/publications/manuals/msc/miappopmanual.pdf)
- [CourtListener: People v. Smith, 478 Mich. 64, 731 N.W.2d 411 (2007)](https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/842958/people-v-smith/)
- [CourtListener: People v. Huston, 489 Mich. 451, 802 N.W.2d 261 (2011)](https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/827277/people-v-huston/)
- [CourtListener: Hays v. Lutheran Social Services, 300 Mich. App. 54, 832 N.W.2d 433 (2013)](https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/8006790/hays-v-lutheran-social-services/)