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OSCOLA Referencing Style Guide
- Introduction.............................................................................................................................
- Referencing guides.............................................................................................................
- Footnotes............................................................................................................................
- Bibliography........................................................................................................................
- Short forms and ibids..........................................................................................................
- Quotations..........................................................................................................................
- Page numbers....................................................................................................................
- Secondary Sources................................................................................................................
- Authors...............................................................................................................................
- Books..................................................................................................................................
- Book chapters.....................................................................................................................
- Journal articles....................................................................................................................
- eBooks and eJournals......................................................................................................
- Newspaper articles...........................................................................................................
- Websites and blogs...........................................................................................................
- Audio-visual materials.......................................................................................................
- Referencing AI-generated text..........................................................................................
- Secondary referencing......................................................................................................
- Primary sources...................................................................................................................
- UK Legislation...................................................................................................................
- EU legislation....................................................................................................................
- Treaties.............................................................................................................................
- UK cases..........................................................................................................................
- European Court of Justice cases......................................................................................
- European Court of Human Rights cases..........................................................................
- International cases............................................................................................................
- Bibliographic software..........................................................................................................
Bibliography
A bibliography is a complete list of all sources cited in your work, normally presented at the end of your work. A separate bibliography is not normally required for essays and articles (including undergraduate essays); but it is required for dissertations, theses and monographs. You should always check your assessment guidance, or your publisher’s requirements. If a bibliography is required, it is divided into two sections:
1. Table of Authorities (primary sources – legislation and case law) 2. Bibliography (secondary sources – books, articles and other commentary) Table of Authorities The Table of Authorities is further divided into sections by material type: a) Cases b) Statutes c) Statutory Instruments All references should be arranged alphabetically (A-Z) by title within each section. Case names should be in plain type (not italics). If foreign materials are cited, the primary sources may also be subdivided by jurisdiction, beginning with international materials, then multinational materials, and then national materials: a) Cases International European Union Canada United Kingdom
Bibliography The bibliography lists all secondary sources cited in the work. It is normally presented as a single list, with sources arranged alphabetically by author’s surname (regardless of resource type). References are copied from the footnotes to the bibliography. The bibliography should include the author’s surname and initials only (the footnotes should include the author’s forename and surname). You should also omit the page numbers of any quotations, and the full stop from the end of the footnote. If the author is not known (unattributed), those sources should be listed at the beginning of the bibliography, in alphabetical order by title. If there are multiple sources by the same author, list the sources in chronological order (oldest first). If there are multiple sources by the same author published in the same year, list these sources alphabetically by title. You may be required to organise your bibliography into sections by resource type: a) Books b) Official publications c) Book chapters d) Journal articles e) Other print sources f) Internet sources All references should be arranged alphabetically by author's surname within each section.
Short forms and ibids
The first time you reference a source, full details should be given in the footnote. For second and subsequent citations, a short form of the reference can be given, followed by a cross reference (in brackets) to the fully referenced footnote. For cases the short form is normally the first party name, and for books and articles the author's surname. If you refer to the same work in the immediately following footnote, you can use ibid (an abbreviation of the Latin ibidem , meaning 'in the same place'), instead of the short form. Page numbers can also be used at the end of short forms and ibids.
- Richard Pears and Graham Shields, Cite Them Right (11th edn, Palgrave Macmillan 2019).
If there are between 1 and 3 authors, give all the authors' names in the reference; if there are 4 or more authors, give the first author's name, followed by the words 'and others'. Emily Allbon and Sanmeet Kaur-Dua, Elliott and Quinn’s English Legal System (21st edn, Pearson 2020). Steve Wilson and others, English Legal System (4th^ edn, OUP 2020). If the author is unknown (unattributed), begin the citation with the title (do not use ‘anon’). Lawyer Life: An Adult Coloring Book (Gray and Gold 2019)
Books
General rule: Author, | Title of the Book | (Edition, | Publisher | Year) Book titles should be written in italics. Capitalise the first letter of every major word. Editions should be given for the second edition or later (omit first edition information). The publisher can be abbreviated e.g. CUP = Cambridge University Press. OSCOLA does not require the place of publication. Footnote: Lisa Webley, Legal Writing (4th edn, Routledge 2016). Footnote with page number: Lisa Webley, Legal Writing (4th edn, Routledge 2016) 5. Short form: Webley (n #). Short form with page number: Webley (n #) 5.
