Citing the Elite: The Burden of Authorial Anxiety

Academic legal writing is known for extensive citation. Generally, scholars who study citation practices are increasingly likely to link citation with authors\u27 attempts to manage their impression. This Note offers an explanation of why authors of law review articles use citation as a means of managing impression. It combines a historical analysis that shows why excessive citation became conventional with a literary analysis that shows why excessive citation was unique in its ability to aid academics in substantively contributing to the bench and bar. It further shows how, because of the historic and literary significance of citation, a norm compelling excessive citation pervades the legal community. Finally, this Note questions this norm\u27s continued value given that excessive citation exacts a collateral price on the legal community and that law review readers are increasingly diverse