The Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities (OSCOLA) is notoriously strict. A single misplaced comma or missing neutral citation can instantly lower your legal writing marks.
1. Citing UK Primary Case Law
Format: Party Names [Year] Court Number, [Year] Volume Report FirstPage.
Example: Donoghue v Stevenson [1932] AC 562 (HL).
For post-2001 decisions with neutral citations: R (Miller) v Prime Minister [2019] UKSC 41, [2020] AC 373.
2. Primary Legislation (Statutes)
Format: Short Title Year, section number.
Example: Human Rights Act 1998, s 6(1).
3. Secondary Sources: Books and Journals
- Journal Article: Author, 'Title' [Year] Journal FirstPage. Example: HLA Hart, 'Positivism and the Separation of Law and Morals' (1958) 71 Harv L Rev 593.
- Book: Author, Title (Edition, Publisher Year).
Golden OSCOLA Rule: OSCOLA does not use full stops after abbreviations. Write
UKSC not U.K.S.C. and AC not A.C.. Footnote numbers must always be placed outside punctuation marks.