Bibliography: Webley L, Legal Writing (4th edn, Routledge 2016) Books translated into English General rule: Author, | Title of Book | (Translator (tr), | Edition, | Publisher | Year) Translator (tr), | Title of Book | (Edition, | Publisher | Year) Books published in foreign languages General rule: Author, | Title of the Book in Original Language [Title of Book Translated into English] | (Edition, | Publisher | Year)
Book chapters
General rule: Author, | 'Title of Chapter', | in | Editor (ed), | Title of the Book | (Edition, | Publisher | Year) Chapter titles should be written in single quotation marks. Book titles should be written in italics. Capitalise the first letter of every major word. OSCOLA does not require the start or end page numbers for the chapter. In the bibliography, the author’s name is inverted in surname initial format, but the editors name(s) remains in forename surname format. Footnote: Albert Sanchez-Graells, ‘The Master’s Tools? A Feminist Approach to Legal and Law Decision Making’, in Dawn Watkins and Mandy Burton (eds), Research Methods in Law (2nd^ edn, Routledge 2017).
OSCOLA requires the start page of the journal article only (omit the end page). Footnote: Graham Virgo, ‘Why Study Law’ (2011) 11 LIM 221. Footnote with page number: Graham Virgo, ‘Why Study Law’ (2011) 11 LIM 221, 223. Short form: Virgo (n #). Short form with page number: Virgo (n #) 223. Bibliography: Virgo G, ‘Why Study Law’ (2011) 11 LIM 221
eBooks and eJournals
If you read books and journals online, as eBook and eJournals, you should normally reference them as if you were reading the print resource. There is no need to acknowledge the electronic format, database supplier, or web address (URL) and digital object identifier (DOI). If resources are published online only, with no print equivalent, then you should follow guidance for referencing websites, as far as possible.
Newspaper articles
General rules: Author, | ‘Title of Article’, | Title of Newspaper | (Place, Publication Date) | Page Author, | ‘Title of Article’, | Title of News Publication | (Place, Publication Date) | < URL > | accessed | Accessed Date
Article titles should be written in single quotation marks. Newspaper titles should be written in italics. Capitalise the first letter of every major word. Publication and Accessed Dates should normally be given in the long form of date month and year e.g. 1 September 2020. OSCOLA requires the start page of the newspaper article only (omit the end page). For online articles, where page numbers are not available, give the web address and accessed on date. Footnote: Catherine Baksi, ‘White, Male and Elite: Why Aren't Judges Moving On?, The Times (London, 6 February 2020) 52. Alice Aitken and Ben Butcher, ‘Black Lives Matter: Have Racial Inequality Reviews Led to Action?’, BBC News (London, 25 June 2020) < https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/53053661 > accessed 1 September 2020. Short form: Baksi (n #). Aitken and Butcher (n #). Bibliography: Baksi C, ‘White, Male and Elite: Why Aren't Judges Moving On?, The Times (London, 6 February 2020) 52 Aitken A and Butcher B, ‘Black Lives Matter: Have Racial Inequality Reviews Led to Action?’, BBC News (London, 25 June 2020) < https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/53053661 > accessed 1 September 2020
Websites and blogs
General rules: Author, | Title of Website or Report | (Publication Date) | < URL > | accessed Accessed Date Author, | ‘Title of Post’ | ( Title of Blog , | Publication Date) | < URL > | accessed Accessed Date
OSCOLA provides no guidance on referencing law databases. Where possible follow the referencing rules for citing the resource type e.g. article, law report, legislation. The examples given in this section are advisory only. Lexis PSL is a legal practice guidance database. An example of a ‘Practice Note’ from Lexis PSL is given below. Lexis PSL does not include a publication date, so it should be omitted from the reference. Documents in Lexis PSL have very long URLs which are not stable. The URL has therefore been shortened, to improve the clarity of the footnote. Footnote: Lexis Nexis, ‘Transgender and Other Gender Issues’, Lexis PSL < https://www.lexisnexis.com/uk/lexispsl/ > accessed 1 September 2020. Short form: Lexis Nexis (n #). Bibliography: Lexis Nexis, ‘Transgender and Other Gender Issues’, Lexis PSL < https://www.lexisnexis.com/uk/lexispsl/ > accessed 1 September 2020
Audio-visual materials
General rules: Author or Director (dir), | Title of Programme | (Channel, Broadcast Date) Author or Director (dir), | ‘Title of Episode’, | Title of Programme | (Channel, Broadcast Date) Author, | ‘Title of Video’, | Title of Channel | (Broadcast Date) < URL > Accessed Date Director (dir), | Title of Film | (Distributor, Release Date) OSCOLA provides no guidance on referencing television and radio programmes or films. Follow the general advice for referencing secondary materials. The examples given in this section are advisory only.
