OSCOLA, the Oxford University Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities, is the referencing style used by most UK law schools. It cites sources in footnotes and lists them at the end in tables of cases and legislation and a bibliography.
This guide follows the 4th edition and covers the sources law students cite most, with examples. Where your law school has its own additions, follow them.
The Core OSCOLA Rules in Brief
- Cite in footnotes; place the footnote marker after the punctuation, and end each footnote with a full stop.
- Use minimal punctuation: no full stops in abbreviations such as QB, HL, eg or edn.
- Italicize case names in text and footnotes; do not italicize legislation.
- Give pinpoints (pages or paragraphs) for the exact passage you rely on.
- Use short forms and cross-references for later citations of the same source.
How OSCOLA Footnotes Work
Each time you rely on a source, add a superscript number at the end of the sentence or clause, after any punctuation. The footnote gives the citation.
The House of Lords held that consent was no defense to actual bodily harm in that context.1
1 R v Brown [1993] UKHL 19, [1994] 1 AC 212.
If you name the case in your sentence, you can give only the citation in the footnote. Footnotes can also carry brief comments, but keep the main argument in your text.
Cases
UK cases decided since neutral citations were introduced (2001 onwards, depending on the court) are cited with the neutral citation first, then the best law report.
Case name [year] court number, [year] volume report first page
With a neutral citation: R v Brown [1993] UKHL 19, [1994] 1 AC 212.
Law report only: Donoghue v Stevenson [1932] AC 562 (HL).
Pinpoint to a page: Donoghue v Stevenson [1932] AC 562 (HL) 580.
Pinpoint to a paragraph: add the paragraph number in square brackets after the neutral citation, such as [45].
Where there is no neutral citation, add the court in brackets at the end if the report does not make it clear. Use square brackets around the year when the year identifies the volume, and round brackets when volumes are numbered independently of the year.
Legislation
Cite Acts of Parliament by their short title and year, with no comma between them. Pinpoint sections with "s" and subsections in brackets.
Human Rights Act 1998, s 3.
Human Rights Act 1998, s 4(2).
Statutory instrument: Civil Procedure Rules 1998, SI 1998/3132, r 3.4.
Use "s" for section and "ss" for sections, "sch" for schedule, "r" for rule and "reg" for regulation, with no full stops. Legislation is not italicized.
Books and Journal Articles
Secondary sources give the author's name as it appears in the publication, first name first, in footnotes.
Book: Hannah Price, Principles of Tort (3rd edn, Halden Press 2021) 45.
Chapter in an edited book: Leon Grant, 'Duty of Care Revisited' in Hannah Price (ed), Essays in Tort (Halden Press 2019) 101.
Journal article: Amara Okoye, 'Consent and the Criminal Law' (2019) 40 Halden Law Review 412, 418.
Website: Author, 'Title' (Website name, date) <URL> accessed 3 March 2025.
These examples are illustrative. The article title goes in single quotation marks, the journal name is not italicized, and the first page comes before any pinpoint page. For a book, publication details go in brackets with no comma before the year.
Subsequent Citations and Short Forms
After the first full citation, use a short form. For cases, use a short version of the case name; for secondary sources, use the author's surname and a cross-reference to the footnote with the full citation.
4 Price (n 2) 52.
5 Brown (n 1) 236.
6 ibid 237.
"ibid" refers to the source in the immediately preceding footnote and is not italicized. Some law schools discourage it; check your guidance.
EU Legislation and Cases
Regulation: Council Regulation (EC) 139/2004 of 20 January 2004 on the control of concentrations between undertakings [2004] OJ L24/1.
CJEU case: Case C-176/03 Commission v Council [2005] ECR I-7879.
EU legislation is cited from the Official Journal (OJ). CJEU cases give the case number first, then the name and report. For recent cases, check your law school's guidance on citation formats.
Hansard, Command Papers and Law Commission Reports
Hansard: HC Deb 3 February 1977, vol 925, col 973.
Command paper: Author, Title (Cm number, year).
Law Commission report: Law Commission, Title (Law Com No number, year).
Use HL Deb for House of Lords debates. Give the column number so a reader can find the exact passage.
The Bibliography and Tables
Longer pieces, such as dissertations, usually end with a table of cases, a table of legislation and a bibliography of secondary sources. Many essays need only a bibliography; check your module guide.
- Table of cases: case names in alphabetical order, not italicized.
- Table of legislation: statutes and instruments in alphabetical order.
- Bibliography: secondary sources alphabetically by author surname, with the surname first followed by initials, and no pinpoints.
Price H, Principles of Tort (3rd edn, Halden Press 2021)
Common OSCOLA Mistakes
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Full stops in abbreviations (s. 3, Q.B.) | s 3, QB |
| Footnote marker before punctuation | Place it after the comma or full stop |
| Italicizing statutes | Only case names are italicized |
| No pinpoint | Give the page or paragraph relied on |
| Repeating full citations every time | Use short forms with (n X) cross-references |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, OSCOLA 4th allows ibid for the source in the immediately preceding footnote, though some law schools prefer short forms. Check your guidance.
Usually yes for longer work, with tables of cases and legislation. Some short essays only need footnotes; follow your module guide.
Yes in your text and footnotes, but not in the table of cases.
Short title, year, then the section: Human Rights Act 1998, s 3.
A court-assigned citation, such as [2005] UKHL 1, that identifies a judgment independently of any law report.
Only at the end of footnotes. Abbreviations and initials take no full stops.
The 4th edition is the current standard taught by most UK law schools, sometimes with local additions.