OSCOLA, the Oxford University Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities, is a footnote style used in UK law schools. You cite sources in numbered footnotes and list them in tables and a bibliography at the end.
This page follows the 4th edition. It covers the footnote principle, cases, legislation, secondary sources, short forms and ibid, quotations and how to lay out the bibliography.
OSCOLA in One Minute
- Cite in footnotes; place the footnote marker after punctuation where possible.
- End every footnote with a full stop.
- Use no full stops in abbreviations: UKSC, edn, eg, ie, s.
- Italicize case names in the text and footnotes.
- Pinpoint the exact page or paragraph you rely on.
- List cases, legislation and secondary sources separately at the end.
The Footnote Principle
Every time you rely on a source, add a footnote. If you name the case or author in your sentence, you still need the footnote with the full citation.
The House of Lords recognized a general duty of care in negligence.1
1 Donoghue v Stevenson [1932] AC 562 (HL).
Footnotes are a full citation the first time you cite a source. Later footnotes for the same source use a short form or ibid.
Citing Cases
Cases with a Neutral Citation
Since 2001, judgments in the higher courts of England and Wales have had a neutral citation identifying the court and judgment number. Give the neutral citation first, then the best law report.
R (Miller) v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union [2017] UKSC 5, [2018] AC 61.
With a pinpoint to a paragraph: R (Miller) v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union [2017] UKSC 5, [2018] AC 61 [56].
Cases Without a Neutral Citation
For older cases, cite the law report and add the court in brackets if it is not clear from the report.
Donoghue v Stevenson [1932] AC 562 (HL).
With a pinpoint to a page: Donoghue v Stevenson [1932] AC 562 (HL) 580.
| Element | Rule |
|---|---|
| Case name | Italic, with "v" and no full stop |
| Square brackets [year] | The year identifies the volume |
| Round brackets (year) | The report has its own volume numbers |
| Pinpoint | Page number after the report, or paragraph number in square brackets |
Citing Legislation
Cite an Act by its short title and year, with no comma between them. Sections use "s" and subsections go in brackets.
Human Rights Act 1998, s 3.
Human Rights Act 1998, s 3(1).
Plural sections: Human Rights Act 1998, ss 3 and 4.
If you name the Act in your sentence, you do not need a footnote just for the Act. Abbreviations: s (section), ss (sections), sch (schedule), pt (part), para (paragraph).
Books, Chapters and Journal Articles
In footnotes, give authors' names as they appear in the publication, first name first. Pinpoint the page at the end.
Book: Andrew Ashworth, Principles of Criminal Law (6th edn, OUP 2009) 52.
Chapter in an edited book: Author Name, 'Chapter Title' in Editor Name (ed), Book Title (Publisher Year) page.
Journal article, year as volume: Paul Craig, 'Theory, "Pure Theory" and Values in Public Law' [2005] PL 440.
Journal article with volume number: Author Name, 'Article Title' (Year) Volume Journal Abbreviation First Page.
Website: Author Name, 'Title of Page' (Website Name, Date of publication) <URL> accessed 10 October 2026.
Article and chapter titles take single quotation marks; book titles are italic. Journal names are usually abbreviated, such as PL for Public Law.
Subsequent Citations, Short Forms and Ibid
- Ibid: use when citing the same source as the immediately preceding footnote, adding a new pinpoint if needed: Ibid 60.
- Short form with cross-reference: for a source cited earlier but not in the previous footnote, give the author's surname and the footnote of the full citation: Ashworth (n 3) 60.
- Short case names: after the first full citation, you can refer to a case by a short name: Miller (n 5) [56].
3 Andrew Ashworth, Principles of Criminal Law (6th edn, OUP 2009) 52.
4 Ibid 55.
5 R (Miller) v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union [2017] UKSC 5, [2018] AC 61.
6 Ashworth (n 3) 60.
Quoting Authorities
Short quotations of up to three lines go in single quotation marks within your sentence. Longer quotations are indented, with no quotation marks, and the footnote marker at the end.
Use an ellipsis (...) for omitted words and square brackets for your own additions. Always pinpoint the exact page or paragraph you quote.
Tables and the Bibliography
Longer work, such as a dissertation, usually needs a table of cases, a table of legislation and a bibliography of secondary sources. Check your law school's requirements for shorter essays.
- Table of cases: alphabetical by first significant word; case names are not italicized in the table.
- Table of legislation: alphabetical, with UK and other jurisdictions separated if you use both.
- Bibliography: secondary sources only, alphabetical by author surname, with the surname first followed by initials, and no pinpoints.
Ashworth A, Principles of Criminal Law (6th edn, OUP 2009)
Craig P, 'Theory, "Pure Theory" and Values in Public Law' [2005] PL 440
Common OSCOLA Mistakes
- Full stops in abbreviations, such as "s." or "U.K.S.C.".
- A comma between an Act's name and its year.
- Footnotes that do not end with a full stop.
- Using ibid when another source intervened.
- Missing pinpoints for quotations and specific propositions.
- Including cases and statutes in the bibliography of secondary sources.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The Oxford University Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities, a footnote referencing style used widely in UK law schools.
The 4th edition is the current standard. Some law schools publish their own additions, so check your handbook.
Yes. Every footnote ends with a full stop.
Case name in italics, then the neutral citation if there is one, then the law report: Miller [2017] UKSC 5, [2018] AC 61.
Short title and year with no comma, then the section: Human Rights Act 1998, s 3.
Only when citing the same source as in the immediately preceding footnote.
Yes, for secondary sources, alongside separate tables of cases and legislation in longer work.