How to OSCOLA reference

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OSCOLA (the Oxford University Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities) is the dominant referencing style used in UK law schools, legal journals, and academic legal writing. Unlike most referencing systems, OSCOLA uses footnotes rather than in-text citations, and its bibliography (called a table of authorities) is structured by source type rather than as a single alphabetical list.

This guide covers everything you need to know – from the basic principles to worked examples for every source type you’re likely to encounter.

What is OSCOLA referencing?

OSCOLA stands for the Oxford University Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities. It was developed by the Faculty of Law at the University of Oxford and is now the most widely used legal citation style in the United Kingdom. Many universities – including Swansea, Cardiff, UCL, and King’s College London – require students to use OSCOLA for all assessed legal writing.

Key features of OSCOLA:

• References appear in footnotes, not in the body of the text.
• It uses minimal punctuation — there are no full stops after abbreviations and no commas between title and year in case citations.
• Primary sources (cases and legislation) are cited in footnotes only and do not normally appear in the bibliography.
• Secondary sources (books, articles, websites) appear in both footnotes and the bibliography.
• The bibliography is called a table of authorities and is divided into sections by source type.

Core principles

Before diving into individual source types, internalise these ground rules:

1. Footnotes, not in-text citations. Place a superscript footnote number at the end of the relevant sentence, after the full stop.
2. Minimal punctuation. Do not place full stops at the end of footnotes. Do not use full stops in abbreviations (write “LQR” not “L.Q.R.”).
3. Pinpoint references. When referring to a specific page or paragraph, give the pinpoint after the general citation (e.g. a page number or paragraph number).
4. Ibid. If you cite the same source in two consecutive footnotes, use “ibid” (with no full stop) for the second. If the page differs, write “ibid 45” (where 45 is the new page).
5. Short forms for subsequent citations. After the first full citation of a secondary source, use a shortened form (typically author surname and a short title). For cases, use the case name alone.
6. Italicise case names and book/journal article titles in footnotes.

How to use footnotes in OSCOLA

Inserting footnotes

In Microsoft Word: References → Insert Footnote (or Ctrl + Alt + F on Windows / Cmd + Option + F on Mac). The superscript number should appear after any punctuation mark.

Example in your text:

The court held that the duty of care extended to economic loss.¹

In the footnote itself:

¹ Hedley Byrne & Co Ltd v Heller & Partners Ltd [1964] AC 465, 486

Using ibid and short forms

Example footnote sequence:

¹ Andrew Burrows, The Law of Restitution (3rd edn, OUP 2011) 102

² ibid

³ ibid 118

⁴ Lipkin Gorman v Karpnale Ltd [1991] 2 AC 548

⁵ Burrows (n 1) 130

Notice how footnote 5 uses the short form “Burrows (n 1)” — this tells the reader to look at footnote 1 for the full citation, while “130” is the new pinpoint page.

How to OSCOLA reference a case

Cases are the most frequently cited source in legal writing. The format depends on whether the case is reported in a law report or is unreported (available only with a neutral citation).

Reported cases (law reports)

Format:

Case Name [year] volume abbreviation first page, pinpoint

Examples:

Donoghue v Stevenson [1932] AC 562

R v Brown [1994] 1 AC 212, 230

Caparo Industries plc v Dickman [1990] 2 AC 605 (HL)

Key points:

• Italicise the case name.
• Use square brackets when the year is essential for finding the report (i.e. the volumes are organised by year).
• Use round brackets when the year is not essential (i.e. the report uses sequential volume numbers): Rylands v Fletcher (1868) LR 3 HL 330.
• Add the court abbreviation in round brackets at the end if it is not clear from the report series (e.g. “(CA)” or “(HL)”).
• No full stop at the end.

Cases with neutral citations (2001 onwards)

Since 2001, most UK courts have issued neutral citations. Give the neutral citation first, followed by the law report citation if available.