Where resources are viewed online via streaming services e.g. i-Player, Box of Broadcasts or Netflix, then cite the channel and original broadcast date, but omit the web address. Where resources are published online only, with no broadcast equivalent, then include the web address and accessed date. Footnote: Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos (dirs), Making a Murderer (Netflix, 2015). Joshua Rozenberg, ‘Justice in Lockdown’, Law in Action (BBC Radio 4, 2 June 2020). Joy Buolamwini, ‘How I'm Fighting Bias in Algorithms’, TED Talks (29 March 2017) < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG_X_7g63rY > accessed 1 September 2020. Robert Mulligan (dir), To Kill a Mockingbird (Universal Pictures, 1962). Short form: Ricciardi and Demos (n #). Rozenberg (n #). Buolamwini (n #). Mulligan (n #). Bibliography: Ricciardi L and Demos M (dirs), Making a Murderer (Netflix, 2015) Rozenberg J, ‘Justice in Lockdown’, Law in Action (BBC Radio 4, 2 June 2020) Buolamwini J, ‘How I'm Fighting Bias in Algorithms’, TED Talks (29 March 2017) < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG_X_7g63rY > accessed 1 September 2020 Mulligan R (dir), To Kill a Mockingbird (Universal Pictures, 1962)
Referencing AI-generated text
Warning Notice The use of AI to generate answers for assignments may have a detrimental effect on the academic integrity of your work. You should only use AI if explicitly instructed to do so in your assessment guidance, and should always follow University guidelines (see AI Guidance support pages). If you are in any doubt you must confirm with your
In the footnote, cite the full reference of the source you have read about (secondary reference), then in round brackets afterwards, write the words ‘as cited in’, followed by the full reference of the source you have read (primary reference). In the bibliography, cite only the source you have read (primary reference). Footnote: Bernard Hibbitts, ‘The Technology of Law’ (2010) 102 Law Libr J 101 (as cited in Graham Virgo, ‘Why Study Law: the Relevance of Legal Information’ (2011) 11 LIM 221, 225). Short form: Hibbitts (n #). Bibliography: Virgo G, ‘Why Study Law: the Relevance of Legal Information’ (2011) 11 LIM 221
Primary sources
UK Legislation
Act / Statute General rule: Short Title | Year Footnote: Human Rights Act 1998. Footnote with section number: Human Rights Act 1998, s 12.
Footnote with short form and section number: Human Rights Act 1998, s 12 (HRA 1998). Short form with section number: HRA 1998, s 12. Table of Authorities: Human Rights Act 1998 Statutory Instrument General rule: Title | Year, | SI Year/Number Footnote: Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Leicester) Regulations 2020, SI 2020/685. Footnote with regulation number: Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Leicester) Regulations 2020, SI 2020/685, reg 3. Footnote with short form and regulation number: Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Leicester) Regulations 2020, SI 2020/685, reg 3 (Leicester Coronavirus Regulations 2020). Short form with regulation number: Leicester Coronavirus Regulations 2020, reg 3. Table of Authorities Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Leicester) Regulations 2020, SI 2020/
Title | (adopted Date, | entered into force Date) | Citation Title | (adopted Date, | entered into force Date) | Volume | Abbreviation | Page For United Nations treaties, information about adopted and in-force dates can be found on the United Nations Treaty Series website. Citations should be from the United Nations Treaty Series (UNTS), or another National Treaty series publication where possible. Footnote: Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (adopted on 18 December 1979, entered into force 3 September 1981) 1249 UNTS
Footnote with article number Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (adopted on 18 December 1979, entered into force 3 September 1981) 1249 UNTS 1, art 10. Footnote with short form and article number: Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (adopted on 18 December 1979, entered into force 3 September 1981) 1249 UNTS 1, art 10 (CEDAW). Short form and article number: CEDAW, art 10. Table of Authorities: Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (adopted on 18 December 1979, entered into force 3 September 1981) 1249 UNTS
UK cases
There is a hierarchy of law reports – as set out in Practice Direction: Citation of Authorities (2012). You should cite cases from The Law Reports (Appeal Cases, Queens/Kings Bench, Chancery and Family) series first, then Weekly Law Reports and All England Law Reports, before other specialist series or judgments. AC: Appeals Cases (The Law Reports) Ch: Chancery (The Law Reports) Fam: Family (The Law Reports) KB/QB: Kings Bench or Queens Bench (The Law Reports) WLR: Weekly Law Reports All ER: All England Law Reports If you give the full case name in the main text of your essay, then you only need to give the case citations in the footnote (the case name can be omitted from the footnote). Cases with a neutral citation (published after 2001) Neutral citation is an official system of case citation – as set out in Practice Direction: (Judgments: Form and Citation) (2001) and Practice Direction (Judgments: Neutral Citations) (2002). From 2001, neutral citations are applied to all cases in UK courts. Neutral citations include the year, and abbreviation for the court, and a case number. Neutral citations are used in addition to published law report citations. UKSC: United Kingdom Supreme Court UKHL: United Kingdom House of Lords EWCA Civ: England and Wales Court of Appeal (Civil Division) EWCA Crim: England and Wales Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) CAT: Competition Appeal Tribunal ET: Employment Tribunal EAT: Employment Appeal Tribunal General rule:
