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• A Quick Guide to OSCOLA Referencing | Rules & Examples

A Quick Guide to OSCOLA Referencing | Rules & Examples

Published on 28 February 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on 5 May 2022.

The Oxford University Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities (OSCOLA) is a referencing style used by students and academics in law.

OSCOLA referencing places citations in footnotes, which are marked in the text with footnote numbers:

The judge referred to the precedent established by Caulfield v Baldwin . 1

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Table of contents

Citing sources with oscola footnotes, oscola referencing examples, oscola tables and bibliography.

A citation footnote appears whenever you quote from, paraphrase or otherwise refer to the content of a source in your text.

A footnote is marked in the text with a footnote number, which appears at the end of the relevant sentence or clause. The number is displayed in superscript (i.e. 1) and appears after any punctuation like a comma or full stop:

These footnotes contain full information on the source cited. The format in which you present this information varies according to the type of source; examples are presented in the following section. A footnote always ends with a full stop:

Standard abbreviations

To save space in OSCOLA citations, abbreviations are used for the names of various publications and legal bodies.

For example, ‘UKSC’ is the United Kingdom Supreme Court, and ‘Cr App R’ refers to the Criminal Appeal Reports.

A full, searchable index of these abbreviations can be found here .

Pinpointing

In OSCOLA referencing, referring to a specific page number within a source is called pinpointing. To pinpoint, simply include a page number at the end of your reference, in addition to any page numbers already included.

For example, in the following citation, the first number refers to the page on which the report begins , while the second number pinpoints the passage you’re referring to :

Where available, paragraph numbers should be used instead of page numbers. Only do this if paragraph numbers are explicitly used in the text. Paragraph numbers appear in square brackets and can be used for pinpointing in the same way as page numbers:

Note that if you’re pinpointing a judge’s comments within a case report, you include the name of the judge, and some special terms and abbreviations are used in the citation and in the text.

If the judge is a peer, refer to them as ‘Lord’, e.g. Lord Williams. If they are a Lord/Lady Justice, use ‘LJ’, e.g. Williams LJ. If neither of these is the case, use ‘J’ for judge, e.g. Williams J:

Cross-referencing repeated citations of the same source

OSCOLA uses a system of cross-referencing to save space when you repeatedly cite the same source. This means that for subsequent references of a source, you don’t have to repeat the full citation.

When you refer to the same source you have just referred to (i.e. when the previous footnote was also about that source), you can simply use ‘ibid’ (Latin for ‘in the same place’):

In this example, the second footnote also refers to Davis v Dignam, but to page 522 instead of page 519.

When the previous reference to the source was in an earlier footnote (i.e. when other citations appear in between), use the author’s last name or the title (shortened if it’s a longer title), followed by the number of the previous citation (in brackets and preceded by ‘n’), then the page number you’re pinpointing (if different than the first citation):

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OSCOLA provides formats for a variety of source types. The most common ones are covered below.

Case reports

When citing a case, you’ll usually begin with a neutral citation – a way of referring to the case that does not relate to a particular report – and then give the details of the report afterwards. If no neutral citation exists, as with cases before 2002, you can just begin with the report.

Additionally, note that the year (for the report) is displayed differently depending on whether it is essential to the citation. For reports where each year is also identified with a volume number, the year appears in normal brackets. For those where multiple volumes appear in one year, the year appears in square brackets.

• Case report with neutral citation
• Case report with no neutral citation

Acts of Parliament

Use a short version of the title if the full title is longer than three words. If necessary, refer to specific parts of an Act of Parliament using section, subsection and paragraph numbers.

Statutory instruments

Statutory instruments (SIs) are numbered consecutively throughout the year; it’s this number that appears at the end of the citation – the example below is the 149th SI of 2020.

House of Commons bills are cited slightly differently from House of Lords bills. You write ‘HC Bill’ or ‘HL Bill’ depending upon which house it is, and bill numbers for Commons bills appear in square brackets.

• House of Commons bill
• House of Lords bill

Hansard is the official transcript of parliamentary debates in the UK. As with bills, write ‘HC’ for the House of Commons and ‘HL’ for the House of Lords. ‘Deb’ is short for ‘debate’, ‘vol’ for volume, and ‘col’ for column.

Use the full name of the author(s) as written in the source. List the edition (abbreviated to ‘edn’) when it is stated on the title page. Note that OSCOLA recommends abbreviating ‘Oxford University Press’ to ‘OUP’; this is not the case with other publishers.

Certain older books are listed by OSCOLA as ‘works of authority’ and given special abbreviated citations. For example, the following is a citation of volume 3, page 75 of Blackstone’s Commentaries on the Laws of England :

OSCOLA provides a list of these abbreviations in their full guide , section 4.2.3.

Journal articles

As with case reports, square brackets are used for years in a journal citation if the year also identifies the volume; normal brackets are used when there are multiple volumes in a year.

Note that standard abbreviations are also used for journal names; here ‘MLR’ refers to Modern Law Review.

In a longer work, such as a thesis or dissertation , OSCOLA requires you to include tables listing any cases and legislation you cited, as well as a bibliography listing any secondary sources . For shorter essays, this is usually not necessary, but do check your institution’s guidelines.

The tables and bibliography appear at the end of your text. The table of cases comes first, followed by the table of legislation, and then the bibliography.

Sources are listed in alphabetical order within each table and in the bibliography.

Table of cases

Cases are written in a similar format here and in the main text; the only difference is the names of the parties involved are not italicised in the table of cases:

Table of legislation

The table of legislation includes all legal sources used other than cases – for example, bills, Acts of Parliament and SIs. Items in the table of legislation are listed in identical form to how they are cited in the text.

Bibliography

A bibliography lists all your secondary sources – that is, everything other than cases and legislation. For example, here you would list Hansard , any books and journal articles cited, and other sources such as blogs, social media and newspapers.

Bibliography entries differ from citations in terms of their presentation of the author’s name. Author names in the bibliography are inverted, and initials are used in place of the first name:

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Caulfield, J. (2022, May 05). A Quick Guide to OSCOLA Referencing | Rules & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved 24 June 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/referencing/oscola/

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• Writing Tips

How to Compose an OSCOLA Bibliography

3-minute read

• 16th October 2016

In the UK, the main  legal referencing system is OSCOLA. This system requires you to list all sources with full publication detail at the end of your document. Hence, we’re looking at how to format an OSCOLA bibliography.

Do I Need a Bibliography?

Short answer: Yes, but check your style guide for specifics.

Technically, the fourth edition of OSCOLA says that ‘shorter works, such as articles and essays, generally only require footnotes.’ However, most universities want you to demonstrate your ability to cite sources, so it’s usually best to include a full bibliography.

What Should an OSCOLA Bibliography Include?

The basic structure of an OSCOLA bibliography includes three things: a ‘Table of Cases’, a ‘Table of Legislation’ and a bibliography listing secondary sources .

As you might expect, the tables of cases and legislation are where you list case reports and legislative documents cited in your work. The bibliography is where you list all other sources.

How to Format a Table of Cases/Legislation

Cases and legislation are listed in separate tables. If you have many sources, you may want to distinguish between jurisdictions, too (e.g. having separate tables for ‘UK Cases’ and ‘EU Cases’). Entries should be listed with the same information as in citations , but with a slightly different format:

• The table of cases should come before the table of legislation.
• List statutory instruments separately at the end of the table of legislation.
• Case names are not italicised, unlike elsewhere in the document.
• List sources alphabetically by the first significant word (e.g. ‘ Re Farquar’s Estate ’ becomes ‘Farquar’s Estate, Re’).

Some versions of this system include all legal sources under a ‘Table of Authorities’. If you take this approach, divide the table into separate sections for cases, legislation and statutory instruments.

How to Format an OSCOLA Bibliography

An OSCOLA bibliography lists all secondary sources, including books, articles and online resources, alphabetically by author surname. List sources with no named author at the start of the bibliography, ordered alphabetically by title, with a double em dash (i.e. ‘——’) in place of the author’s name.

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In an OSCOLA bibliography, the format for sources differs slightly to the one used in footnotes:

• Give the author’s surname first, followed by an initial.
• No first names or pinpoint references are given.
• No full stop is required at the end of bibliography entries.

As such, if the footnote citation for a book looked like the following:

1. Bill O’Rights, Constitutional Protection (2 nd edn, Hodder & Fouslon 1998) 245.

The equivalent entry in the bibliography would be:

O’Rights, B, Constitutional Protection (2 nd edn, Hodder & Fouslon 1998)

It’s good to keep a ‘working bibliography’ as you write, adding an entry each time you cite something new. This will ensure you don’t miss any sources.

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• OSCOLA Referencing – A complete guide

You’ve done it. You’ve extracted the key research, peppered your content with incisive observations, and you’ve just typed the last words of your Law essay conclusion.

And then… it happens. You remember that in all those pages of research, you forgot to reference the sources you used. If only you’d done it in the first place!

Knowing how to cite sources for assignments is a hugely important skill. Even if you’re still at school, learning how to reference now means you won’t get caught out at university.

If you study Law at university, you’ll use the OSCOLA referencing system. This is the Oxford University Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities. We’ve created a comprehensive guide on exactly what OSCLA is, and how to use it.

What is OSCOLA referencing?

OSCOLA is a footnote referencing style. That means that you add small, superscript numbers (for example, 1,2,3 ) to the sources in your text, which connect to footnotes at the bottom of your page.

You may also have to include a list of tables of cases, legislation and other primary sources at the start of your essay, and a bibliography of second sources at the end. See page 10-11 of the 4th edition of OCSCOLA.

Let’s look at the OSCOLA system in detail, and how you can cite a wide range of legal sources. Our comprehensive guide refers to the 4th edition of OSCOLA produced by the University of Oxford.

Primary Sources

Case citations with neutral citations.

An example of a typical case citation with a neutral citation is:

Corr v IBC Vehicles Ltd [2008] UKHL 13, [2008] 1 AC 884

The example above shows that this is a case involving Corr and IBC Vehicles Ltd. It was the thirteenth judgement issued by the House of Lords (UKHL) in 2008. It also indicates that a report of the judgement can be found in volume 1 of the series of the Law Reports called the Appeal Cases , beginning at page 884.

Case citations without neutral citations

An example of a typical case citation without a neutral citation is:

Page vs Smith [1996] AC 155 (HL).

When the year is used to identify the law report volume, you should always put it in square brackets. If the relevant law report series was also issued in more than one volume in that particular year, give it a volume number.

When you don’t need to use the year to identify the law report volume, give the year of judgement (not publication) in round brackets.

Where there are multiple parties in cases, you should name only the first claimant and the first defendant. Where cases concern only individuals, leave out forenames and initials. You should abbreviate common words and phrases, for example:

• BC for Borough Council
• Co for Company
• DPP for Director of Public Prosecutions.

When you want to refer to something, use Re instead of, for example, In re or in the matter of. You should use Re the Domestic Abuse Act 2017 rather than In the matter of the Domestic Abuse act 2017.

(See our ‘abbreviations’ section below for further guidance).

Short forms of case names

You should give the name of the case in full when you first mention it in the text or footnotes. After that, you can shorten it.

For example, ‘in Glebe Motors plc v Dixon-Greene’ can be shortened to ‘in the Glebe Motors case’ or ‘in Glebe Motors’. If you do shorten names this way, you should always choose the name which comes first in the full name of the case – in this case Glebe Motors, rather than Dixon-Greene.

Law Reports

A law report is a published report on a judgement. A law report includes features such as a headnote summarising the facts of a case and judgement, and lists of cases considered.

In England and Wales, there are no official law reports of any kind, but the Law Report series by the Incorporated Council of Law Reporting are considered the most authoritative.

If a case is reported in the Law Reports you should cite it in preference to any other report. If you can’t find a judgement in the Law Reports , you should cite the Weekly Law Reports or the All England Law Reports.

If you can’t find a judgement in one of these general series you should refer to a specialist series of law reports such as the Family Law Reports.

When citing courts, indicate the court in brackets after the first page of the report, and before the pinpoint if there is one. A pinpoint is a reference to a particular paragraph of a judgement or page of a report.

Use HL for the House of Lords, CA for the Court of Appeal, QB, CH and F for the division of the High Court, and Com Ct for the Commercial Court within the Queen’s Bench Division.

If you’re citing a case before 1865, it doesn’t require the court. Neither do citations of cases with a neutral citation.

Judges’ names

When you make a reference to a judge in a case, use the judge’s surname followed by the conventional abbreviation identifying their judicial office. You do not need to use ‘the Honourable’.

A High Court judge should be called, for example, ‘Mr Justice Brown’, or, if a woman (and regardless of whether she is married) ‘Mrs Justice Smith). You should abbreviate both as ‘Smith J’.

A House of Lords judge (or ‘Law Lord’) is called ‘Lord Brown’ or ‘Lady Brown’, depending on gender.

The President of the Supreme Court should be abbreviated as, for example, ‘Lord Brown P’; the Deputy President as ‘Lord Brown DP’.

The Lord Chancellor (now no longer a judge) should be abbreviated as ‘Lord Brown LC’, the Lord Chief Justice as ‘Lord Brown CJ’, and the Master of the Rolls as 20 ‘Lord Brown MR’.

The Chancellor of the High Court should be abbreviated as ‘Sir John Brown C’, and Presidents of the Queen’s Bench Division and Family Division as ‘Sir Brown P’.

UK primary legislation

Names of Statutes

You should cite an Act by its short title and year in roman, using capitals for the major words. Don’t put a comma before the year. For example:

Act of Supremacy 1558

Shipping and Trading Interests (Protection) Act 1995.

Don’t use popular titles of Acts, for example, ‘Lord Campbell’s Act’. If you are referring to a particular Act a number of times in the same place, you can provide an abbreviated form of the title in the footnotes, as long as you let your reader know in advance. So, the Children Act 1989 becomes CA 1989 (not just CA).

Parts of statues

Statues are divided into parts, sections, subsections, paragraphs and subparagraphs. The relevant abbrevations are:

part / parts to pt/ pts

section / sections to s / ss

subsection / subsections to sub-s/ sub-ss

paragraph/paragraphs to para/paras

subparagraph / subparagraphs to subpara/subparas

schedule / schedules to sch/schs

Older Statutes

For older statutes, you can give the regnal year and chapter number. For example:

Crown Debts Act 1801 (41 Geo 3 c 90)

You can see from this example that the information in brackets shows that this Act was given royal assent in the forty-first year of the reign of George III.

Explanatory notes to statutes

When citing explanatory notes to statutes, precede the name of the statue with ‘Explanatory notes to the…’. For example,

Explanatory Notes to the Charities Act 2006, para 15.

An example of how to cite a Bill is:

Consolidated Fund HC Bill (2008-09).

You can see that the Bill is cited by its title, the House in which it originated (here, House of Commons), and with the parliamentary session in brackets (here, 2008-09).

UK Secondary Legislation

Statutory Instruments

Statutory instruments (orders, regulations or rules) are numbered consecutively throughout the year. The year combines with the serial number to make an SI number that follows the abbreviations ‘SI’, which we use to identify the legislation.

When you cite a statutory instrument, give the name, year and (after a comma) the SI number. For example:

Penalties for Disorderly Behaviour (Amendment of Minimum Age) Order 2004, SI 2004/3166

Parts of statutory instruments

The rules for referring to parts of statutory instruments are the same as those referring to parts of statues. Use the following abbreviations:

• regulation / regulations to reg/regs
• rule/rules to r/rr
• article/articles to art/arts

European Union legal sources

Official notices of the EU are in the Official Journal of the European Communities ( which is abbreviated to OJ). The OJ citation should be: year, OJ series, number / page. The letter ‘L’ refers to the legislation series.

EU legislation

When you cite EU treaties and protocols, give the title of the legislation, followed by the year of publication, the OK series and the issue and page numbers. For example:

Protocol to the Agreement on the Member States that do not fully apply to the Schengen acquis – Join Declarations [2007] OJ Li129/35.

You should cite Regulations, Directives, Decisions, Recommendations and Opinions by giving the legislation type, number and title, followed by publication details in the OJ. For example:

Council Directive 2002/60/EC of 27 June 2002 laying down specific provisions for the control of African swine fever and amending Directive 92/119/EEC as regards Teschen disease and African swine fever [2002] OJ L192/27

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR)

For judgements of the European Court of Human Rights, you should cite either the offical reports, the Reports of Judgements and Decisions (ECHR) or the European Human Rights Reports (EHRR). Be aware of the difference before and after 1996. Before 1996, the offocial reports were known and Series A and numbered consecutively. From 2001, case numbers were used instead of page numbers. For example,

Johnston v Ireland (1986) Series A no 122

Osman v UK ECHR 1998 – VIII 3124

Balogh v Hungary App no 47940/99 (ECtHR, 20 July 2004).

Omojudi v UK (2009) EHRR 10

Secondary Sources

You should cite all publications with an ISBN as if they were books, whether you read them online or in hard copy. Older books do not have ISBNs, but you should cite them as books even if you read them online.

Authored Books

You should cite the author’s name first, followed by a comma, and then the title of the book in italics. You should then follow the title with publication information in brackets. You don’t need to give the place of publication. For example:

Tom Bingham, The Rule of Law (Alan Lane 2010).

If the book has more than one volume, you should follow the volume number with the publication details. For example:

Christian von Bar, The Common European Law of Torts, vol 2 (CH Beck 2000), para 76.

Edited and Translated Books

If there is no author, cite the editor or translator as an author, adding in brackets after their name. For example ‘(ed)’ or ‘(tr)’. If there is more than one editor or translator, put ‘(eds)’ or (trs)

Hard copy journals

When you cite hard copy journal articles, give the author’s name first, followed by a comma. Then give the title of the article within single quotation marks, and the publication information as follows:

year of publication (in square brackets if it identifies the volume, in round brackets if there is a separate volume number).

• the volume number if there is one
• the name of the journal, in full or abbreviated form, with no full stops
• the first page of the article.

For example:

Paul Craig, “Theory, “Pure Theory” and Values in Public Law” [2005] PL 440.

Refence case notes with titles as if they were journal articles.

If there is no title, use the name of the case in italics instead, and put ‘note’ at the end of the citation.

Online journals

With online journals that have been published electronically, give publication details the same way you would for hard copy journal articles.

If online journals lack some of the publication elements for OSCOLA, follow the citation advice of the online journal. Remove full stops to comply with OSCOLA.

Working papers

You should cite working papers the same way as electronic journal articles. Seeing as the content of working papers are subject to change, make sure you put the date of access. For example:

Graham Greenleaf, ‘The Global Development of Free Access to Legal Information’ (2010) 1(1) EJLT accessed 27 July 2010

Other Secondary Sources

Please see the 4th edition of OSCOLA for comprehensive details on how to cite other secondary sources such as:

• Parliamentary reports
• Command papers
• Law commission reports and documents
• Conference papers
• Websites and blogs
• Newspaper articles

We hope you’ve found our complete guide to OSCOLA referencing useful. You can also use the OSCOLA Quick Reference Guide for ease when referencing.

• Subject Guides

Referencing styles - a Practical Guide

Oscola referencing style.

Used by: the York Law School

Introduction to OSCOLA referencing style

The Oxford Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities (OSCOLA) was developed at Oxford University, and is widely used by law schools and publishers to acknowledge source information.

In-text citations & footnotes

OSCOLA uses a footnote citation system.

In the text, a number in superscript 1  is added at the end of a sentence and after the punctuation. 

The reference is then given in the footnote at the bottom of the page.

Where you cite an author of a secondary source their name should appear as it does on the publication with first name/ initials before surname.

For more detailed information, see OSCOLA 1.1 and 1.2

Bibliography

The bibliography at the end of the document includes the full details of each source so the reader can find them themselves. The list is organised by type of source, and then alphabetically. See below for more details on organising the bibliography.

The information to include depends on the types of source - see the examples.

Useful resources

• OSCOLA Referencing style A downloadable version of this OSCOLA style guide, with some extra details
• OSCOLA Quick Reference Guide A handy 1 page summary of OSCOLA style
• OSCOLA 4th Edition The full OSCOLA Standard
• OSCOLA for international law Details for citing international law sources

Guidance for all source types

Citing a source multiple times in the same document.

For a case, cite in full the first time. For further references to the case, use a short form of the case name and a cross-citation in brackets to the original footnote. If the case name is included in the text, omit it in the footnote.

If the subsequent citation is directly after the full citation, simply use the term ‘ibid’. If pinpointing specific paragraphs, place these in square brackets.

When referring to a previous citation a number of footnotes back, use the short version of the case and add n as an abbreviation signposting the number of the footnote

For subsequent citation of legislation, abbreviations are acceptable. For subsequent citation of secondary sources, you only need the author’s surname.

For more detailed information see OSCOLA 1.2

Citing multiple sources in the same footnote

For  multiple references  within one footnote use semi-colons to distinguish between them and put them in chronological order with the oldest first. For example, this footnote refers to two cases:

If one or more references are more relevant than the others put these first and then ‘see also’. For example:

Also, order the sources with legislation before cases, and primary sources before secondary.

Using pinpoints and page numbers

A pinpoint is a precise reference to the part of a judgment or report through numbered paragraphs or page numbers. There are a number of ways you can pinpoint specific details within publications, depending on what the publication is. When citing more than one paragraph, place the numbers in square brackets. In this first example the pinpoints are at the end to paragraphs 42 and 45 of the case:

In this example for a secondary source the page number 131 is given at the end:

 For more detailed information, see OSCOLA 2.1.6 and OSCOLA 4.2.5

Cross-citation

Cross citation is when you are referring to discussion in another part of your writing, for example on an earlier page or in a previous chapter. It is good practice to use cross citation as little as possible.

Try to be specific and use a specific footnote number (For example  See n 52  for the footnote. OR:  See text to n 22 .)

For more detailed information see OSCOLA 1.2.2 

Direct quotes

You need to be very precise when using quotations.

Short quotations (less than three lines)

Use  single quotation marks  and include within the text. For example:

Longer quotations (longer than three lines)

Use an indented paragraph, no quotation marks and a line space above and below.

For more detailed information, see OSCOLA 1.5

Citing a source you've read about in a different source (secondary referencing)

This means referring to a source you have not read that you have found within another source that you are using.  Try to avoid secondary referencing as it is always preferable to use the original source and you should always try to locate this.

If you find you have to use secondary referencing, in the footnote cite the source you have read, followed by ‘citing’… For example:

In the bibliography insert only the source you have read. There is no specific guidance on this within OSCOLA. 

Naming judges

When referring to a judge within a case, use the judge’s surname followed by the correct abbreviation.  (Mr or Mrs Justice Smith should be called Smith J in your text).

The exception to this rule is when the judge holds a title. A Court of Appeal Judge who is Lord or Lady Smith should be referred to as  Smith LJ .

• A House of Lords judge should be referred to as  Lord or Lady Smith  and should not be abbreviated.
• A Supreme Court judge should be referred to as  Lord Smith SCJ.
• The Lord Chief Justice can be abbreviated to  Lord Woolf CJ.

For more detailed information see OSCOLA 2.1.7

Using Westlaw or Lexis Library

You do not need to include any information about Westlaw or Lexis Library in your citations, as this is just the portal through which you accessed the report, legislation or article. Simply reference the relevant source as you would a paper copy. 

Using Latin terms within footnotes

The only Latin term that is acceptable to use within the OSCOLA style is ‘ibid’, for the instances when you are referring to the same source in consecutive footnotes. Do not use other terms such as supra, op cit, loc cit.

For more information see OSCOLA 1.2.3 u 

Using abbreviations

OSCOLA abbreviates a wide range of legal sources and institutions.

Do not use punctuation when using an abbreviation. Eg, the Director of Public Prosecutions should appear as DPP not D.P.P.

For a comprehensive list of legal abbreviations, use the Cardiff index . You can search by abbreviation to find the title, or by title to find the abbreviation.

For more detailed information, see OSCOLA Appendix 4.2 

Questions about referencing?

Contact your Faculty Librarians if you have any questions about referencing.

Commonly used sources

Examples of in-text citations and reference list entries for key source types.

Use these examples alongside the information given in the 'Guidance for all source types' box.

Act of Parliament

You should refer to the year the Act was passed rather than the year it came into force. 

Use the short title and refer to specific sections of the Act eg

 OR use s for Section in the middle of a sentence. For example:

Footnote: 

You do not need to footnote an Act if you make it identifiable in the text. 

Bibliography:   List Legislation and Cases separately in alphabetical order in the bibliography. 

See the  OSCOLA guides  and our Referencing with Confidence OSCOLA Guide for more details. 

Case citations including neutral citations: List cases in the bibliography in alphabetic order of case names. Use the following format to cite cases.

Case name in italics [year] court number, [year] OR (year) volume report abbreviation first page

If you have included the case name in the text, you do not have to include the case names in the footnote: In text:  refer to the text giving case names in italics eg: In  Phipps v Boardman 31  …..

Bibliography:

For most sources in OSCOLA, the bibliographic format is the same as the footnote. List legislation, cases and secondary sources in separate sections of your bibliography in alphabetical order. 

Treat case notes with titles as if they are journal articles. Where there is no title, use the name of the case in italics instead, and add (note) at the end of the citation:

See 3.3.2 OSCOLA 4th ed. for more details. 

Book 1 author

Capitalise the first letter of each major word of the title. Page numbers stand-alone without p or pp. use the following format for the footnote:

Information to include: Author,  Title in Italics  (edition, publisher date) page.

Book 2 or 3 authors

If the book has up to three authors, include ‘and’ in between each author. Use Initials or forename unpunctuated and with no spaces followed by surname. 

Information to include: Author, Title in Italics Capitalising Major Words  (Edition, Publisher Year) page. 

Bibliography: 

See 3.2 OSCOLA 4th edn for more details. 

Book (4 or more authors)

If a book has  more than three authors,  include ‘ and others’  after the name of the first author.

Edited book (& chapters)

Chapter in an edited book.

Information to include: author, ‘Title of chapter' in editor (ed), title in italics  (additional information, publisher year)

See 3.2.3 OSCOLA 4th edn for more details. 

Edited book

See 3.2.2 OSCOLA 4th edn for more details. 

Journal article / paper

Journal article / paper (print copy).

Footnotes: author, | ‘title’ | [year] | journal name or abbreviation | first page of article / paper,| specific page referred to

author, | ‘title’ | (year) | volume | journal name or abbreviation | first page of article / paper

Put a comma after the first page of the article / paper if you want to refer to a particular page or set of pages:

If the year serves as the volume identifier, put the year in square brackets [ ]. If there is a separate volume number, put the year in round brackets  ().

In the Young example, 72 is the volume number. Bibliography:

Omit reference to specific page numbers (other than the first page of the article / paper) in your bibliographic entry.

Journal article / paper (electronic copy)

If you source a publication online which is also available in hard copy, cite the hard copy version. There is no need to cite an electronic source for such a publication.

author, | ‘title’ | [year] OR (year) | volume/issue | journal name or abbreviation | <web address> | date accessed

If the information is only available online, give the URL before the accessed date information.

See 3.3.4 OSCOLA 4th edn for more details. 

Further sources

Examples of in-text citations and reference list entries for other source types.

Cite a Bill by its title, the House in which it originated, the Parliamentary session in brackets, and the running number assigned to it. Running numbers for House of Commons Bills are put in square brackets; those for House of Lords Bills are not. When a Bill is reprinted at any stage it is given a new running number.

Title | HC Bill | (session) | [number] OR title | HL Bill | (session) | number

Footnote and bibliography: 

In the bibliography, list bills in alphabetical order under the heading Secondary Sources.

Copied from 2.4.5 OSCOLA 4th edn. 

Where there is no relevant advice elsewhere in OSCOLA, follow the general principles for secondary sources when citing websites and blogs. If there is no author identified, and it is appropriate to cite an anonymous source, begin the citation with the title in the usual way. If there is no date of publication on the website, give only the date of access.

Author, 'Web page title' ( Website in Italics , Full Date) <URL> accessed Date

See OSCOLA 4th edn 3.4.8 for more details. 

Book (translated to English)

If you read a book that was translated from another language (eg, you read an English translation of a book orginally written in German), cite the translation:

If there is an author and translator, reference as follows:

See 3.2.2  OSCOLA 4th ed. for more details. 

Book (read in another language)

If you read a book in a language other than English (eg, you read a book written in German), cite the primary source in the original language:

Footnote:  

Bibliography:  

See 1.4 OSCOLA 4th edn for more details. 

Book review

Cite a book review in the same way as a journal article, but without the quote marks. For example,

Copied from  OSCOLA FAQs

Command paper

The abbreviation preceding a command paper number depends on the year of publication:

1833–69 (C (1stseries)) 1870–99 (C (2nd series)) 1900–18 (Cd) 1919–56 (Cmd) 1957–86 (Cmnd) 1986– (Cm)

Footnotes and bibliography:

In the bibliography, list Command Papers alphabetically by author in Secondary Sources. 

For more details see 3.4.3 OSCOLA 4th ed. 

Conference papers

See 3.4.6 OSCOLA 4th ed. for more details. 

Dictionary (hard copy)

Dictionary (online).

Also consider elements of the style advice for websites and blogs (section 3.4.8).

For the OED online, open the full entry for the word, and click on the Cite button (top right above the definition). Follow that example, tidying it up to make it consistent with OSCOLA styles (eg, change double quotes to single and full stops to commas, removing those that are unnecessary; change OED Online to italics; change Oxford University Press to OUP and put it before the date; and remove http:// from the web address and delete any text after the Entry number, then put angle brackets around the url):

For other online dictionaries, follow the general advice above. You need a date of publication or at least a date of access (ie when you looked at it), as they are generally updated regularly.

Copied from  OSCOLA FAQs. 

When citing personal communications, such as emails and letters, give the author and recipient of the communication, and the date. If you are yourself the author or recipient of the communication, say ‘from author’ or ‘to author’ as appropriate.

See 3.4.11 OSCOLA 4th edn for more details

Encyclopedia

Cite as a book but exclude author or editor and publisher. Include the edition and year. Pinpoints such as volumes and page numbers come after the publication information.

If citing an online encyclopedia, give the URL and date of access:

See OSCOLA 4th edn 3.2.6 for more details. 

Entry in a reference book

List in the bibliography in alphabetical order under Secondary Sources. 

European Court of Justice case

European union regulation, hansard & parliamentary reports.

There are three series of Hansard, one reporting debates on the floor of the House of Commons, one debates in the House of Lords, and one debates in the Public Bill committees of the House of Commons, which replaced standing committees in 2007. When referring to the first two series, cite the House abbreviation (HL or HC), followed by ‘Deb’, then the full date, the volume and the column. Use ‘col’ or ‘cols’ for column(s). In the House of Commons, written answers are indicated by the suffix ‘W’ after the column number; in the House of Lords, they are indicated by the prefix ‘WA’ before the column number.

HL Deb OR HC Deb | date, | volume, | column

See 3.4.2 OSCOLA 4th ed. for more details. 