Case Name [year] court number, [year] volume report page

Example:

R (Miller) v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union [2017] UKSC 5, [2018] AC 61

Unreported cases (neutral citation only)

If a case has not been reported, give only the neutral citation:

Google LLC v Alphabet Inc [2023] EWHC 1234 (Ch)

Common court abbreviations

Pinpoint references in cases

Use paragraph numbers in square brackets for cases with neutral citations:

R v Jogee [2016] UKSC 8, [2017] AC 387 [18]

Use page numbers (without square brackets) for older reported cases:

Donoghue v Stevenson [1932] AC 562, 580

How to cite legislation

Acts of Parliament

Give the short title and year in roman (not italic) type. Do not put the year in brackets.

Short Title Year, section number

Examples:

Human Rights Act 1998, s 6

Theft Act 1968, s 1(1)

Companies Act 2006, ss 170–177

Conventions:

• Use “s” for section, “ss” for sections.
• Use “sch” for schedule, “para” for paragraph.
• Cite parts of an Act from the largest division to the smallest: Part, section, subsection, paragraph.

Statutory instruments

Title Year, SI year/number, regulation number

Example:

Civil Procedure Rules 1998, SI 1998/3132, r 3.4

Bills

Short Title Bill [HC/HL] [session] bill number, clause number

Example:

Online Safety Bill [HL] [2021–22] cl 11

EU legislation

For EU regulations and directives (still relevant for pre-Brexit law):

Legislation type number/year of the European Parliament and of the Council of date on subject [year] OJ series/page

Example:

Council Directive 2000/78/EC of 27 November 2000 establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation [2000] OJ L303/16

For subsequent citations you can use a short form:

Directive 2000/78/EC (n 4) art 2

How to OSCOLA reference a book

Single author

Format:

Author, Title (additional info, edition, publisher year) pinpoint

Example:

Andrew Burrows, The Law of Restitution (3rd edn, OUP 2011) 102

Two or three authors

Andrew McGee and Robert Scanlan, The Law of Obligations (2nd edn, Hart Publishing 2012) 56

Four or more authors

Use the first author’s name followed by “and others”:

Richard Card and others, Card, Cross and Jones: Criminal Law (22nd edn, OUP 2016) 310

Edited books

Andrew Burrows (ed), English Private Law (3rd edn, OUP 2013)

For a contribution (chapter) within an edited book:

Format:

Chapter Author, 'Chapter Title' in Editor (ed), Book Title (edition, publisher year) pinpoint

Example:

Roderick Munday, ‘The Uniform Interpretation of International Conventions’ in Francis Rose (ed), Lex Mercatoria (LLP 2000) 180

Subsequent editions

Always note the edition if it is not the first:

AW Bradley, KD Ewing and CJS Knight, Constitutional and Administrative Law (17th edn, Pearson 2018)

Translated books

Max Weber, Economy and Society (Guenther Roth and Claus Wittich eds and trs, University of California Press 1978)

How to OSCOLA reference a journal article

Format:

Author, 'Article Title' [year] or (year) volume Journal Abbreviation first page, pinpoint

The choice between square brackets and round brackets for the year follows the same logic as case citations: square brackets if the year identifies the volume, round brackets if a separate volume number is used.

Examples:

William Lucy, ‘The Imaginary Consumer’ [2006] CLJ 288, 295

Andrew Ashworth, ‘Departures from the Sentencing Guidelines’ [2012] Crim LR 81

With a volume number:

John Gardner, ‘The Purity and Priority of Private Law’ (2016) 46 UTLJ 275

Key points:

• Article titles go in single quotation marks.
• Journal names are abbreviated (use the standard legal abbreviations — Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations is a useful free tool).
• No full stop at the end.

How to OSCOLA reference a website

Websites, blog posts, and other online sources follow a specific format.

Format:

Author, 'Title of Webpage' (Website Name, date) <URL> accessed date

Examples:

James Hand, ‘EU Law after Brexit: Key Issues’ (UK Constitutional Law Blog, 12 May 2020) https://ukconstitutionallaw.org/example accessed 15 June 2025

Law Commission, ‘Hate Crime Laws: Final Report’ (Law Commission, 7 December 2021) https://www.lawcom.gov.uk/project/hate-crime-laws/ accessed 15 June 2025

Key points:

• The website name goes in round brackets and is italicised if it is a publication name.
• The URL goes in angle brackets < >.
• Always include an access date (“accessed DD Month YYYY”).
• There is no full stop at the end of the footnote, even after the access date.

