OSCOLA Referencing Guide

OSCOLA Referencing Overview

OSCOLA (Oxford Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities) is the official referencing style used by the Oxford University Law Faculty and many UK law schools and legal journals. It is designed specifically for legal writing and provides a consistent method for citing legal authorities.

There are two types of citations required in OSCOLA referencing:

• Footnotes: Used to indicate the authority for the preceding text or idea. A superscript number appears in-text, corresponding to the relevant authority at the bottom of the page.
• Bibliographies: Located at the end of the work, including a categorised list of all sources used. The bibliography is divided into three sections: Table of Legislation, Table of Cases, and Bibliography of Secondary Sources.

General Guidelines

Under OSCOLA guidelines, each authority should be cited in a consistent, uniform manner. The different categories of sources are cited in different formats.

• The footnote should appear after the relevant punctuation in the text, unless for clarity it is necessary to put it directly following the word or phrase.
• If the cited phrase or idea is inside brackets, the footnote should be placed before the closing bracket.
• Punctuation in citations is minimal. For example, write "UKHL" rather than "U.K.H.L."
• Footnotes should be closed with a full stop.
• Titles of books and case names should be italicised.
• Semi-colons may be used to separate references to two different sources in a footnote.
• Quotations longer than three lines should be presented within an indented paragraph with no quotation marks.

Repetition of References and Cross-References

When referencing an authority already cited, you may briefly identify the source and provide a cross-citation in brackets directing the reader to the number of the corresponding footnote.

If the subsequent citation directly follows the previous citation, you may use "ibid."

Footnotes Example

Bibliography Guidelines and Examples

The bibliography should be split into three main sections:

• Table of Legislation: Includes all treaties, conventions, legislation, and statutory instruments cited. Order alphabetically by the first significant word of the title. You may separate legislation by jurisdiction.
• Table of Cases: Includes any cases cited in the work. List in alphabetical order of the first significant word. You may separate cases by jurisdiction.
• Bibliography of Secondary Sources: Includes all secondary sources cited in the work in alphabetical order.

The referencing in the bibliography for all sources is identical to the referencing in the footnotes, with one difference in author name formatting:

• Footnotes: First name, surname – John Smith
• Bibliography: Surname, first name initial – Smith, J.

Primary Sources

UK Cases

When referencing a case as authority, provide the full name of the case along with its neutral citation. The case name should always be in italics both in-text and in footnotes, but not in the bibliography.

If you have stated the full case name in the text, only the subsequent information is required in the footnote.

For an exact paragraph or passage of the judgment, include a pinpoint reference.

UK Legislation

Legislation should be cited using its short title and year.

To reference a specific section of the legislation, insert a comma with the section following.

UK Statutory Instruments

Statutory instruments require the name, year, and SI number.

EU Cases

EU Legislation

Treaties and protocols:

Directives, regulations, decisions, recommendations and opinions:

European Court of Human Rights Cases

You may cite the official reports or the reports of judgments and decisions. Ensure consistency in your approach.

Cases and Legislation from Other Jurisdictions

These should be cited as they are cited in their own jurisdiction.

Secondary Sources

Books with One Author

Books with Two Authors

Books with Three Authors

Books with Four or More Authors

Articles

Hansard – House of Commons Debates

Hansard – House of Lords Debates

Public Bill Committees

Websites and Blogs

If there is no author, begin the citation with the title. If there is no publication date, provide the access date.

Printed Newspaper Article

Online Newspaper Article