When citing an interview you conducted yourself, give the name, position and institution (as relevant) of the interviewee, and the location and full date of the interview. If the interview was conducted by someone else, the interviewer’s name should appear at the beginning of the citation.

See 3.4.10 OSCOLA 4th ed. for more details. 

Footnote and bibliography:

Newspaper article

When citing newspaper articles, give the author, the title, the name of the newspaper in italics and then in brackets the city of publication and the date. Some newspapers have ‘The’ in the title and some do not. If known, give the number of the page on which the article was published, after the brackets. If the newspaper is divided into sections, and the page numbering begins afresh in each section, put the section name in roman before the page number, with a space but no comma between the two. If the reference is to an editorial, cite the author as ‘Editorial’. If the article is sourced from the web and there is no page number available, provide the web address and date of access.

List under Secondary Sources

Copied from OSCOLA 4th edn 3.4.9 

The general principles for ‘other secondary sources’ (OSCOLA 4th ed. 3.4.1) suggest the following form for citing podcasts, YouTube videos and similar sources:

Author, ‘Title’ (publication date) <url> accessed xx month 2014

If there is no clear author, give the organisation providing the source as the author. The examples below include a suggestion for citing the comments of a particular person.

If referring to comments by someone in particular, add that information as you would a pinpoint, before the url. Include the person's position if relevant. For example:

Another alternative, particularly if the podcast is quite long, would be to provide the minutes and seconds of the excerpt:

Copied from  OSCOLA FAQs 

Public communication

Author, 'Title' (additional information, publisher year)

Examples taken from  OSCOLA FAQs

List by author in Secondary Sources 

Radio programme

Footnote: Speaker (if a direct quote)/Presenter, 'Title of the programme' (Radio station, date of the programme)

Enter in alphabetical order in the Secondary Sources. If there is a direct quote/speaker, reverse the author's name as usual.

Use this format:

Author, 'Title' (Additonal information, edition if later than first, Publisher day Month year if available) page number if required.

Footnotes: 

Bibliography : 

List alphabetically in author order in secondary sources, giving the authors surname first.

Republished source

Author,  Title of book  (First published publication year, Edition if late than first, publisher, publication year) page if required.

Television programme

Footnote:  Use the following format: Main contributor [Role of main contributor],'Title of programme' [Television series episode] in Title of series (Additional information if required, Publisher, Year )

If you wish to refer to someone speaking during the programme, follow this format: Cite the name of the speaker (if a direct quote), the title of the programme, the radio station and the date of the programme. If there is no obvious author/speaker, begin the citation with the title of the programme. If available online, include the URL and date of access. For example:

List under Secondary Sources in alphabetical order

When citing an unpublished thesis, give the author, the title and then in brackets the type of thesis, university and year of completion.

Copied from 3.4.7 OSCOLA 4th edn.

United Nations Court of Human Rights

If the information is available in print, reference the print version. If only available on the web, reference as follows: 

Footnote and Bibliography:

In the bibliography, list in Secondary Sources.

YouTube video

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OSCOLA referencing guide

• Elements of OSCOLA referencing
• General principles
• Order of author’s name
• Source abbreviations
• Page numbers and other pinpoints
• Secondary references
• Footnotes referencing style

Bibliography

• Encyclopaedias
• Government publications
• Conference papers (published)
• Journal articles
• Newspaper articles
• UK Statutes (Acts)
• European cases
• European legislation
• Repeating citations – short forms and ibid
• Need help with referencing?

At the end of your work and after any appendices, you need to provide a structured list of all the sources you have used. This does not include any background reading and you should only list each source once, even if you have referred to it multiple times.  

The Bibliography includes: 

All primary sources you have used with headings, which could include Cases, Legislation, Treaties.

All secondary sources you have used with headings, which could include Books, Book chapters, Journal articles, Official publications, Websites.

Unlike footnotes, references in the Bibliography do not have a full stop at the end.

• << Previous: Footnotes referencing style
• Next: Examples for different sources >>
• Last Updated: Mar 5, 2024 1:30 PM
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Citing and referencing for Law

• OSCOLA Tutorial

Citing and Referencing using OSCOLA

Interactive oscola tutorial.

• OSCOLA Handbook
• General guidance
• Citing examples
• Further help

Your Subject Librarian

[email protected]

Based at: Law Library

After you have taken the tutorial, the Subject Librarian can help you if you need further guidance, including:

• An overview of how to use OSCOLA
• Examples of how to cite particular sources
• Checking examples of how you have cited particular sources in your essay or dissertation
• How to cite sources that aren't referred to in the OSCOLA guide or where you're not sure how to cite them.
• OSCOLA and what it is
• The importance of citing and referencing
• How to avoid plagiarism
• How to reference specific sources

Tip for screen reader users. You may wish to adjust the verbosity settings in your screenreader to read all punctuation and text attributes when you reach the examples.

Welcome to this tutorial.

In Part 1 you will learn…

Why you should cite and reference

What is plagiarism and how to avoid it

How to use OSCOLA to cite and reference

Character 1:    Let’s begin!

1. Why you should cite and reference

Character 1:    Let’s first define what a citation is:

A citation tells the reader where to find a specific source that you mention in your writing.

Now let’s look at why you should cite and reference.

Reason 1: Academic convention (get marks!)

Reason 2: Consistent and persuasive argument

Example of citing and referencing:

“Legal writing is more persuasive when the author refers to legal materials in a clear, consistent and familiar way. When it is easy to identify and to find the author’s sources, it becomes easier for the reader to follow the argument.” ¹

• Faculty of Law, University of Oxford ‘OSCOLA: Oxford University Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities’ (4th edn, Hart 2012)

Character 1:    This is an example of OSCOLA, but more on that later!

Reason 3: Avoid Plagiarism

Chapter 1 of a Legal Book: Interesting text that will support my point, don’t just copy me!

Why should we cite and reference?

Correct answers include:

To avoid plagiarism .

To conform to academic convention .

To make a consistent and persuasive argument

2. What constitutes plagiarism and how to avoid it

Plagiarism is…

Copying and pasting (e.g. from a book)

Concealing sources (deliberately not referencing others work)

Collusion, e.g. innocently using work generated from a discussion

Misinterpreting common knowledge i.e. bending the facts to suit your argument

Self plagiarism - using a large proportion of work that you have previously submitted as an assignment

Character 2:    How can you avoid plagiarism?

Example: The chief justice explained that this power ‘is not limited to defence against aggression from a foreign nation.’

2: Paraphrasing

Original- Her life spanned years of incredible change for women.

Paraphrase- Mary lived through an era of liberating reform for women.

3: Summarising

Putting the main points of a body of work into your own words

4: Plus, Correct citing and referencing!

3. How to use OSCOLA to cite and reference

Character 1:    As we mentioned earlier a citation tells the reader where to find a specific source that you mention in your writing

At City Law School we use OSCOLA

OSCOLA is a way of citing and referencing legal materials in legal writing

OSCOLA stands for the Oxford University Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities

Character 1:    OSCOLA uses a footnote style, all citations are in footnotes

There are no ‘in text’ citations

OSCOLA is only used for citations, it is not a writing guide

Let’s look at an example of OSCOLA referencing

Example: Choo and Nash state that this new piece of legislation ‘led to the creation by the courts of a prima facie rule of exclusion of evidence obtained in breach of the Act’.¹ A recent case in the Supreme Court relates to this point of law.² It has been noted that after the new act came into force, the courts adopted a prima facie rule that evidence obtained in breach of the legislation was to be excluded, except in certain restricted circumstances.³ Hart asserts this is a significant change. 4

How do these numbers correspond to the footnotes?

¹ Andrew L-T Choo and Susan Nash, ‘Improperly Obtained Evidence in the Commonwealth: Lessons for England and Wales?’ (2007) 11 E&P 75.

² Lucasfilm Ltd v Ainsworth [2011] UKSC 39, [2012] 1 AC 208.

³ Choo and Nash (n 1) 100.

4 Chris Hart, Doing a Literature Review (Sage 1998).

You will also need a bibliography at the end of the assignment which we will look at later

Character 2:    So you only add numbers in the body of the assignment?

Character 1:    That’s right! All the information about the source goes in the footnote and the bibliography

Character 2:    How do I add footnotes in Word?

Character 1:    Let’s take a look…

Text:    Click on the References tab

Click Insert Footnote

Footnotes will be added at the end of the document

Character 1:    The number of footnotes can vary wildly, it all depends on what you are doing and how your argument goes

Character 2:    So there’s no correct number of footnotes?

Character 1:    That’s right!

Now let’s talk about the OSCOLA handbook

There are three main sections of the handbook

Section 1 General Principles: gives you an overview of OSCOLA

Section 2 Primary Sources: tells you how to cite cases and legislation

Section 3 Secondary Sources: tells you how to cite everything else, journals, websites etc…

If you can’t find the rule you need in sections 2 or 3, then use the general principles in section 1

Two golden rules when using OSCOLA:

Be consistent - if you can’t find the rule you need then use the general principles and use similar citations throughout

Consider your reader - can they follow your argument and find your sources easily?

If the source exists in print, cite as print

If the source has an ISBN, cite as a book

In the footnote the whole name is displayed followed by a comma, e.g. John Smith,

In the bibliography only surname followed by initials and a comma are used, e.g. Smith J,

You have completed part 1.

Part 2 Primary Sources

In Part 2, you will learn…

How to cite case law

How to cite statutes, i.e. acts

How to cite international and foreign legal materials

Character 1: Let’s go!

1. How to cite case law

Character 1: When citing cases, you must use the law report citation as well as the  neutral citation:

Law report: Gill v Woodall [2011] 3 W.L.R. 85

Neutral citation: Gill v Woodall [2010] EWCA Civ 1430

Character 1: The law report citation identifies what you have read, whereas the neutral citation is the same regardless of source. To correctly cite cases using OSCOLA you need both the law report and the neutral citation.

This is the format you should use, in this order: Party names (in italics), Neutral citation (followed by a comma), the name of the Law Report

Character 1: Notice the italics and comma

For example: Gill v Woodall [2010] EWCA Civ 1430, 3 WLR 85

Character 1: This is Rule 2.1 in the OSCOLA Handbook. Use this in both the footnote and bibliography. Notice that the full stops have been removed from ‘WLR’ for the law report citation.

Top tip: Prior to 2001, cases don’t have neutral citations so use the law report series.

Pinpoints: A pinpoint is where you need to refer to a particular page, paragraph or section of a source. They go in your footnotes.

In case law they look like this

For a page: Lucasfilm Ltd v Ainsworth [2011] UKSC 39, [2012] 1 AC 208, 210.

For a paragraph: Lucasfilm Ltd v Ainsworth [2011] UKSC 39, [2012] 1 AC 208, [9].

If the basic citation ends with a number you need a comma BEFORE the pinpoint as below

Top tip: If you give the full party names in the text, you don’t need to repeat the party names in the footnote. This will save on your word count

Character 2: What about EU case law?

Character 1: You can refer to sections 2.6 and 2.7 of the OSCOLA handbook. Ideally you should use the European Case Law Identifier (ECIL) which is newer than the current edition of OSCOLA. It’s good practice!

Character 2: Can you give me an example?

Character 1: Sure! The citation functions like a neutral citation. The case number, followed by the case name, followed by the ECLI, and finally the citation of the official source.

For example: Case C-176/03 Commission v Council EU:C:2005:542, [2005] ECR I-7879

Character 1:  Let’s take a closer look at the ECLI! ‘EU’ indicates that it is a decision delivered by one of the courts of the EU. ‘C’ indicates that the decision was delivered by the Court of Justice. ‘2005’ is the year the decision as made. ‘542’ indicates that it is the 542 nd ECLI assigned in respect of the year in question.

2.  How to cite statutes

Character 2: So how do statutes work?

Character 1: They’re pretty simple!

Character 2: Phew!

Character 1: Cite the short act title like this in both the footnote and bibliography. For example, Bacon Industry Act 1938. Pinpoint the section by adding the section after a comma, and ending with a full stop. For example, Bacon Industry Act 1938, s53.

Character 2: That IS pretty simple!

Character 1: Let’s move on then!

3.  How to cite international and foreign legal materials

Character 2: Hmm…what’s the difference between international and foreign?

Character 1: ‘International’ means between nations, ‘foreign’ means belonging to one nation

Character 2: Right…I think I understand

Character 1: Well let’s see shall we, see if you can answer this question

Top tip: to cite international legal materials, refer to the 2006 edition of the OSCOLA handbook. These are not covered in the 2012 edition!

Foreign Legal Materials: When citing foreign materials, cite primary sources as in their home jurisdiction.

Top tip: Drop the full stops in any abbreviations when citing foreign materials. See the section 4.3 appendix of the OSCOLA Handbook for guides on other jurisdictions.

You have completed part 2!

Part 3 Secondary Sources

Character 1: We’ve looked at avoiding plagiarism, the general principles of OSCOLA and how to cite primary sources and legislation.

Now let’s look at secondary sources.

Character 2: So that’s books, journal articles, websites etc?

Character 1: Yes!

Specifically, we will learn...

• How to cite books, book chapters and e-books
• How to cite journal articles
• How to cite websites and blogs
• How to cite a source as cited in a secondary source

Character 1: Let’s begin

1. How to cite books, book chapters and e-books

Character 1: To correctly cite books remember these three things...

• Cite the author’s name exactly as it appears in the text
• Italicise the title of the book
• Abbreviate ‘edition’ to ‘edn’

Character 1: Let’s look at some examples...

In a footnote

Timothy Endicott, Administrative Law (3 rd edn, OUP 2015).      

Footnote with a page number (pinpoint)

Timothy Endicott, Administrative Law (3 rd edn, OUP 2015) 317.

In a bibliography

Endicott T, Administrative Law (3 rd edn, OUP 2015)

Character 1: All of the book titles are italicised; ‘edition’ is abbreviated to ‘edn’. The author’s name is at it appears in the text, however... remember that the author’s surname goes first in the bibliography followed by any initials.

Character 2: Please help me, how do I cite a chapter if it’s been written by a different author to the book?

Character 1: Don’t worry, it’s not difficult. Let’s take a look.

Example: John Cartwright, ‘The Fiction of the “Reasonable Man”’ in AG Castermans and others (eds), Ex Libris Hans Nieuwenhuis (Kluwer 2009).

Character 1: This is the format you should use in the footnote. The author of the chapter and the chapter name followed by the author(s) of the book and the book name, and then the publisher and year of publication.

For the bibliography, remember the rule – surname followed by initial.

Cartwright J, ‘The Fiction of the “Reasonable Man”’ in AG Castermans and others (eds), Ex Libris Hans Nieuwenhuis (Kluwer 2009).

Which of these is the correct citation for pinpointing page 99 of Michael J. Allen’s Criminal Law book?

Michael J. Allen, Criminal Law (14 th edn, OUP 2017) 99

Michael J. Allen, Criminal Law (14 th edn, OUP 2017) page 99

Michael J. Allen, Criminal Law (14 th edn, OUP 2017) 99.

The correct answer is Michael J. Allen,  Criminal Law  (14 th  edn, OUP 2017) 99.

Character 1: I hope you’re happier now.

Character 2: Yes. Thanks!

Character 2: Although I will mostly be reading e-books. How do I cite these?

Character 1: If the pagination is the same as the print edition, then it’s simple, cite it as a print book!

If the e-book has no page numbers, follow the normal book (or edited book) citation form, including the e-book type/edition before the publisher.

For ‘pinpoints’ where there are no page numbers, provide chapter / section number / section name and subsection or paragraph number if provided.

Top tip: The OSCOLA rules for e-books are 3.1.4 and 3.2.

2. How to cite journal articles

Character 1: Let’s look at how to cite journal articles.

To cute a journal article, the rules around the author’s name are the same, put the journal title in single quotation marks and remember to abbreviate the journal publication title.

Official abbreviation for journals and law reports can be found using the Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations: legalabbrevs.cardiff.ac.uk

Remember OSCOLA removes any full stops and punctuation.

Journal name – Entertainment Law Review

Official abbreviation – Ent. L.R.

For OSCOLA this becomes Ent LR

Let’s look at some journal article citations:

In footnote

Luxmi Rajanayagam, ‘Ukulele Bands Battle over IP Rights’ (2015) 26 Ent LR 299.

In footnote with pinpoint

Luxmi Rajanayagam, ‘Ukulele Bands Battle over IP Rights’ (2015) 26 Ent LR 299, 300.

In bibliography

Rajanayagam L, ‘Ukulele Bands Battle over IP Rights’ (2015) 26 Ent LR 299

Choose the correct statements and bibliographic citation from the following options.:

Option 1) OSCOLA journal citations use the author’s full name in a footnote.

Option 2) OSCOLA journal citations use the author’s initials in a footnote.

Option 1 is correct.

Option 3) In OSCOLA citations, a journal article is surrounded by single quotation marks.

Option 4) In OSCOLA citations, a journal article is surrounded by double quotation marks.

Option 3 is correct.

Option 5) Official abbreviations for journals can be found in the Oxford Index to Legal Abbreviations.

Option 6) Official abbreviations for journals can be found in the Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations.

Option 6 is correct

Option 7) Rajanayagam L, ‘Ukulele Bands Battle over IP Rights’ (2015) 26 Ent. L.R. 299.

Option 8) Rajanayagam L, ‘Ukulele Bands Battle over IP Rights’ (2015) 26 Ent LR 299

Option 8 is correct (it has removed the punctuation from the abbreviation, and ends in a full stop.)

3. How to cite websites and blogs

Character 1: Let’s look at how to cite websites and blogs.

Sarah Cole, ‘Virtual Friend Fires Employee’ (Naked Law, 1 May 2009) < www.nakedlaw.com/2009/05/index.html >  accessed 19 November 2009.

Cole S, ‘Virtual Friend Fires Employee’ (Naked Law, 1 May 2009) < www.nakedlaw.com/2009/05/index.html >  accessed 19 November 2009

Character 1: Don’t forget to include the date accessed. Websites and blogs can be updated and changed at any time, so the date you read it is really important.

The OSCOLA rule for websites and blogs is 3.4.8.

You don’t need to include http:// or https:// when citing websites and blogs.

4. How to cite a source as cited in a secondary source

Character 2: One last thing! What if I want to cite something that I’ve only read in someone else’s book?

Character 1: If you haven’t read the original, this would be called a Secondary reference, here’s how to do it...

WL Clay, The Prison Chaplain: A Memoir of the Reverend John Clay (London 1861) 554 (as cited in M Wiener, Reconstructing the Criminal Culture, Law and Policy in England 1830-1914 (CUP 1990) 79).  

Character 2: Hmm... so the full citation for the original book is provided in brackets, prefixed with ‘as cited in’.

Character 1: That’s right. Note the page number of both the secondary and the original source are included.

Character 1: Details of how to cite secondary references can be found on the FAQ page of the OSCOLA website.

Congratulations you have completed Part 3 and this tutorial! The end.

• Next: OSCOLA Handbook >>
• Last Updated: May 24, 2024 10:42 AM
• URL: https://libguides.city.ac.uk/citingandreferencinglaw

Referencing and citations - OSCOLA: The Basics

• Legislation
• Other sources
• Cross referencing
• Referencing software
• Help and support

Major points to note

• All OSCOLA citations to appear as footnotes on each page.
• No use of end notes or in-text citations.
• Footnote markers to appear at the end of the relevant sentence.
• Materials can be specified in tables of cases/statutes etc at the start of your work.
• Keep punctuation to a minimum, but close all footnotes with a full stop.
• Clarity and consistency to be the guiding rules.
• Search in the free online version for guidance if in doubt.
• IALS library card holders are welcome to make a reference appointment with a librarian to discuss their use of OSCOLA.

Bibliography

Items in bibliographies take the same form as all other citations in OSCOLA, with three exceptions: (1) the author’s surname should precede his or her initial(s), with no comma separating them, but a comma after the final initial; (2) only initials should be used, and not forenames; and (3) the titles of unattributed works should be preceded by a double em-dash. Works should be arranged in alphabetical order of author surname, with unattributed works being listed at the beginning of the bibliography in alphabetical order of first major word of the title.

A longer legal work, such as a book or a thesis, generally has a list of abbreviations and tables of all the cases, legislation and other primary legal sources cited in the work in the preliminary pages. The list of abbreviations should come before the tables, and the order of the tables should generally be: table of cases; table of legislation; other tables.

Lexis & Westlaw

You should never need to include Lexis or Westlaw in a citation. The cases, statutes and journal articles on these databases are treated as authentic versions, and should be cited exactly the same as the hard copy.

Similarly, if you source a publication online which is also available in hard copy, cite the hard copy version. There is no need to cite an electronic source for such a publication.

Incorporate quotations of up to three lines into the text, within 'single' quotation marks. Punctuation follows the closing quotation mark, and the footnote marker comes last. NB - If you need to submit your work through Turnitin, use "double" quotation marks.

Longer quotations should be presented in an indented paragraph, with no further indentation of the first line. Leave a line space before and after the indented quotation, and do NOT use quotation marks.

Further detailed information about how to present quotations (including quotes in quotes, quotes which are fragments) can be found on page 8 of the OSCOLA guide.

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Referencing Styles: OSCOLA

OSCOLA stands for the Oxford Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities. It is the Law referencing system created by Oxford University. If you are a post-graduate law student, you are required to use this referencing system. In this system, citations are put in footnotes at the bottom of the page.

To create a footnote in Microsoft Word, click your mouse on the place you want it to refer to. Click on ‘References’ at the top and then on ‘Insert Footnote’. A number will appear in the text, and also at the bottom of the page, where you write your citation. This means that your readers can easily look down at the footnote to see the details of the source you are referring to.

In this guide, each type of source has an outline of the elements of the citation. Each of the elements is separated by a vertical line ‘|’. Pay attention to

• whether words are in italics ( like this )
• whether brackets are round like this ( ), square like this [ ] or angled like this < >
• where there is punctuation, such as commas (,)

You can generate OSCOLA citations using RefWorks . To do this, log into RefWorks , then find the item(s) in Summon and click the 'Save this item' icon next to the search result. This will save the item(s) in your RefWorks folder. In RefWorks, select the item(s) and click 'Create Bibliography'. You can then select 'OSCOLA 4th edition' as the reference style and it will generate the citation.

In HeinOnline , there is a Cite button to the left of an article's text which gives you the OSCOLA citation. You can find OSCOLA reference generators online, but none of them are perfect, so please check what they give you.

If you cannot find what you need, read the latest edition of OSCOLA or email the Online Library at [email protected]

For International Law, see the OSCOLA guide to citing international law

General principles

UK primary legislation (Acts and Bills)

Uk secondary legislation (statutory instruments).

EU legal sources

                Judgments of the ECJ and GC

                Decisions of the European Commission

                Judgments of the ECHR

International Law

Cases from other jurisdictions, legislation from other jurisdictions, encyclopedias, online articles, websites and blogs, newspaper articles.

Personal communications (letters and emails)

General Principles

• Quotations that are three lines or shorter should be incorporated in the text. Use 'single quotation marks', but if you need to sumbit your work to Turnitin, use "double quotation marks".
• Quotations longer than three lines should be an indented paragraph. Do not include quotation marks.
• Put the footnote marker at the end of a sentence, unless for the sake of clarity it is necessary to put it directly after the word or phrase to which it relates
• The superscript number should be after the full stop or comma, if relevant
• Where more than one citation is given in a single footnote reference, separate them with semi-colons

Authors' names

• Give the author’s name exactly as it appears in the publication, but omit postnominals such as QC
• If there are more than three authors, give the name of the first author followed by ‘and others’
• If no individual author is identified, but an organisation or institution claims editorial responsibility for the work, then cite it as the author
• If no person, organisation or institution claims responsibility for the work, begin the citation with the title
• In footnotes, the author’s first name or initial(s) precede their surname
• In bibliographies, the surname comes first, then the initial(s), followed by a comma
• Italicise titles of books and similar publications, including all publications with ISBNs
• All other titles should be within single quotation marks and not in italics
• Capitalize the first letter in all major words in a title
• Minor words, such as ‘for’, ‘and’, ‘or’ and ‘the’, do not take a capital unless they begin the title or subtitle
• Pinpoints to parts, chapters, pages and paragraphs come at the end of the citation
• For cases, pinpoint paragraphs using square brackets, e.g. [23]. If pinpointing to more than one paragraph, separate the paragraph numbers in square brackets with a comma, e.g. [42], [45]. If citing spans of paragraphs, insert a dash between the first and last paragraph being cited, e.g. [1]-[37].
• For everything other than cases, use ‘pt’ for part, ‘ch’ for chapter, and ‘para’ for paragraph
• Page numbers stand alone, without ‘p’ or ‘pp’
• If citing a chapter or part and page number, insert a comma before the page number
• Where possible, give a specific range of pages but if you must refer to an initial page and several unspecified following pages, give the initial page number followed immediately by ‘ff ’ (eg ‘167ff ’)

Electronic sources (this does not apply to cases and legislation)

• If you source a publication online which is also available in hard copy, cite the hard copy version. There is no need to cite an electronic source for such a publication
• Citations of publications that are available only electronically should end with the web address (or ‘url’) in angled brackets (< >), followed by the date of most recent access, expressed in the form ‘accessed 1 January 2010’
• Include ‘http://’ only if the web address does not begin with ‘www’
• When a full date is required, the format should be ‘1 January 2016’
• There is no need for ‘st’ or ‘th’ after the day
• If something spans more than one year in the same century, the format is ‘1972-84’

Subsequent citations

• If a citation is the same as the one immediately before it, you can put 'ibid' (followed by any differing pinpoints) in the footnote
• If the citation is the same as another, you can use a shortened form, followed by a reference to the footnote and any differing pinpoints, e.g. Stevens (n 1) 110.

Case citations including neutral citations

case name | [year] | court | number, | [year] OR (year) | volume | report abbreviation | first page

Corr v IBC Vehicles Ltd [2008] UKHL 13, [2008] 1 AC 884

Case citations without neutral citations

case name | [year] OR (year) | volume | report abbreviation | first page | (court)

Barrett v Enfield LBC [2001] 2 AC 550 (HL)

• If only one volume was issued during that particular year, do not give a number
• Use square brackets for the year a volume was issued
• Use round brackets for the year a judgment was issued
• If you included the case name in the text, you do not need to include the case name in the footnote
• Where there are multiple parties, name only the first claimant and first defendant. Where the parties are individuals, omit forenames and initials.

What are neutral citations?

Many courts now issue judgments with a neutral citation which identify the judgment independently of any law report. Neutral citations give the year of judgment, the court and the judgment number. The court is not included in brackets at the end of a neutral citation because the neutral citation itself identifies the court.

Where a judgment with a neutral citation has not been reported, give only the neutral citation.

Re Guardian News and Media Ltd [2010] UKSC 1

Where such a judgment has been reported, give the neutral citation followed by a citation of the most authoritative report, separated by a comma.

Cite an Act by its short title and year, using capitals at the beginning of major words, and without a comma before the year. Do not use popular titles of Acts, such as ‘Lord Campbell’s Act’

Shipping and Trading Interests (Protection) Act 1995

If several jurisdictions are discussed in a work, it may be necessary to add the

jurisdiction of the legislation in brackets at the end of the citation

Water Resources Act 1991 (UK)

Statutes are divided into parts, sections, subsections, paragraphs and subparagraphs. The relevant abbreviations are:

section/sections

subsection/subsections

sub-s/sub-ss

paragraph/paragraphs

subparagraph/subparagraphs

subpara/subparas

schedule/schedules

Clause/clauses

Consumer Protection Act 1987, s 2

If specifying a paragraph or subsection as part of a section, use only the abbreviation

for the section. For example, paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section 15 of the

Human Rights Act 1998 is expressed as follows:

Human Rights Act 1998, s 15(1)(b)

title | HC Bill | (session) | [number]

title | HL Bill | (session) | number

Consolidated Fund HC Bill (2008–09) [5]

Academies HL Bill (2010-11) 1, cl 8(2)

Statutory instruments (orders, regulations or rules) are numbered consecutively throughout the year. The year combines with the serial number to provide an SI number that follows the abbreviation ‘SI’ and which is used to identify the legislation. When citing a statutory instrument, give the name, year and (after a comma) the SI number:

Penalties for Disorderly Behaviour (Amendment of Minimum Age) Order 2004, SI 2004/3166

Statutory instruments used to be called statutory rules and orders, and these are cited by their title and SR & O number.

The Civil Procedure Rules (CPR) and their predecessors, the Rules of the Supreme Court (RSC) and the County Court Rules (CCR), may be cited without reference to their SI number or year. Cite all other court rules in full as statutory instruments.

RSC Ord 24, r 14A

CPR Practice Directions (PD) are referred to simply by number, according to the part or rule they supplement.

Parts of statutory instruments

regulation/regulations

r/rr (not necessary for CPR)

article/articles

European Union legal sources

Official notices of the EU are carried in the Official Journal of the European

Communities (abbreviated to OJ). The letter ‘L’ denotes the legislation series, the ‘C’ series contains EU information and notices, and the ‘S’ series invitations to tender.

Legislation

legislation title | [year] | OJ series | issue/first page

Consolidated Version of the Treaty on European Union [2008] OJ C115/13

Regulations and Directives

legislation type | number | title | [year] | OJ L issue/first page

Council Regulation (EC) 1984/2003 of 8 April 2003 introducing a system

for the statistical monitoring of trade in bluefin tuna, swordfish and big

eye tuna within the Community [2003] OJ L295/1

Council Directive 2002/60/EC of 27 June 2002 laying down specific

provisions for the control of African swine fever and amending Directive

92/119/EEC as regards Teschen disease and African swine fever [2002]

Note that the year precedes the running number in citations to Directives, but follows it in citations to Regulations.

Judgments of the European Court of Justice and General Court

• EU cases registered at the European Court of Justice are given the prefix ‘C-‘
• EU cases registered at the General Court (known as the Court of First Instance until 2009) are given the prefix ‘T-‘
• Judgments from the Civil Service Tribunal (established in 2005) are given the prefix ‘F-‘
• For an unreported case, cite the relevant notice in the OJ. If the case is not yet reported in the OJ, then cite the case number and case name, followed by the court and date of judgment in brackets.
• When citing an opinion of an Advocate General, add the words ‘Opinion of AG [name]’

case number | case name | [year] | report abbreviation | first page

Case 240/83 Procureur de la République v ADBHU [1985] ECR 531

Case T–277/08 Bayer Healthcare v OHMI—Uriach Aquilea OTC (CFI, 11 November 2009)

Case C–176/03 Commission v Council [2005] ECR I–7879, paras 47–48

Case C–411/05 Palacios de la Villa v Cortefiel Servicios SA [2007] ECR I–8531, Opinion of AG Mazák, paras 79–100

Decisions of the European Commission

case name | (case number) | Commission Decision number | [year] | OJ L issue/first page

Alcatel/Telettra (Case IV/M.042) Commission Decision 91/251/EEC [1991] OJ L122/48

Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights

Cite either the official reports, the Reports of Judgments and Decisions (cited as ECHR) or the European Human Rights Reports (EHRR), but be consistent in your practice. Before 1996, the official reports were known as Series A. References to unreported judgments should give the application number, and then the court and the date of the judgment in brackets.

Johnston v Ireland (1986) Series A no 122

Osman v UK ECHR 1998–VIII 3124

Balogh v Hungary App no 47940/99 (ECtHR, 20 July 2004)

Omojudi v UK (2009) 51 EHRR 10

For International Law, see the OSCOLA guide to citing international law .

Cite cases from other jurisdictions as they are cited in their own jurisdiction, but with minimal punctuation. If the name of the law report series cited does not itself indicate the court, and the identity of the court is not obvious from the context, you should also give this in either full or short form in brackets at the end of the citation.

Henningsen v Bloomfield Motors Inc 161 A 2d 69 (NJ 1960)

Roe v Wade 410 US 113, 163–64 (1973)

Waltons Stores (Interstate) Ltd v Maher(1988) 164 CLR 387

BGH NJW 1992, 1659

Cass civ (1) 21 January 2003, D 2003, 693

CA Colmar 25 January 1963, Gaz Pal 1963.I.277

Cite legislation from other jurisdictions as it is cited in its own jurisdiction, but without any full stops in abbreviations. Give the jurisdiction if necessary.

Accident Compensation Act 1972 (NZ)

1976 Standard Terms Act ( Gesetz über Allgemeine Geschäftsbedingungen ) (FRG)

loi n° 75-1349 du 31 décembre 1975 relative à l’emploi de la langue française

author, | title | (additional information, | edition, | publisher | year)

Timothy Endicott, Administrative Law (OUP 2009)

Gareth Jones, Goff and Jones: The Law of Restitution (1st supp, 7th edn, Sweet & Maxwell 2009)

If there is more than one author insert an 'and' before the last author's name. The edition should be included where the book is in its second edition or beyond. If citing information from a specific page, add the page number directly after the reference. Example:

Gary Slapper and David Kelly,  The English Legal System  (Routledge 2016) 17

If a book consists of more than one volume, the volume number follows the publication details:

Andrew Burrows, Remedies for Torts and Breach of Contract (3rd edn, OUP 2004) 317

If the publication details of the volumes vary, the volume number precedes them, and is separated from the title by a comma:

Christian von Bar, The Common European Law of Torts , vol 2 (CH Beck 2000) para 76

Editors and translators

If there is no author, cite the editor or translator as you would an author, adding in brackets after their name ‘(ed)’ or ‘(tr)’, or ‘(eds)’ or ‘(trs)’ if there is more than one.

If the work has an author, but an editor or translator is also acknowledged on the front cover, cite the author in the usual way and attribute the editor or translator at the beginning of the publication information, within the brackets:

HLA Hart, Punishment and Responsibility: Essays in the Philosophy of Law (John Gardner ed, 2nd edn, OUP 2008)

Contributions to edited books

author, | ‘title’ | in editor (ed), | book title | (additional information,| publisher | year)

John Cartwright, ‘The Fiction of the “Reasonable Man”’ in AG Castermans and others (eds), Ex Libris Hans Nieuwenhuis (Kluwer 2009)

Cite an encyclopedia much as you would a book, but excluding the author or editor

and publisher and including the edition and year of issue or reissue. If citing an online encyclopedia, give the web address and date of access.

Halsbury’s Laws (5th edn, 2010) vol 57, para 53

Leslie Green, ‘Legal Positivism’, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall edn, 2009) <http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2009/entries/legal-positivism> accessed 20 November 2009

author, | ‘title’ | (year) | volume | journal name or abbreviation | first page of article

If only one volume was published that year, use square brackets:

author, | ‘title’ | [year] | journal name or abbreviation | first page of article

Put a comma after the first page of the article if there is a pinpoint (the specific page you are referencing).

JAG Griffith, ‘The Common Law and the Political Constitution’ (2001) 117 LQR 42, 64

When citing journal articles which have been published only electronically, give publication details as for articles in hard copy journals.

• Note that online journals may lack some of the publication elements (for example, many do not include page numbers).
• If citation advice is provided by the online journal, follow it, removing full stops as necessary to comply with OSCOLA.
• Follow the citation with the web address (in angled brackets) and the date you most recently accessed the article.

author, | ‘title’ | [year] OR (year) | volume/issue | journal name or abbreviation | <web address> | date accessed

Graham Greenleaf, ‘The Global Development of Free Access to Legal Information’ (2010) 1(1) EJLT <http://ejlt.org/article/view/17> accessed 27 July 2010

Treat case notes with titles as if they were journal articles. Where there is no title, use the name of the case in italics instead, and add (note) at the end of the citation.

Andrew Ashworth, ‘ R (Singh) v Chief Constable of the West Midlands Police ’ [2006] Crim LR 441 (note)

HL Deb OR HC Deb | date, | volume, | column

In the House of Commons, written answers are indicated by the suffix ‘W’ after the column number; in the House of Lords, they are indicated by the prefix ‘WA’ before the column number.

HC Deb 3 February 1977, vol 389, cols 973–76

HL Deb 21 July 2005, vol 673, col WA261

Command papers

Command papers include White and Green Papers, relevant treaties, government responses to select committee reports, and reports of committees of inquiry. When citing a command paper, begin the citation with the name of the department or other body that produced the paper, and then give the title of the paper in italics, followed by the command paper number and the year in brackets.

Home Office, Report of the Royal Commission on Capital Punishment (Cmd 8932, 1953) para 53

The abbreviation preceding a command paper number depends on the year of publication:

1833–69 (C (1st series))

1870–99 (C (2nd series))

1900–18 (Cd)

1919–56 (Cmd)

1957–86 (Cmnd)

Sarah Cole, ‘Virtual Friend Fires Employee’ (Naked Law, 1 May 2009) <www.nakedlaw.com/2009/05/index.html> accessed 19 November 2009

• If there is no author identified, and it is appropriate to cite an anonymous source, begin the citation with the title in the usual way.
• If there is no date of publication on the website, give only the date of access

author, | ‘title’ | name of the newspaper | (city of publication, | date) | page if known

Jane Croft, ‘Supreme Court Warns on Quality’ Financial Times (London, 1 July 2010) 3

Ian Loader, ‘The Great Victim of this Get Tough Hyperactivity is Labour’ The Guardian (London, 19 June 2008) <www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jun/19/justice.ukcrime> accessed 19 November 2009

interviewer(s) if not yourself, | Interview with name, position, institution of interviewee | (location, date of interview)

Interview with Irene Kull, Assistant Dean, Faculty of Law, Tartu University (Tartu, Estonia, 4 August 2003)

Timothy Endicott and John Gardner, Interview with Tony Honoré, Emeritus Regius Professor of Civil Law, University of Oxford (Oxford, 17 July 2007)

If the reference is to an editorial, cite the author as ‘Editorial’.

If you conducted an interview for the purposes of your dissertation, you do not need to cite it in your dissertation. If the transcripts of your interviews are in your appendix, you can refer to your appendix in brackets or a footnote, e.g.:

According to interviewee X (Appendix 1), the …

Or, you could cite it as a personal communication in a footnote.

Personal communications

When citing personal communications, such as emails and letters, give the author and recipient of the communication, and the date. If you are yourself the author or recipient of the communication, say ‘from author’ or ‘to author’ as appropriate.

Letter from Gordon Brown to Lady Ashton (20 November 2009)

Email from Amazon.co.uk to author (16 December 2008)

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Compiling and styling a bibliography in OSCOLA style

Most law students’ and writers’ problems with OSCOLA formatting usually relate to the footnotes. The famous American philosopher described them as ‘little dogs yapping at the heels of the text’. However, bibliographies – that long list of all the works you’ve read (or should have read) in order to research your dissertation or thesis – cause just as much trouble. OSCOLA style has some specific rules for bibliographies. So, in this article we’ll take a closer look at bibliographies.

Is the format of citations in a bibliography different to citations in the footnotes?

The answer to this question is ‘Yes’ … and ‘No’. The format of each citation is virtually the same as for footnotes, so you can copy and paste from your footnotes to biblio or vice versa, but be careful – there are a few exceptions. Check out these two important differences, as they mean you’ll need to do a little bit of editing to ensure your biblio is OSCOLA compliant.

•             The author’s name is reversed and shortened, so in the bibliography you just cite the last name followed by the initial. For example, Liz Brown (footnotes) becomes Brown L, (biblio).

•             There is NO FULL STOP at the end of a bibliography citation.

Apart from this, a few more points to note are:

•             List the works in alphabetical order based on author’s last name.

•             If the author is unknown – unattributed – list the source at the beginning of the bibliography with a double em dash in place of the name.

•             If the author has more than one work list them in chronological order and use a double em dash for repeats of their name.

•             Also, with books and journals, there’s no need to cite the page numbers referred to in the bibliography citation.

What’s a double em dash?

There are two places where a double em dash is used in a bibliography. First, if the author is unknown, then start the citation with two double em dashes and then the book title, in italics. Place the citation of an unknown author at the beginning of the bibliography list. The second place is where there is chronological list of several works, use a double em dash instead of repeating the author’s name.

Here is an example of the double em dash in a bibliography:

Kennedy H, Eve Was Framed: Women and British Justice (Vintage 1993)

—— Just Law: The Changing Face of Justice (Vintage 2005)

How do I insert an em dash?

As I’ve described above, M or em dashes have a specific use in OSCOLA bibliographies. Whilst the hyphen is easy to find, it’s right at the top of your keyboard usually next to number 0, there are no special keys for N or M dashes. You can use various keyboard shortcuts , depending on which version of Word you have installed, or you can use the INSERT tab—symbols—special characters. I’m running Word via Office 365 where the keyboard short for an em dash is Ctrl+Alt+numerical minus. To create a double em dash, just follow this short cut twice ——

Avoid repetition

Another bibliography tip is that there’s no need to cite the electronic version of a source if a hard copy of the material is available. So, if a book has been listed under ‘books’ but you have also referred to an online copy of it, there is no need to cite it twice.

Citing electronic works

However, if you are citing electronic sources, such as websites and blogs, you’ll need to add the accessed date. In OSCOLA style there’s no need to start the citation with ‘available at’, as is sometimes the case with other styles. Just put the website information in <brackets> and at the end add ‘accessed’ plus the date. The date format is: day/month/year eg 17 April 2017

Should I divide my bibliography into sections?

One question that often arises is whether the bibliography should be divided into different sections. There seems to be some flexibility (or inconsistency) about this. The OSCOLA guide indicates that if the list of sources is long then it is sensible to split them up into categories. For example, books, journal articles, websites. However, clients have come across some law schools that prefer the bibliography to be one long list, in alphabetical order, that places all the works of each author together. It’s best to check your law school’s specific requirements about this if possible, or look at previous some examples.

Oxford Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities (OSCOLA)

What is oscola.

The Oxford Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities (OSCOLA) is the preferred referencing style used by the Bristol Law School and the Bristol Institute of Legal Practice. This guidance is for students taking Law degrees only.

If you are a non-law student using legal materials, you may be required to use the UWE Bristol Harvard referencing standard . Please check with your personal tutor.

With OSCOLA, you reference your sources of information in footnotes and a bibliography.

Introduction to referencing

Discover the what, why, when, where and how of referencing at UWE Bristol. Includes common terms and what to include in your assignment word count.

Guidance for non-law students

If you are a non-law student using legal materials, you may be required to use the UWE Bristol Harvard referencing standard. Please check with your personal tutor.

Official guides

Authoritative guidance from the University of Oxford - the originators of the OSCOLA standard.

• Quick OSCOLA guide - 4th edition (PDF)
• Full OSCOLA guide - 4th edition (PDF)
• International Law Sources (PDF)
• OSCOLA Ireland - 2nd edition (PDF)
• Frequently asked questions about OSCOLA

Additional resources

• OSCOLA library workbook
• Citing the Law: Referencing using OSCOLA
• A-Z examples

Extra guidance

View supplementary guidance not found in the official OSCOLA guides such as COM/SEC documents, current law statutes (annotated), neutral citations, Home Office and other government publications, foreign law sources, and photographs and other images.

• When citing another work in your text, insert a small superscript number (eg 1 ) to denote a footnote.
• In the footnote at the bottom of the same page, insert the reference.
• In your footnote reference, refer to a specific page - or range of pages - if appropriate (this is known as 'pinpointing').

Microsoft Word has an inbuilt utility for inserting footnotes:

• Microsoft 2007 tutorial on inserting footnotes
• Microsoft 2010 tutorial on inserting footnotes
• Microsoft 2013 and 2016 tutorial on inserting footnotes

Bibliography

• Example 1 of a bibliography using the OSCOLA standard (PDF)
• Example 2 of a bibliography using the OSCOLA standard (PDF)
• At the end of your work (and before any appendices) include all your references in a full bibliography.
• Your bibliography is a list of every source of information you have used in preparing your piece of work, including sources you have used for background reading but not necessarily quoted from or referred to directly in your work.
• In your bibliography reference the information source as a whole, not specific pages.

Your bibliography should be laid out in three parts:

• table of cases
• table of legislation
• bibliography (ie, all other secondary sources, such as books, journal and newspaper articles, official publications, etc.).

Your tutor may prefer that your tables of cases and legislation appear separately at the beginning of your work. Always check with your tutor which format you should follow.

Table of cases

• Cases should be listed alphabetically by case name (eg Brown v Wilson , then Brown v Wright , then Browne v Wright ).
• Cases should be alphabetised by the significant name. So, for example, In re the Estate of Farquar or Re Farquar's Estate should be listed in the table of cases under Farquar's Estate, Re .
• Unless there are very few cases, you should divide the table of cases into separate sections for separate jurisdictions.
• European cases should be distinguished between ECJ, CFI and Commission cases and should be arranged in chronological and numerical order by their assigned case number.
• Shipping and trade mark cases (which are often referred to simply by the name of the ship or trade mark) should be included as normal, but should also have an additional entry in the table included under the name of the ship or trade mark, with a cross-reference to the full name of the case.

Table of legislation

• Legislation should be listed alphabetically by title.
• Your table of legislation should be listed with similar divisions to your table of cases to identify legislation from different jurisdictions.
• You may want to distinguish between primary and secondary legislation (eg having a 'List of Statutes' and a 'List of Statutory Instruments').
• Sources should be listed alphabetically by author's surname, or by title if no author is given.

Format references

References in your footnotes and bibliography must be formatted in the OSCOLA style - eg, with correct use of italics, punctuation and brackets, and with all the required bibliographic information present and correctly ordered.

The OSCOLA guides (4th edition) are published - for free - by the University of Oxford's Law Faculty. They contain the definitive and authoritative guidance on how to format your references in the OSCOLA style.

Referencing tools

Referencing tools to help you format references correctly and incorporate them into assignments, includes Mendeley and Zotero.

Ask a librarian

Library staff are happy to advise on referencing, however, they are unable to proofread academic work.

Ask a librarian with 24/7 live chat. You can also contact the Library by email or phone.

Library study skills support

There are a number of ways you can get support from the library, such as talking to us at helpdesks, using our online chat service, booking 1:1s or attending workshops.

You may also be interested in

Assessments

Helpful information and advice about assessments at UWE Bristol.

Reading and writing

Improve your academic literacy, English language skills, and learn about plagiarism and copyright.

Research skills

Online advice and tutorials to help you develop your research skills.