Online newspaper articles

Joshua Rozenberg, ‘Why the Supreme Court Got It Right’ (The Guardian, 25 September 2019) https://www.theguardian.com/example accessed 15 June 2025

How to OSCOLA reference a report

Law Commission reports

Format:

Body, Title (Report No, year) pinpoint

Example:

Law Commission, Hate Crime Laws (Law Com No 402, 2021) para 5.12

Command papers and government reports

Body, Title (Command Paper Number, year) pinpoint

Example:

Ministry of Justice, Transforming our Justice System (Cm 9321, 2016) 15

Parliamentary committee reports

Committee Name, Title (Session, Paper Number) pinpoint

Example:

House of Lords Select Committee on the Constitution, COVID-19 and the Courts (2020–21, HL 257) para 42

How to cite the ECHR and international law

The European Convention on Human Rights

The ECHR is a treaty cited like other international treaties:

The Convention itself:

Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (European Convention on Human Rights, as amended) (ECHR) art 8

For subsequent citations:

ECHR, art 6

To reference a specific Article (e.g. Article 8) in a footnote:

ECHR, art 8

You do not need to provide a bibliography entry for the Convention; it would appear in the table of treaties if you include one.

Cases from the European Court of Human Rights

Format:

Case Name App no number/year (Court, date)

Examples:

Osman v United Kingdom App no 23452/94 (ECtHR, 28 October 1998)

Campbell v MGN Ltd [2004] UKHL 22, [2004] 2 AC 457

(Note: Campbell is a domestic case applying ECHR principles — cite it as a UK case.)

For Grand Chamber decisions, specify:

Lautsi v Italy App no 30814/06 (ECtHR [GC], 18 March 2011)

International treaties

Format:

Full Treaty Name (date of adoption) treaty series reference

Example:

Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (adopted 23 May 1969, entered into force 27 January 1980) 1155 UNTS 331

UN resolutions

UNGA Res 217A (III) (10 December 1948) UN Doc A/810

International Court of Justice cases

Case Concerning Military and Paramilitary Activities in and against Nicaragua (Nicaragua v United States of America) (Merits) [1986] ICJ Rep 14

How to OSCOLA reference Hansard

Hansard is the official record of debates in the UK Parliament. The format differs slightly for the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

Format:

HC Deb or HL Deb date, vol number, col number

Examples:

HC Deb 18 March 2020, vol 673, col 1045

HL Deb 14 July 2021, vol 813, col 1823

For a specific speaker, you may add context in your text:

During the debate, the Lord Chancellor stated that the reforms were essential.¹

¹ HC Deb 18 March 2020, vol 673, col 1045

Westminster Hall debates:

HC Deb 6 January 2021, vol 686, col 78WH

Public Bill Committee debates:

Public Bill Committee Deb (Online Safety Bill) 25 May 2022, col 35

How to cite explanatory notes

Explanatory notes accompany most Acts of Parliament passed since 1999.

Format:

Short Title Year, Explanatory Notes, para number

Example:

Equality Act 2010, Explanatory Notes, para 55

If citing explanatory notes for a Bill rather than an Act:

Online Safety Bill [HL] [2021–22], Explanatory Notes, para 30

How to write an OSCOLA bibliography (table of authorities)

An OSCOLA bibliography is called a table of authorities (sometimes a table of sources). It is divided into sections by source type, and each section is arranged alphabetically.

Structure

A typical table of authorities has the following sections (include only those you have used):

1. Table of cases
2. Table of legislation
3. Table of treaties and international instruments
4. Bibliography (secondary sources: books, articles, websites, reports, etc.)

What goes where

Example table of authorities

Table of cases

Caparo Industries plc v Dickman [1990] 2 AC 605 (HL)

Donoghue v Stevenson [1932] AC 562

Osman v United Kingdom App no 23452/94 (ECtHR, 28 October 1998)

R v Brown [1994] 1 AC 212

R v Jogee [2016] UKSC 8, [2017] AC 387

Table of legislation

Companies Act 2006

Equality Act 2010

Human Rights Act 1998

Theft Act 1968

Civil Procedure Rules 1998, SI 1998/3132

Table of treaties and international instruments

Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (European Convention on Human Rights, as amended) (ECHR)

Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (adopted 23 May 1969, entered into force 27 January 1980) 1155 UNTS 331

Bibliography

Ashworth A, ‘Departures from the Sentencing Guidelines’ [2012] Crim LR 81

Burrows A, The Law of Restitution (3rd edn, OUP 2011)

Hand J, ‘EU Law after Brexit: Key Issues’ (UK Constitutional Law Blog, 12 May 2020) https://ukconstitutionallaw.org/example accessed 15 June 2025

Law Commission, Hate Crime Laws (Law Com No 402, 2021)

Munday R, ‘The Uniform Interpretation of International Conventions’ in Francis Rose (ed), Lex Mercatoria (LLP 2000)

Formatting rules for the bibliography section

• Author name: surname first, then initial(s) — e.g. “Burrows A” (not “Andrew Burrows” as in footnotes).
• Alphabetical order by author surname.
• For edited collections, list by the chapter author’s surname, not the editor’s.
• No full stop at the end of entries.
• Cases and legislation are not repeated in the bibliography — they have their own tables.

Quick reference table

Common mistakes to avoid

1. Adding full stops at the end of footnotes. OSCOLA does not use terminal full stops in footnotes.
2. Putting cases or legislation in the bibliography. These belong in the table of cases and table of legislation respectively.
3. Using “p” or “pp” for page numbers. Just give the number: write “102” not “p 102.”
4. Forgetting to switch between round and square brackets. Square brackets = year is essential to locating the volume. Round brackets = a separate volume number exists.
5. Not using ibid when you should. If you cite the same source in two consecutive footnotes, always use “ibid.”
6. Italicising legislation. Only case names and publication titles are italicised. Statutes are set in roman type.
7. Using “at” before pinpoint references. Write “Donoghue v Stevenson [1932] AC 562, 580″ — not “at 580.”
8. Using the wrong author name format. Footnotes use the full first name (Andrew Burrows). The bibliography uses surname and initial (Burrows A).
9. Omitting the access date for online sources. Always include “accessed DD Month YYYY.”
10. Putting full stops in abbreviations. Write “OUP” not “O.U.P.”, “AC” not “A.C.”

Free tools, generators and resources:

While understanding the rules is essential, several tools can help speed up the process:

• Free LawTeacher.net OSCOLA referencing generator – quick, easy and no sign-up required. Fully up-to-date for the current edition of OSCOLA.
• Free LawTeacher.net OSCOLA referencing guide
• The OSCOLA Quick Reference Guide – a free two-page PDF published by the University of Oxford, available at the Oxford Law Faculty website. This is the single best reference sheet to keep beside you while writing.
• The OSCOLA full guide (4th edition) – the complete guide published by Hart Publishing / Oxford, also freely available as a PDF from the Oxford Law Faculty.

Final checklist

Before submitting any piece of legal writing, run through this checklist:

•  All references are in footnotes (not in-text or endnotes, unless your institution permits endnotes).
•  No full stops at the end of footnotes.
•  Case names are italicised; legislation is not.
•  Square brackets vs round brackets for years are used correctly.
•  ibid is used for consecutive citations of the same source.
•  Short forms with “(n X)” cross-references are used for non-consecutive repeat citations.
•  All online sources include a URL in angle brackets and an access date.
•  The table of authorities is divided into cases, legislation, treaties, and bibliography.
•  Cases and legislation appear only in their respective tables, not in the bibliography.
•  Bibliography entries use surname and initial format and are in alphabetical order.

This guide is based on the OSCOLA 4th edition (2012), which remains the current version. Always check with your university or publisher for any institution-specific variations