There are instances in your letter where you want to refer to a source or authority that directly contradicts the judgment or opinion you give. In this case, the introductory sign would be used against. It`s helpful to think of contra as the exact opposite of no signal – one signal is used to directly contradict your statement, and the other is used to directly support your statement. There are circumstances in legal writing where you want to guide your reader to general information and documents related to the statement you make in your letter. In this case, the introductory sign would be used, see general. Often, after the general citation, the author inserts certain information in parentheses to explain the relevance of the background material or information cited. A common mistake to avoid is the use of the introduction sign see also, when see should actually be used in general. As a reminder, also see if an author has already directly supported a statement he made in his writing with a quote, but still wants to add additional support. You may wish to support a statement you make in your legal letter by making a useful comparison between two authorities or sources.

To do this, you need to use the comparative introduction signal. Mechanically, compare should be used with the word with (see example below). The introductory signal, cf., is somewhat similar to the comparison. Cf. is used when you want to support the statement you make in your handwriting by comparing the statement itself to a similar source or authority. On the other hand, comparison is used when you want to support the statement you make in your letter by comparing two different sources or agencies. Often, after the comparison quote, the author inserts some information in parentheses to explain its relevance. Similar to the relationship between the signal introduction signals of no signal and cons, the use of but see is exactly the opposite of seeing. Use the introductory signal, but see in your letter if the authority or source you are referring to contradicts the statement about the judgment or opinion you give. In other words, but see is used when the reader has to make an inference leap to determine that the referenced authority or source contradicts the statement in the letter. Cf. is an abbreviation of the Latin word confer, which means “to compare”.

Cf. is a signal that the cited source supports a different claim (proposition) than the one just made, that it is worth comparing the two claims and assessing the difference. Explanations in parentheses are recommended to explain how a cf. source relates to the text. In other words, a cf. source simply offers a different, but not contradictory, claim, and actual support for the claim just made should not be assumed. If the source makes a contradictory claim, a negative signal should be used. In addition to the many rules on how and when to use a particular introductory sign, the Blue Book prescribes specific rules for the order in which signs must appear when more than one sign is used. The following table lists the correct order in which the signals are displayed.