BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO OSCOLA REFERENCING
,CONTENTS:
- Referencing Primary Sources In Footnotes:
- Cases………………………………………………………………………………3
- Statutes…………………………………………………………………………….3
- EU Legislation & Cases………………………………………………………...3-4
- European Court of Human Rights………………………………………………4-5
- Referencing Secondary Sources In Footnotes:
- Books……………………………………………………………………………6-7
- Encyclopedias…………………………………………………………………...7-8
- Journal Articles………………………………………………………………….8-9
- Online Journals……………………………………………………………………9
- Command Papers & Law Commission Reports……………………………….9-10
- Websites & Blogs………………………………………………………………...10
- Newspaper Articles………………………………………………………………11
- Hansard…………………………………………………………………………..11
,REFERENCING PRIMARY SOURCES IN FOOTNOTES:
Cases:
Case Name [year] | Court Name & Number [year] | Volume Report Abbreviation | The First Page
The Case Starts With
Eg. Donoghue v Stevenson [1932] UKHL 100 [1932] AC 562.
NOTICE:
- Party names are in ITALICS
- ‘V’ is NOT in italics
- The year is in SQUARE brackets
- FOOTNOTES ALWAYS END IN FULLSTOPS
Depending on your university, the volume report abbreviation and first page may not be
necessary when referencing; do check with your lecturers though
Statutes:
Full Name of the Act | Year, Section (and Subsection) of the Act Being Used
Eg. Sexual Offences Act 2003, s1(1)c.
NOTICE:
- Act is NOT in italics
- The year does not require ANY brackets
- ‘s’ represents ‘section’
- ‘()’ represents ‘subsections’
- FOOTNOTES ALWAYS END IN FULLSTOPS
EU Legislation & Cases:
LEGISLATION: Title of Legislation [year] Series Mentioned in the Official Journal (OJ)
Issue/First Page
Eg. Treaty of Lisbon amending the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty establishing the
European Community [2007] OJ C 306/1.
NOTICE:
, - Legislation title is NOT in italics
- The year is in SQUARE brackets
- FOOTNOTES ALWAYS END IN FULLSTOPS
CASES: Case Prefix* | Number Indicating Case Registration | Case Name [year] | Report
Citation
Eg. Case C- 176/03 Commission v Council [2005] ECR I-7879.
*Case C = A case that was held in the European Court of Justice (ECJ)
Case T = A case that was held in the General Court (GC)
NOTICE:
- ‘Case C’ = Case Prefix
- ‘176/03’ = Number Indicating Case Registration
- Party names are in ITALICS
- The year is in SQUARE brackets
- ‘ECR I-7879’ = Report Citation
- FOOTNOTES ALWAYS END IN FULLSTOPS
European Court of Human Rights:
CASES: Case Name (year) | Case Report Citation
Eg. Simpson v UK (1989) 64 DR 188.
NOTICE:
- Party names are in ITALICS
- The year is in ROUND brackets
- FOOTNOTES ALWAYS END IN FULLSTOPS
ARTICLES: Full Convention Name | Article Number
Eg. Convention for the Protection of Human Rights & Fundamental Freedoms: The European
Convention on Human Rights, Art 2 & 3.
NOTICE:
,CONTENTS:
- Referencing Primary Sources In Footnotes:
- Cases………………………………………………………………………………3
- Statutes…………………………………………………………………………….3
- EU Legislation & Cases………………………………………………………...3-4
- European Court of Human Rights………………………………………………4-5
- Referencing Secondary Sources In Footnotes:
- Books……………………………………………………………………………6-7
- Encyclopedias…………………………………………………………………...7-8
- Journal Articles………………………………………………………………….8-9
- Online Journals……………………………………………………………………9
- Command Papers & Law Commission Reports……………………………….9-10
- Websites & Blogs………………………………………………………………...10
- Newspaper Articles………………………………………………………………11
- Hansard…………………………………………………………………………..11
,REFERENCING PRIMARY SOURCES IN FOOTNOTES:
Cases:
Case Name [year] | Court Name & Number [year] | Volume Report Abbreviation | The First Page
The Case Starts With
Eg. Donoghue v Stevenson [1932] UKHL 100 [1932] AC 562.
NOTICE:
- Party names are in ITALICS
- ‘V’ is NOT in italics
- The year is in SQUARE brackets
- FOOTNOTES ALWAYS END IN FULLSTOPS
Depending on your university, the volume report abbreviation and first page may not be
necessary when referencing; do check with your lecturers though
Statutes:
Full Name of the Act | Year, Section (and Subsection) of the Act Being Used
Eg. Sexual Offences Act 2003, s1(1)c.
NOTICE:
- Act is NOT in italics
- The year does not require ANY brackets
- ‘s’ represents ‘section’
- ‘()’ represents ‘subsections’
- FOOTNOTES ALWAYS END IN FULLSTOPS
EU Legislation & Cases:
LEGISLATION: Title of Legislation [year] Series Mentioned in the Official Journal (OJ)
Issue/First Page
Eg. Treaty of Lisbon amending the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty establishing the
European Community [2007] OJ C 306/1.
NOTICE:
, - Legislation title is NOT in italics
- The year is in SQUARE brackets
- FOOTNOTES ALWAYS END IN FULLSTOPS
CASES: Case Prefix* | Number Indicating Case Registration | Case Name [year] | Report
Citation
Eg. Case C- 176/03 Commission v Council [2005] ECR I-7879.
*Case C = A case that was held in the European Court of Justice (ECJ)
Case T = A case that was held in the General Court (GC)
NOTICE:
- ‘Case C’ = Case Prefix
- ‘176/03’ = Number Indicating Case Registration
- Party names are in ITALICS
- The year is in SQUARE brackets
- ‘ECR I-7879’ = Report Citation
- FOOTNOTES ALWAYS END IN FULLSTOPS
European Court of Human Rights:
CASES: Case Name (year) | Case Report Citation
Eg. Simpson v UK (1989) 64 DR 188.
NOTICE:
- Party names are in ITALICS
- The year is in ROUND brackets
- FOOTNOTES ALWAYS END IN FULLSTOPS
ARTICLES: Full Convention Name | Article Number
Eg. Convention for the Protection of Human Rights & Fundamental Freedoms: The European
Convention on Human Rights, Art 2 & 3.
NOTICE:
