The following pages will show you how to:
We have another section which shows you how to cite cases and legislation, ( the ‘primary’ sources of law), in the accepted way.
Being able to accurately cite the source you have used in your work is an important academic skill.
Including citations in your work:
Whenever you paraphrase or quote a source or use the ideas of another person, you need to cite.
Number your footnotes continuously through your document, starting at 1.
Include the following information in a footnote for a book:
Author, Book title (Edition, Publisher Year)
Example:
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: N Lowe and G Douglas, Bromley's Family Law (10th edn, OUP 2007) 47
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If there are fewer than four authors insert 'and' before the last author's name in the footnote. If there are more than three authors cite the first author followed by 'and others'.
Examples:
Sometimes books contain collections of chapters which are written by different authors and collated by an editor or editors. To reference a chapter in an edited book you need to record the following details:
Chapter author, 'Title of chapter' in Book Editor (ed), Book title (Publisher Year)
Example:
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Cite an encyclopedia much as you would a book, but exclude any overseeing authors, editors and the publisher. The edition and year of issue or reissue should be included in your citation.
Example:
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To cite a journal article you will need to record the following information:
Author, 'Article Title' (Date) Volume number Abbreviated journal title First page of article
Example: J Young, 'The Constitutional Limits of Judicial Activism: Judicial Conduct of International Relations and Child Abduction' (2003) 66 MLR 823
Only include the issue number if every issue of the journal starts at page 1. If this is the case write the issue number in brackets next to the volume number e.g. 23(2). The following page contains more information on how to abbreviate journal titles.
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When citing a journal article, abbreviate the journal title. Use its preferred abbreviation, as found on the journal itself or in the Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations but remove any full stops. If there is no preferred abbreviation, use:
Criminal | Crim |
European | Eur |
International | Intl |
Journal | J |
Law | L |
Quarterly | Q |
Report(s) | Rep |
Review | Rev |
University | U |
Yearbook | Ybk |
To pinpoint means to identify where, within the document you are citing, you found the information. At the end of the citation, indicate where to find the passage on which you are relying. The pinpoint is usually to a page number, but if a case has numbered paragraphs, use the paragraph number instead. Paragraph numbers should be indicated by square brackets, except for EU cases.
If the journal article is also available in paper format, reference it as you would a print journal article.
For journals that are only published electronically, you will need to add the website address and the most recent date of access, in the form:
Author, 'Article Title' (Year) Volume number (Issue) Abbreviated journal title <URL> date accessed
Example:
Tip: Purely electronic publications may not have page numbers or may use a system of numbered paragraphs. Follow whatever style they use. To note a paragraph number, put the number in square brackets. |
Here are a few examples of commonly cited sources.
Cite by name and Law Commission report number and the year of publication. If citing a specific section, give the paragraph number(s)
Example: Law Commission, Evidence of Bad Character in Criminal Proceedings (Law Com No 273, 2001) para 2.89
Cite Command papers by author, title, command paper number and year of publication in brackets. Be careful to note the abbreviation for a Command paper as shown on its title page as there have been six series of Command Papers since 1833. Each series has its own unique abbreviation. These include Cm, Cmnd and Cmd.
Example: Secretary of State for the Home Department, Identity Cards: The Next Steps (Cm 6020, 2003)
Tip: You do not need to include publisher details. |
Here are a few examples of commonly cited sources.
Note whether House of Commons (HC) or House of Lords (HL) Hansard, followed by 'Deb' for a debate, then the full date, volume and column number.
Each printed page consists of two columns. Place a 'W' after the column number in HC debates or 'WA' before the column number in HL debates to indicate a Written Answer. If you are using Hansard online cite it in the same way that you would the printed version.
Example: HC Deb 3 February 1977, vol 389, cols 973-76
Cite reports of parliamentary Select Committees by the committee name, the report name (if there is one in italics) and then in brackets HC or HL, the years of the parliamentary session and the serial number of the report which you will find on the bottom of its title page. If pinpointing paragraphs use 'para' or 'paras' before the numbers.
Example: Defence Select Committee, Iraq: An Initial Assessment of Post-conflict Operations (HC 2004-05, 65-I) paras 85-91
Tip: The W suffix has only been added to the column number for written answers since 2000. |
Cite a newspaper article in the order:
Author, 'Title' Newspaper (City of publication, Full date) page number
Example:
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To cite information from a website that is in a form not covered by other guidance in OSCOLA, include the following in the reference:
Author, 'Web page title' (Website, Full Date) <URL> accessed Date
Example: Simon Myerson, 'Applying yourself to pupillage' (LawCareers.Net, 5 April 2011) <http://www.lawcareers.net/Information/Features/Detail.aspx?r=1355> accessed 12 April 2011
To cite information from a blog include the following in the reference:
Author, 'Entry Title' (Blog Name, Full date) <URL> accessed Date
Example: R Moorhead, 'Solicitors First' (Lawyer Watch, 25 March 2011) <http://lawyerwatch.wordpress.com/2011/03/25/solicitors-first/> accessed 13 April 2011
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Letters and emails
Cite letters and emails by the type of communication, along with the author, recipient and full date.
Examples:
Conversations
Informal conversations can also be cited - change the first part of the citation to 'Conversation between'.
Example: Conversation between author and Joe Bloggs (27 April 2011)
Interviews
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.
Examples:
That is the end of our section on OSCOLA referencing. If you need further help, contact your librarian.
OSCOLA is the main system of referencing used by the Law Department. There are other systems of numerical referencing, such as Chicago. Always check your module handbook for instructions on which system to use!