There are a number of workshops and other study support available from the library to help you develop your study skills.

OSCOLA Citation Style Guide (4th ed.)

The OSCOLA citation style is a footnote-based format, similar to the Chicago style. However, it is notable for its range of variation, like the Harvard style, and its use of the entire reference as a footnote with the page added at the end. As such, while the citations themselves are not hard, it is easy to make small and straightforward mistakes by using the wrong resources. As such, we have used our experience to compile an essential guide for you.

This guide is developed in line with Nolan D and Meredith S, OSCOLA: Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities (4th edn, Hart Publishing 2012).

What is OSCOLA Citation Style?

Why citing and referencing is important.

• Reference List Notes
• Cases Referencing
• UK Legislation Referencing
• Devolved UK Legislatures Referencing
• EU Cases Referencing
• Referencing International Law
• Referencing Books
• Referencing Journals
• Referencing Websites
• Referencing Dissertations and Theses
• Referencing Command Papers
• Referencing Hansard (Official Debate and Speech Records)
• Referencing Law Commission Reports
• Referencing Interpersonal Communications

Tables and Figures in OSCOLA

The OSCOLA style can be considered a footnote-based alternative to the Harvard format, as it is also applied in universities throughout the world regardless of the discipline. In it, you assign each citation a footnote that duplicates the reference at the end of the paper almost precisely, with some exceptions such as using a specific page number. As such, the OSCOLA style is somewhat similar to the Chicago style, which formulates its footnotes slightly more briefly. It can also be considered close to the Vancouver and AMA styles, as it follows a similar idea but does not send the reader to the paper’s end and specifies the page.

You may be familiar with the need to cite information, but many places also require you to follow a strict guide and a specific style while doing so. Here are some reasons why both of these aspects are critical for your writing and overall career:

• The point of a paper is to show your understanding of the topic and then reach additional conclusions from there. You show this awareness by citing works in the field that support or oppose your findings.
• The sources you use have to warrant the trust of a reader, meaning scholars should generally acknowledge them. Peer review is an essential practice that differentiates high-quality sources from inferior ones.
• When you reference a source, you have to identify what it is and where it may be found in a form that is easy for the reader to understand. Hence, you should adhere to the template lest you commit some mistake that makes the citation unusable.
• Ultimately, if you are caught plagiarizing, whether intentionally or not, you will be severely punished. You may even be expelled or fired from your organization, receiving a bad mark on your record that will severely tarnish it.

General Principles of OSCOLA Formatting

• Double-spacing
• 1’’ (2.54 cm) margins
• Arial 12 unless other instructions are given.

OSCOLA, as a rule, is used to cite legal sources; therefore, it is difficult to call it a full-fledged style since there are no special requirements regarding the design of a title page and other nuances. One of the most important points is the application of footnotes in order to quote legal documents and files.

• Superscript numbers indicating footnotes are usually placed at the end of a sentence.
• A footnote marker may be put after a significant word or phrase.
• A full-stop is put after a superscript number at the end of a sentence.
• Semicolons are used to separate several citations within one footnote from one another.
• Single quotation marks are used instead of double.

OSCOLA Headings

Level 1 Is Centered, Bold and Capitalized

Level 2 Is Centered and Capitalized

Level 3 Is Flushed Left, Bold and Capitalized

Level 4 is flushed left, not capitalized and sentence-formatted.

OSCOLA Footnotes

• If the same resource follows the previous one on one page, it should not be repeated.
• In a subsequent citation of a source, briefly identify the source and provide a crosscitation in brackets to the footnote in which the full citation can be found.
• If the subsequent citation in the footnote immediately follows the full citation, use ‘ibid’ instead.

1.           Qun Zhang, ‘Lean Six Sigma: A Literature Review’ (2012) 3 (10) IJCRB 599.

2.           Ibid 600.

OSCOLA Reference List Notes

• Only secondary sources should be placed on a separate sheet after the body of the paper.
• Sources should be listed in alphabetical order and are to match the footnotes with a corresponding superscript number used in the document.
• If multiple sources of the same author are used, they are to be listed in chronical order with 2 em-dash replacing the author’s name. Example: Fromm E, The Fear of Freedom (Routledge & Kegan Paul 1942). — — The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness (Harmondsworth: Penguin Books 1987).
• If multiple sources of the same author and year are used, letter designations should be given after the year of publication (2014a, 2014b).
• Although most of the paper should be double-spaced, the single spacing is used on the reference list with an extra line to separate the entries.

OSCOLA Citation for Primary Sources

Oscola cases referencing.

Cases with neutral citations

Case Name [year] Court number, [year] OR (year) | volume report abbreviation first page

• Give the name of the case in full when it is first mentioned in the text or footnotes; it may be shortened thereafter.

1.           Corr v IBC Vehicles Ltd [2008] UKHL 13, [2008] 1 AC 884.

2.           Corr (n 14).

• A reference to a particular paragraph of a judgment or page of a report (pinpoint) may be stated at the end. Reference to a paragraph is written in square brackets.

3.           Bunt v Tilley [2006] EWHC 407 (QB), [2006] 3 All ER 336 [3]–[37].

Cases without neutral citations

Case Name [year] OR (year) volume Report Abbreviation first page (court)

4.           Barrett v Enfield LBC [2001] AC 550 (HL).

5.           Barrett (n 11).

Law reports

6.           Taylor v Glass [1979] CLY 672 (CA)

7.           Horton v Sadler [2007] 1 AC 307 (HL).

Cases from Scotland

In OSCOLA, citations of Scottish law reports have no punctuation other than commas separating page numbers.

8.           Hislop v Durham (1842) 4 D 1168.

9.           Adams v Advocate General 2003 SC 171 (OH).

Cases from Northern Ireland

10.       Hylands v McClintock [1999] NI 28.

OSCOLA UK Legislation Referencing

11.        Criminal Attempts Act 1981, ss 1(1) and 4(3). 25 17.

12.        Sexual Offences Act 2003, s 1(1)(c).

Title HC Bill (session) [number] OR Title HL Bill (session) number

13.        Abortion HC Bill (2017-2019) [2].

UK acts of Parliament

Title year of adoption.

14.        Parliament Act 1949.

Parts of UK acts

A short title year of adoption, session (subsection number)(paragraph).

15.        Human Rights Act 1998, s 15(1)(b).

Statutory Instruments, or Sis

Title year/number.

16.        Cremation (England and Wales) Regulations 2008, SI 2008/2841.

OSCOLA Devolved UK Legislatures Referencing

Scottish Parliament

Act title asp number (Act of the Scottish Parliament).

17.        Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2016 (asp 1).

Scottish SSIs (statutory instruments)

Title with a particular year SSI number.

18.        The Letting Agent Registration (Scotland) Regulations 2016, SSI 2016/432.

Northern Ireland Assembly Acts

Title mentioning Northern Ireland year.

19.        Criminal Justice Act (Northern Ireland) 2013.

Northern Irish Statutory Rules

Title of the Rule, including Northern Ireland year, Statutory Rule number.

20.        The Local Government (Specified Bodies) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012, SR 2012/8.

Welsh legislation

As a rule, specific measures are cited, which may be passed by the Welsh government. In footnotes, they are abbreviated as nawm. Such a citation includes:

Title of the measure year (number).

21.        Domestic Fire Safety (Wales) Measure 2011 (nawm 3).

Welsh Statutory Instruments

Order title and year Welsh Statutory Instrument year/Instrument’s number in brackets.

22.        The Independent Health Care (Fees) (Wales) Regulations Order 2011 Welsh Statutory Instrument 2011/106 (W. 25).

OSCOLA EU Cases Referencing

This type of official documentation includes legislation, directives, regulations, and decisions.

European Union Legislation

Title of legislation [year] series mentioned in Official Journal (OJ) issue/first page.

23.        Treaty of Lisbon amending the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty establishing the European Community [2007] OJ C 306/01.

Directives, Regulations, and Decisions

Type of legislation number title [year] L series in the Official Journal issue/first page.

• European Union Directives:

24.        Council Directive 2001/29/EC on the harmonisation of certain aspects of copyright and related rights in the information society [2001] OJ L 167/10.

• European Union Regulations:

25.        Council Regulation (EU) 1984/2003 introducing a system for the statistical monitoring of trade in bluefin tuna, swordfish and big eye tuna within the Community [2003] OJ L 295/1.

• European Union Commission Decisions

26.        Alcatel/Telettra (Case No IV/M.042) Commission Decision [1991] OJ L 122/48.

• Commission decisions should be cited the same as cases.

European Court of Justice (ECJ) and General Court (GC) Judgements

Prefix (“Case C-” for ECJ or “Case T-” for GC) number indicating the case registration Case Name [year] report citation.

27.        Case C-557/12 Kone AG v OBB-Infrastruktur [2014] C.M.L.R. 5.

OSCOLA Referencing International Law

United Nations laws

Author Title (date) number:

28.        UNGA Res 67/97 (26 August 2008) A/63/332.

Title (date of adoption) publication mentioning (Short name) number of the article:

29.        Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards (adopted 10 June 1958, entered into force 7 June 1959) 330 UNTS 4739 (Foreign Arbitral Awards Convention) art 3.

International Court of Justice (ICJ) documents

Case Title [year] Court’s Report Citation/<link> accessed DD Month YYYY

30.        Alleged Violations of Sovereign Rights and Maritime Spaces in the Caribbean Sea (Nicaragua v. Colombia) [2013] ICJ Judgement <https://www.icj-cij.org/en/case/155> accessed 24 December 2018.

OSCOLA Citation for Secondary Sources

Oscola referencing books.

Author, Title (additional information, edition, publisher year)

Footnote citation:

1. Ruta Sepetys, Salt to the Sea (Philomel Books 2016).

Bibliography entry:

Sepetys R, Salt to the Sea (Philomel Books 2016).

Two or three authors

1. Andrew Bohm and Dean Chaudri, Securing Australia’s Future: An Analysis of the International Education Markets in India (IDP Education Australia 2000) 33–55.

Bohm A and Chaudri D, Securing Australia’s Future: An Analysis of the International Education Markets in India (IDP Education Australia 2000).

Four or more authors

1. Michael Bell and others, Universities Online: A Survey of Online Education and Services in Australia (Department of Education, Science and Training 2002) 45.

Bell M and others, Universities Online: A Survey of Online Education and Services in Australia (Department of Education, Science and Training 2002).

Books with editors or translators

1.  Russell Baker (ed), The Norton Book of Light Verse (W. W. Norton 1986) 105.

• For one editor, use ed ; for two and more – eds
• In a case with a translator, use tr / trs instead of ed / eds

Baker R (ed), The Norton Book of Light Verse (W. W. Norton 1986).

Authors plus editors or translators 

1.   Winston Churchill, The Literary Works of Winston Churchill (Samuel Jackson ed, The Limited Editions Club 1963) 12.

Churchill W, The Literary Works of Winston Churchill (Samuel Jackson ed, The Limited Editions Club 1963).

Multiple works by the same author

Using multiple works by the same author poses no challenge as all are to be cited in footnotes at the bottom of the page.

1.   Erich Fromm, The Fear of Freedom (London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1942) 33.

2.   Erich Fromm, The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness (Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1987) 42.

Fromm E, The Fear of Freedom (Routledge & Kegan Paul 1942).

—. The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness (Penguin Books 1987).

Different editions

1.  John Kremer and Aidan Moran, Pure Sport: Practical Sport Psychology (2nd edn, Routledge 2013) 104.

Kremer J and Moran A, Pure Sport: Practical Sport Psychology (2nd edn, Routledge 2013).

Encyclopedia or dictionary

1.  ‘Christianity’, The New Encyclopedia Britannica (15th edn, 2018) <https://www.britannica.com/topic/Christianity/Church-tradition> accessed 24 December 2018.

‘Christianity’, The New Encyclopedia Britannica (15th edn, 2018) <https://www.britannica.com/topic/Christianity/Church-tradition> accessed 24 December 2018.

• State either page number(s) or link and access date depending on whether the source is a published or found online.

Chapter in an edited book 

1.  Malcolm Higgs, ‘Change and Its Leadership: The Role of Positive Emotions’ in P. Alex Linley, Susan Harrington, and Nicola Garcea (eds), The Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology and Work (Oxford University Press 2013) 67–94.

Higgs M, ‘Change and Its Leadership: The Role of Positive Emotions’ in P. Alex Linley, Susan Harrington, and Nicola Garcea (eds), The Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology and Work (Oxford University Press 2013) 67–94.

OSCOLA Referencing Journals

Journal article

Author, ‘Title’ [year] Journal Name or Abbreviation first page of article Author, ‘Title’ (year) volume(number) Journal Name or Abbreviation first page of article

1.  Qun Zhang and others, ‘Lean Six Sigma: A Literature Review’ (2012) 3(10) Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business 599.

Zhang Q and others, ‘Lean Six Sigma: A Literature Review’ (2012) 3(10) Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business 599.

Online journals

The format is similar to that of journal articles, but in this case, <URL> or <doi> and access date are given.

1.   Qun Zhang and others, ‘Lean Six Sigma: A Literature Review’ (2012) 3(10) Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business 599 <https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/6303/744cf0edb78ac8512ecb660b19167b607ddb.pdf> accessed 24 December 2018.

Zhang Q and others, ‘Lean Six Sigma: A Literature Review’ (2012) 3(10) Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business 599 <https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/6303/744cf0edb78ac8512ecb660b19167b607ddb.pdf> accessed 24 December 2018.

Newspaper articles

1.  Barton Gellman and Ellen Nakashima, ‘US spy agencies mounted 231 offensive cyber-operations in 2011, documents show’ Washington Post (Washington, 13 August 2013) C3.

Gellman B and Nakashima E, ‘US spy agencies mounted 231 offensive cyber-operations in 2011, documents show’ Washington Post (Washington, 13 August 2013) C3.

OSCOLA Referencing Websites

Websites and blogs

1.  Christie Daniels, ‘Pumpkin Pie’ ( Easy Recipes , 25 April 2016) <www.easyrecipes.com/04/25/2016/pumpkin-pie> accessed 24 December 2018

Daniels C, ‘Pumpkin Pie’ ( Easy Recipes , 25 April 2016) <www.easyrecipes.com/04/25/2016/pumpkin-pie> accessed 24 December 2018

OSCOLA Referencing Dissertations and Theses

Thesis or dissertation

1.  Cynthia Lillian Rutz, ‘King Lear and Its Folktale Analogues’ (PhD diss., University of Chicago 2013) 99–100.

Rutz CL, ‘ King Lear and Its Folktale Analogues’ (PhD diss., University of Chicago 2013).

OSCOLA Referencing Command Papers

Author, Paper Title (number, year).

1.  Prime Minister’s Office and Cabinet Office, Modernising government (Cm 4310, 1999) para 15.

Prime Minister’s Office and Cabinet Office, Modernising government (Cm 4310, 1999).

OSCOLA Referencing Hansard (Official Debate and Speech Records)

House abbreviation Deb date, volume, column.

HL Deb 25 November 1997, vol 583, col 835.

• Suffix WS for citing a written statement:

HC Deb 15 April 2013, vol 561, col 18WS.

• Prefix WA for citing a written answer:

HL Deb 21 May 2013, vol 745, col WA39.

• Suffix WH for citing a debate in Westminster Hall:

HC Deb 29 January 2013, vol 557, cols 179-205WH.

• Series numbers for old records:

HC Deb (4th series) 18 July 1900, vol 86, col 341.

• Hansard of Standing Committee:

SC Deb (D) 25 May 2004, col 40.

• Since 2014, column references have not been used. More information may be found on the official website – https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/. Today, a possible relevant citation may look as follows:

HC 10 July 2018, PQ 162501.

OSCOLA Referencing Law Commission Reports

1.   Law Commission, The 13th Programme of Law Reform (Law Com No 377, 2017).

2.    Law Com No 377.

Law Commission, Report or Paper Title (number, year).

Law Commission, The 13th Programme of Law Reform (Law Com No 377, 2017).

OSCOLA Referencing Interpersonal Communications

Unpublished letters or emails

Communication Form from Author to Recipient (DD Month YYYY)

Letter from S Alexander to Gibson WR (1 November 1911).

Interviewee’s Name, Their Position, Educational Institution (if necessary), (Place of the interview date)

Interview with Marilyn Charlton, Professor of Social Science, Swansea University (Swansea 17 July 2017).

The OSCOLA style requires that you provide each table and figure in a separate file, preferably in a Word, Excel, or EPS format. With that said, they are intended to be put in the text by the time of publication, so putting them into appendices is not necessary. They should be self-sufficient and possible to understand without their accompanying text. They may feature notes and other textual information, but not the title. You should denote the position in the passage where the object should be with a title saying “Table (Figure) #: Titlefootnote number.” Correspondingly, your file names should incorporate the type of object and its number to make it clear which item is contained within.

Figure 1: Glass world .

Even though tables and figures are excluded from the main file when you conduct your submission, they are taken into account as part of the total word count. As such, you should be careful when dealing with works that have a strict upper limit. Also, the standard consideration of describing the relevant pages in your citation when you take a table or figure from a print paper still applies. Usually, electronic sources will not have distinct pages, so you do not have to be concerned in that regard.

Reference List

1. Environmental Science. 2018. Glass world. EnvironmentalScience.org. https://www.environmentalscience.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/NEPA-CEQA-640×425.jpeg (Accessed 2019-8-18).

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• Writing Tips

How to Format an OSCOLA Bibliography

3-minute read

• 4th September 2019

In the UK, the main legal  referencing system is OSCOLA. With this system, you need to list all sources you’ve cited at the end of your document. Hence, in this post, we look at how to format an OSCOLA bibliography.

Do I Need a Bibliography?

Short answer: Yes, but  check your style guide  for specifics.

Technically, the fourth edition of OSCOLA says that “shorter works, such as articles and essays, generally only require footnotes.” However, most law schools want you to demonstrate your ability to cite sources, so it’s usually best to include a full bibliography.

What Should an OSCOLA Bibliography Include?

The basic structure of an OSCOLA bibliography includes three things:

• A Table of Cases
• A Table of Legislation
• And a bibliography listing secondary sources

As you might expect, the tables of cases and legislation are where you list case reports and legislative documents cited in your work. The bibliography, meanwhile, is where you should list all other sources.

How to Format a Table of Cases/Legislation

Cases and legislation are listed in separate tables. If you have many sources, you may want to distinguish between jurisdictions, too (e.g., having separate tables for “UK Cases” and “EU Cases”). Rules for listing sources include:

• The table of cases should come before the table of legislation.
• List statutory instruments separately at the end of the table of legislation.
• Case names are not italicized, unlike elsewhere in the document.
• List sources alphabetically by the first significant word (e.g., “ Re Farquar’s Estate ” becomes “Farquar’s Estate, Re”).

Some versions of this system include all legal sources under a “Table of Authorities.” If you take this approach, it should be subdivided into separate sections for cases, legislation, and statutory instruments.

An OSCOLA bibliography lists all secondary sources, including books, articles and online resources, alphabetically by author surname. Entries in the bibliography are similar to footnotes, but  the format differs slightly:

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• Give the author’s surname first, followed by an initial.
• No first names or pinpoint references are given.
• No period is required at the end of bibliography entries.

As such, if the footnote citation for a book looked like the following:

1. Bill O’Rights,  Constitutional Protection  (2 nd  edn, Hodder & Fouslon 1998) 245.

The equivalent entry in the bibliography would be:

O’Rights, B,  Constitutional Protection  (2 nd  edn, Hodder & Fouslon 1998)

Sources with no named author, meanwhile, go at the start of the bibliography, with a double em dash (i.e., “——”) in place of the author’s name.

It’s good to keep a working bibliography as you write, adding an entry each time you cite something new. This will ensure you don’t miss any sources.

Legal Referencing in the USA

While OSCOLA is used in the UK, it is not the standard referencing system in the USA. Thus, if you’re writing about US law, you may need to use Bluebook or ALWD referencing. And if you need anyone to check the referencing in a document, try our proofreading today.

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Our Complete Guide to Citing in OSCOLA Format

Welcome aboard our easy-to-understand guide, designed to walk you through the winding roads of the OSCOLA citation style. We'll be your co-pilots, helping you chart the terrain of footnotes and develop a comprehensive bibliography with simplicity.

Let's dive into how an OSCOLA citation generator can be your secret weapon in streamlining your referencing process and unravel the mysteries of perfect footnote and reference formatting.

We promise that creating an OSCOLA bibliography will be a breeze!

Discover More Bibcitation Guides

Oscola referencing style overview.

The OSCOLA referencing format is widely accepted within legal academia and legal publications. It provides a standardized approach to referencing legal documents and cases, ensuring that the citations are clear, consistent, and easily traceable. By following OSCOLA guidelines, your legal arguments will be underpinned by properly attributed sources, thereby adding credibility and professionalism to your work.

In the OSCOLA system, there are two primary aspects of citation: footnotes and the bibliography.

Footnotes: Footnotes in OSCOLA are used for citing the sources of information or the legal authorities being referred to within the main text. These are detailed references that include the specific parts of the source being cited, such as page numbers or paragraph numbers in a judgment.

Bibliography: The bibliography in OSCOLA gathers all the sources cited in footnotes and lists them at the end of the document. The bibliography is separated into tables, cases, legislation, and secondary sources.

By adhering to the OSCOLA referencing style, you create a bridge between your arguments and the legal authorities that support them. This enhances the coherence and reliability of your work and facilitates the readers' ability to engage with and assess your legal reasoning. Whether you are a law student, an academic, or a legal professional, understanding and applying the OSCOLA style is a crucial skill in crafting persuasive and credible legal writing.

Format OSCOLA Footnotes

In the OSCOLA Referencing Style, footnotes serve as brief references at the bottom of the page, leading readers to the full citation in the bibliography. These references typically include the title of the case or statute, the year of publication, and specific details such as page numbers.

The following examples illustrate how to cite various legal documents using the OSCOLA style:

Legal cases: The primary method for citing cases includes the parties' names, year, and report citation. For example: R (Miller) v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union [2017] UKSC 5.

Legislation: For statutes, use the short title and the year in italics. For example: Equality Act 2010.

Secondary sources - Books: For books, include the author's initials, last name, title in italics, edition if relevant, (publisher, year), and specific pages. For example: J M Finnis, Natural Law and Natural Rights (2nd edn, OUP 2011) 275.

Secondary sources - Articles: For journal articles, use the author's initials, last name, title in single quotes, [year], volume (issue number), journal name or abbreviation, and first page of the article. For example: P Craig, 'Theory and Values in Public Law' [2004] PL 598.

Multiple citations in one footnote: If referencing multiple sources in one footnote, separate each citation with a semicolon. For example: Equality Act 2010, s 15(1)(a); R (Miller) [2017] UKSC 5, para 57.

Electronic sources: Include the author's name, title in italics, web address, and accessed date for online materials. For example: T Bingham, 'The Rule of Law' (The Rule of Law, 2007) <www.cps.org.uk accessed 10 March 2022>.

Extended quotations: In OSCOLA, it is common to place a lengthy quotation within the footnotes rather than the main body text.

Example: M Lord Neuberger emphasizes the importance of the rule of law, stating: 'Adherence to the rule of law informs every aspect of the judicial duty, including, of course, the determination, interpretation, and application of the law.'^1

^1 R (Miller) v Secretary of State for Exiting the EU [2017] UKSC 5, para 40.

The OSCOLA referencing style ensures a standardized method of citation within the field of law. By carefully following these rules, you can construct a precise and professional legal document that appropriately credits the works and authorities that have informed your arguments.

Generate Bibliography in OSCOLA

The OSCOLA citation style, used predominantly in legal studies, follows a distinct approach that often involves footnotes for citations and may also include a bibliography. Here's how to format a bibliography in the OSCOLA style:

Title and placement: The bibliography should begin on a new page at the end of your work. Center the heading "Bibliography" (without quotation marks) at the top of the page. Do not bold, italicize, or underline the heading.

Spacing and margins: Employ single-spacing within entries and double-spacing between them in the bibliography. Keep 1-inch margins on all sides of the page. Unlike the Harvard style, OSCOLA does not use hanging indents; instead, the first line of each citation should align with the left margin.

Organize your citations: OSCOLA recommends separating primary sources such as cases and legislation from secondary sources like books and articles. Within these categories, you should alphabetize the list by the first significant word of the citation.

Pay attention to punctuation and italics: Use italics for the titles of books, reports, and legislation. Quotation marks are used for article titles. Ensure that punctuation marks are consistently applied following the OSCOLA guidelines.

Check for accuracy: Ensure that each reference is accurate, including the correct use of italics, capitalization, and other formatting as per OSCOLA standards.

By adhering to these rules, you can create a bibliography that aligns with the specific requirements of the OSCOLA citation style, helping your readers easily navigate and verify the legal authorities cited in your work.

Cite Books in OSCOLA

Law is built upon centuries of tradition, so it's only fitting that the citation of legal documents should have its own unique set of rules. Enter OSCOLA, a standardized citation system that brings order to the potentially chaotic world of legal citation. Let's take a closer look at how to reference books in OSCOLA, with examples and some surprising exceptions.

For Example:

Multiple authors. If the book has multiple authors, list them in the order they appear in the book, using "and" between authors:

Chapter in an edited book. For a chapter in an edited book, use the author's name of the chapter, the chapter title, the editor's initials and last name, the book title, and publication details:

No author. In cases where the author of the book is not known, the title of the book is used instead, followed by the publisher's name and year of publication:

Citing multiple volumes: When citing a multi-volume work, include the volume number after the year of publication.

Pro Tip: Reference List Order

In OSCOLA, your reference list must be sorted by author's surname and then chronologically by publication date.

OSCOLA citation brings consistency and professionalism to legal writing. The guidance provided above for citing books, from single authors to multiple volumes, ensures you have the tools to cite correctly.

As you engage in the practice of law, remember that proper citation not only follows rules but acknowledges the intellectual heritage of your work, connecting you to the broader legal conversation.

Cite Journal Articles in OSCOLA

Journal articles, as valuable sources of up-to-date research and commentary, form an integral part of legal scholarship. Referencing them correctly is crucial in legal writing. The OSCOLA style, devised by Oxford University, gives us a structured, professional, and widely-accepted method to do this.

For example:

Journal articles available online. If the journal is only available electronically or is paginated separately to a print version, the citation should include [online], the volume number and the web address where the article can be found:

No volume number. If a journal doesn't have volume numbers, you should use the issue number instead, after the year:

No page numbers. Some online journals do not have page numbers. In such cases, you can omit the page numbers:

Article from an online database. If you accessed an article from a web database, you should cite the database name, the document number, and the URL:

Pro Tip: Using Footnotes

In OSCOLA, in-text citations are replaced by footnotes. Each time you reference a source, you should provide a footnote with the full citation details. This applies to all references, including those to journal articles.

Referencing journal articles accurately in OSCOLA style adds credibility and professionalism to your writing. Whether your sources are single-author, multi-author, anonymous, or electronic, the guidance provided above ensures you have the tools to cite correctly.

Cite Websites in OSCOLA

Websites offer a plethora of information, both official and unofficial, that can be pertinent to legal studies. Correctly referencing this online material, in compliance with OSCOLA guidelines, ensures your work maintains its integrity. While it might feel like traversing a new frontier, citing web sources doesn't have to be daunting.

Website with corporate author. If the website has a corporate author, the citation should begin with the corporate entity's name, followed by the title of the webpage, the full date the page was last updated, and the web address:

No Known Author. In instances where the author of a webpage is not known, start with the title of the webpage, followed by the full date the page was last updated, and the web address:

Blogs or online articles. Blogs or online articles follow the same general structure, with the addition of the name of the blog or the publication in italics after the author's name:

Pro Tip: Access Dates

Remember to always include the access date when citing web sources, as online content can change over time. The access date serves to let readers know when you last verified the information on the webpage.

While it may seem intimidating at first, referencing websites in OSCOLA style can be a straightforward process when following these guidelines. Whether your sources are webpages, corporate websites, or blogs, you are now equipped with the tools necessary for accurate citation.

Cite Book Chapters in OSCOLA

In legal scholarship, book chapters often provide in-depth coverage of a specific topic, making them an indispensable resource. When it comes to citing these chapters using the OSCOLA referencing style, precision is key. Let's walk you through the citation process.

Book chapter with multiple authors. When citing a book chapter written by multiple authors, list the authors as they appear in the chapter, using 'and' between the authors:

No author: In cases where the author of the chapter is not mentioned, start with the title of the chapter, followed by the title of the book, editors of the book, and the first page of the chapter.

Book with single author, citing specific chapter: When citing a specific chapter of a book written by a single author, mention chapter details after the book's details.

Pro Tip: The Pinpoint Citation

In OSCOLA, 'pinpoint citations' allow you to direct the reader to a specific page or pages where the cited information can be found. The first page of the chapter, followed by the specific page number, should be provided at the end of the citation (e.g., 121-122).

Remember, citing book chapters accurately in OSCOLA style is crucial for acknowledging the work of authors and editors, and for guiding your readers to your sources. Whether your sources are single-author, multi-author, or anonymous, this guide has provided you with the know-how to tackle your citations with confidence.

Cite Newspapers & Magazines in OSCOLA

Conference papers are vital sources of latest research findings and theories before they make it to formal publications. When referencing these sources in legal studies and scholarly works, the OSCOLA referencing style provides a professional, structured and well-accepted format to do so.

Online articles. For online articles, include the web address (URL) at the end of the citation, and the access date if no publication date is available:

Pro Tip: Secondary Referencing

In OSCOLA, secondary referencing (citing a source you haven't read yourself, but which is cited in a source you have read) is generally discouraged. It's always better to read the original source for yourself. However, if the original is not available, make it clear you have not read the original source by acknowledging the secondary source in your footnote.

Citing newspaper and magazine articles accurately in OSCOLA style enhances the diversity of your legal arguments, demonstrates the breadth of your research, and respects the journalistic craft.

Cite Conference Papers in OSCOLA

Multiple authors: If the paper has multiple authors, list them in the order they appear in the paper, using 'and' between authors.

Online conference papers: If the conference paper is accessed online, the citation should include the web address or DOI (if available) at the end.

Pro Tip: Always in Footnotes

OSCOLA uses footnotes for citations. Each time you reference a source, you should provide a footnote with the full citation details. This applies to all references, including those to conference papers.

Citing conference papers correctly in OSCOLA style not only provides your work with accurate references, but also adds an element of professionalism to your writing. So, whether you're citing single-author, multi-author, anonymous, or electronic papers, our citation generator equips you to do so effectively.

Cite Theses & Dissertations in OSCOLA

Theses and dissertations serve as rich sources of specialised research and novel insights. In law and other scholarly works, the OSCOLA referencing style offers a well-structured and professionally accepted means of citing these sources. Let's dive in and explore how to do this effectively.

Online theses or dissertations. If the thesis or dissertation is accessed online, the citation should include the URL or DOI (if available) at the end:

Pro Tip: Unique Identifiers for Easy Access

Consider including unique identifiers such as DOIs (Digital Object Identifier) or a URL in your citation whenever they are available, especially for online theses or dissertations. They help readers to directly access the source and make your work more credible and reproducible. Remember, a well-cited paper reflects your thorough research and respect for original authors' work.

Cite Social Media Posts in OSCOLA

As the digital age evolves, so does our approach to sourcing information. Social media posts are increasingly being used as sources of information in academic and legal writing. OSCOLA referencing style provides us with a clear and professional way of citing these unconventional sources.

Citing Twitter posts: When citing a tweet, you should start with the author's Twitter handle, followed by the text of the tweet in single quotation marks, then 'Twitter' and the date of the tweet.

Citing Facebook posts: For Facebook posts, begin with the individual or group authoring the post, followed by (Facebook) and the precise date of the post.

Citing blog posts: To cite a blog post, include the author's name, the title of the blog post in single quotes, the name of the blog, and the date of the blog post.

Citing Instagram posts: For Instagram posts, cite as you would a blog post, but include 'Instagram post' at the end of the citation.

Pro Tip: Capture the Moment

Due to the transient nature of social media posts, it's important to capture a screenshot or download a copy of the posts you cite. This will ensure you have a record in case the post is deleted or edited in future. This evidence may be necessary for submitting your work, depending on your institution's guidelines.

Cite Legal Cases in OSCOLA

Legal cases form the backbone of law and legal studies. They set precedents, create laws, and provide explanations for complicated legal concepts. When writing legal essays, assignments, or dissertations, citing these cases accurately using the OSCOLA referencing style adds authenticity to your work.

UK cases: When citing a UK case, you should start with the case name (in italics), followed by the neutral citation (if there is one), and then the volume number, the abbreviated name of the report, and the first page of the report.

EU Cases: For EU cases, cite the case name (in italics), then the case number and the report citation.

No neutral citation: If there's no neutral citation for a UK case, start with the case name, followed by the volume number, the abbreviated name of the report, and the first page of the report.

Pro Tip: Law Report Hierarchy

When citing UK cases, OSCOLA has a hierarchy of law reports. The 'Law Reports' (Appeal Cases (AC), Queen's Bench Division (QB), Chancery Division (Ch), and Family Division (Fam)) take precedence. If a case isn't reported in the Law Reports, use the Weekly Law Reports (WLR) or the All England Reports (All ER). Always check your university or institution's guidelines as preferences can vary.

Cite Primary Legislation in OSCOLA

Primary legislation refers to laws or statutes that have been enacted by a legislative body such as Parliament in the UK. This includes Acts of Parliament and Bills, which are often integral to legal arguments and discussions. When citing these sources in your work, you should use the OSCOLA referencing style, which provides clear guidelines for accurate citation.

Acts of Parliament: When citing an Act of Parliament, you should give the short title (in italics), followed by the chapter number.

Bills: For a Bill, cite the short title (in italics), followed by the type of Bill and the parliamentary session in brackets.

Pre-1963 Acts: If you are citing an Act that was passed before 1963, the year it was enacted should be included in roman numerals in the title.

Amended or repealed Acts: If an Act has been significantly amended or repealed, you should indicate this in your citation.

Pro Tip: Referenceing Secondary Legislation

Secondary legislation, such as Statutory Instruments or Orders in Council, are typically cited similarly to Acts but include the SI number. For example, The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 Amendment Regulations 2012 SI 2012/3039. Always refer to OSCOLA guidelines to ensure accurate citation of different types of legislation.

Cite EU Legal Sources in OSCOLA

The European Union's legal system is one of the most intricate in the world, generating a vast array of legislation, case law, and official documents. The OSCOLA referencing style provides a standardised method for citing these diverse sources in academic work, maintaining clarity and precision in legal citation.

Treaties: For EU treaties, begin with the name of the treaty in italics, followed by the year of signing and the OJ reference in brackets.

Regulations and Directives: EU regulations and directives are cited with the type of instrument and number, title, and OJ reference.

Communications and reports: Communications from the European Commission and other EU bodies, as well as reports, are cited similarly to EU legislation, but may not always have an OJ reference.

Pro Tip: Getting the Details Right

OSCOLA provides detailed instructions for referencing EU legal materials, including guidelines for citing materials in languages other than English. Always refer to the most recent version of the OSCOLA guide to ensure you're following the correct format.

Cite Cases from Other Jurisdictions in OSCOLA

Globalization has made it increasingly common for legal scholars and practitioners to refer to case law from jurisdictions outside their own. The OSCOLA referencing style offers a framework for citing these cases, enabling a clear and uniform approach to international legal citation.

USA cases: When citing cases from the United States, provide the name of the case, the reporter volume number, the abbreviated name of the reporter, the first page of the report, and the year in brackets.

Australia and Canada Cases: Australian and Canadian cases should be cited by the case name, the year of the report in square brackets, the volume number (if available), the report abbreviation, and the first page.

European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) cases: For ECHR cases, start with the case name, followed by the application number, the court name, and the date of the decision.

Pro Tip: Adding Context

When citing cases from jurisdictions with which your reader might be unfamiliar, it can be helpful to provide a bit of context, either in the text of your paper or in a footnote. This might include the legal issue at stake, the jurisdiction's legal tradition, or the significance of the case in that jurisdiction's law.

Cite Hansard in OSCOLA

Hansard is the traditional name for the transcripts of Parliamentary debates and is an invaluable resource for anyone researching the legislative history of a particular act, or understanding the policy debates of a certain era. As such, it is a source that often needs to be cited in legal documents.

Citing a debate: If you're citing a debate, start with the house (either HL Deb or HC Deb for the House of Lords or House of Commons respectively), followed by the date (in square brackets), the volume, 'col' and the column number.

Citing a written answer: If you're citing a written answer, the citation structure remains the same, but the house will be either HL WA or HC WA.

Pro Tip: Using Online Resources

Since 2005, Hansard has been available online and the website offers an easy way to access both recent debates and historic ones. It's a good idea to hyperlink to the online version of Hansard if you are working on an electronic document, allowing your readers to access the full text of the debate you are citing. Be sure to check the URL for permanency if you intend to do this.

Cite Encyclopedias in OSCOLA

Legal encyclopedias are a cornerstone of comprehensive legal research, providing a digest of law that is written in a narrative form. These resources come in handy when you need a concise, accurate and up-to-date overview of a legal topic. Referencing these properly, thus, is a critical skill in crafting sound legal arguments.

Citing general legal encyclopedias: When citing from a the title of the encyclopedia should be in italics, followed by the edition, the volume number, the title of the entry in single quotes, and the paragraph or page number.

Citing a specific entry: When citing a specific entry within an encyclopedia, you'll still need to include the title of the encyclopedia, the edition, volume, title of the entry, but you also include a pinpoint reference to the relevant paragraph or page number.

Pro Tip: Making Use of Legal Encyclopedias

Legal encyclopedias, like Halsbury's Laws of England, are a great starting point for any legal research. These resources provide a high-level overview of legal topics and can help guide your further research by pointing you to relevant cases, legislation, and secondary sources. As always, ensure to reference these resources accurately when used.

Cite Interviews in OSCOLA

Interviews can provide a treasure trove of insights, especially when researching a contentious legal issue or trying to glean a practitioner's viewpoint. In legal scholarship, whether these interviews are conducted by you or you are citing an interview conducted by another, they should be accurately referenced in OSCOLA.

Citing published interviews: For published interviews, start with the name of the interviewee, followed by the title of the interview in single quotes, the name of the publication in italics, and the date.

Citing unpublished interviews: For unpublished interviews that you conducted, include the name of the interviewee, the format (eg, interview), the location of the interview, and the date.

Pro Tip: Using First-Person

OSCOLA referencing style does not shy away from the first person. So when you're citing an interview that you've conducted, you can use 'I' in your footnote. For instance, 'In an interview, I conducted with Justice Smith on 3 March 2023 in Oxford…'.

Cite Case Notes in OSCOLA

Case notes, or case comments, can be a goldmine of legal analysis, elucidating the nuances of a court's decision and its implications on existing law. When you're writing a legal essay, thesis or article, citing these valuable sources accurately in OSCOLA style is crucial to creating a robust piece of legal scholarship.

Case notes: When citing a case note, begin with the author's name, the title of the note in single quotes, the year of the case note, the volume number, the abbreviated name of the law report, and the page number.

Pro Tip: Citing Multiple Authors

In the event that the case note has multiple authors, list them in the order they appear in the article, using 'and' between authors. For example, Smith A and Brown B, 'Title of Case Note' [Year] Abbreviated Report Name Page.

Cite Personal Communications in OSCOLA

Personal communications can offer unique insights and perspectives that enrich your legal argument. They may come in the form of emails, interviews, conversations, letters, or similar. Given their value, it's important to know how to reference them appropriately in your legal writing using OSCOLA style.

Personal communication: When citing a personal communication, begin with the name of the person from whom the communication originated, followed by (in brackets) the description of the communication and the date.

Email: For emails, the structure remains the same, except the description of the communication would be 'Email to the author'.

Pro Tip: Unpublished Works

Remember that personal communications are considered 'unpublished works', which means they cannot be accessed by the reader. Therefore, it is important to obtain the sender's permission before citing their communication in your work. Also, the reader cannot verify personal communications, so use them sparingly and only when necessary.

OSCOLA Style: Final Notes

Embarking on your journey of understanding the OSCOLA referencing style might initially seem daunting, but with the comprehensive guide provided by Bibcitation, you're now well-equipped to handle the citation challenges that lie ahead. From citing books, journals, and legal cases to personal communications, you now have the knowledge to create citations that adhere to the stringent standards of academic integrity and reflect your commitment to scholarly professionalism.

In the landscape of legal writing, the ability to format citations accurately and swiftly is invaluable. While Bibcitation can aid you in this process, having a deep understanding of the principles underpinning the OSCOLA referencing style enhances your academic prowess significantly. While our citation generator Bibcitation.com can prove to be undeniably handy, your newfound expertise in OSCOLA formatting can make you self-reliant and confident in your scholarly endeavors.

As we navigate through this digital age, the nature and format of academic references continue to evolve. However, your knowledge of the OSCOLA referencing style, combined with Bibcitation features, ensures that you're equipped to tackle any referencing task that comes your way. By learning and applying OSCOLA, you're not just preparing yourself to create accurate citations; you're readying yourself to contribute meaningfully to the rich tapestry of legal scholarship. And remember, every perfectly formatted OSCOLA citation is a silent, respectful nod to the intellectual contributions of others in your field.

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OSCOLA Citation Generator

- powered by chegg, all of our writing tools, none of the ads, is this source credible consider the criteria below..

Is the purpose to entertain, sell, persuade, or inform/teach ? Journal articles are often designed to inform or teach. Books and websites could have any of these or a combination of the purposes above. So it is important to determine why the source was created and if it is appropriate for your research. For websites in particular, looking at their "About Us" page or "Mission Statement" can help you evaluate purpose.

Accuracy is the reliability and truthfulness of the source. Here are a few indicators of an accurate source:

• Citations or a works cited list. For websites, this can be links to other credible sites.
• Evidence that backs up claims made by the author(s).
• Text that is free of spelling and grammatical errors.
• Information that matches that in other, credible sources.
• Language that is unbiased and free of emotion.

Based on the above the source could be accurate, inaccurate, a mixture of accurate and inaccurate, or hard to tell.

Authority: Author

The author is the individual or organization who wrote the information in the book, in the journal article, or on the website. If no author is listed, there may be another contributor instead. For example, an editor or a translator. A credible author has:

• Written several articles or books on the topic.
• Provided contact information. For example, an email address, mailing address, social media account, etc.
• The experience or qualifications to be an expert on the topic.

Authority: Publisher

The credibility of the publisher can contribute to the authority of a source. The publisher can be a person, company or organization. Authoritative publishers:

• Accept responsibility for content.
• Are often well-known.
• Often publish multiple works on the same or related topics.

Relevance describes how related or important a source is to your topic. While a source may be credible, it does not necessarily mean it is relevant to your assignment. To determine relevance, you should:

• Determine the website's intended audience. Look at the level of the information and the tone of the writing. For example, is it meant for academics or the general public?
• Make sure that the information is related to your research topic.
• Make sure that the information helps you answer your research question.

A publication date is an important part of evaluating the credibility of a source and its appropriateness for your topic. It is generally best to use content that was recently published or updated, but depending on your assignment, it may be appropriate to use older information. For example, a journal entry from Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War is too outdated to use in a discussion about modern politics and war, but would be appropriate for a paper about the Civil War. Consider the following when evaluating currency:

• Was it published or updated recently? If a website, is there even a publication date listed?
• Is the date of the source appropriate or inappropriate for my assignment?

After analyzing your source, do you believe it is credible, not credible, partially credible, or are you unsure? If you are still unsure, it may help to ask your instructor a librarian for assistance.

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OSCOLA referencing guide (Online): Websites & Blogs

• Paraphrasing
• Repeating Citations
• Secondary Referencing
• Bibliography
• Referencing Tools
• Two or Three Authors
• Four plus Authors
• Chapter in an Edited Book
• Editor or Translator
• Author & Editor or Translator
• Encyclopaedias
• Books of Authority
• Cases with Neutral Citation
• Cases without neutral citation
• Unreported Cases
• Cases before 1865
• Judges' Names
• Scot, NI & International
• Parts of Statutes
• Statutory Instruments
• Journal Articles
• Forthcoming Articles
• Working Papers
• Newspaper Articles
• Hansard & Select Committee reports
• Command Papers
• Law Commission Reports
• Official reports
• Official Publications
• Legislation
• ECJ & GC cases
• Decisions of the European Commission
• European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) cases
• Websites & Blogs
• Personal Communications
• Press Release
• Podcasts & Youtube videos
• Insight & LPC

Blogs & Websites

To reference information from a blog, you should include the author's name, the entry title and then the blog name and publication date in brackets. You should end with the URL and accessed date.

Format:  Author, 'Entry Title' ( Blog Name,  publication date) <URL> accessed date.

Example:  R Moorhead, 'Solicitors First' ( Lawyer Watch,  25 March 2011) <http://lawyerwatch.wordpress.com/2011/03/25/solictiors-first/> accessed 13 April 2011.

If no author is named, use the name of the organisation producing the blog. If no person or organisation can be identified as being responsible for the blog, begin your footnote with the title of the blog. If there is no publication date you can omit it, but always give the access date.

There is no change in format between a footnote reference and a bibliography entry.

To reference information from a website, you should include the author's name, the webpage title and then the website name and publication date in brackets. You should end with the URL and accessed date.

If there is no date of publication on the website, give only the date of access

Format: Author, ' Webpage' ( Website,  publication date) <URL> accessed date.

Example in a footnote:  Simon Myerson, 'Applying Yourself to Pupillage' (L awCareers.net, 5 April 2011) <www.lawcareers.net/Information/Feature/Detail.aspx?r=1355> accessed 12 April 2011

Example in the bibliography: Myerson S, 'Applying Yourself to Pupillage' (L awCareers.net, 5 April 2011) <www.lawcareers.net/Information/Feature/Detail.aspx?r=1355> accessed 12 April 2011

If the author of a website is an organisation e.g. Solicitors Regulation Society, there is no difference between the footnote and the bibliography.

If there is no named author, use the name of the organisation responsible for the web page. If there is no name person or organisation, you can begin your reference with the title of the webpage.

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• Last Updated: Jun 19, 2024 11:29 AM
• URL: https://libguides.swansea.ac.uk/oscola