OSCOLA
OSCOLA referencing style is used when submitting work for a module for the School of Law. Due to the complexity of particular sources, some entries are very detailed. Make sure to fully read each page.
This is an interpretation of OSCOLA guidance. Check with your lecturer before using this suggestion, which is based on OSCOLA's guiding principles of consistency and consideration for the reader.
From the internet and no page number(s)
If the article is from the internet and no page number is available, provide the website address within angled brackets and the most recent date of access.
From a database and no page number(s)
If the article is from a database and no page number is available, give the name of the database and date of most recent access.
Databases such as Nexis UK usually give the first page number of the article. Provide this in the footnote and bibliography.
If it is a very short article, you can assume that it is likely to appear only on one page in a newspaper, so include the first page number in the reference and omit the details of the database.
If the author is not named, begin the footnote with the title. If the reference is to an editorial, the author is cited as Editorial.
Footnote form
Author, 'Article Title' Name of Newspaper (City of publication, day Month year) page or if page not available accessed day Month year.
or
Author, 'Article Title' Name of Newspaper (City of publication, day Month year) page or if page not available Database title accessed day Month year.
For examples, click on the More button.
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Footnote examples
Newspaper article from the internet
1 A Travis, 'MI5 Report Challenges Views on Terrorism in Britain' The Guardian (London 21 August 2008) <http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/aug/20/uksecurity.terrorism1> accessed 27 August 2008.
Newspaper article from a database
2 'Caffeine Linked to Mental Illness' New York Times (13 July 1991) 21.
3 Editorial, 'Redemption, Rehabilitation and Basic Human Rights' The Independent (London 22 August 2007) 3.
[These are very short articles, you can assume that it is likely to appear only on one page in a newspaper, so include the first page number in the footnote and omit the database details.]
4 A Travis, 'MI5 Report Challenges Views on Terrorism in Britain' The Guardian (London 21 August 2008) Nexis UK database accessed 27 August 2008.
[This is a longer article which might spread over more pages than the one given by Nexis, hence the need to include database details to explain the lack of pinpoint referencing.]
Bibliography
'Caffeine Linked to Mental Illness' New York Times (13 July 1991) 21
Editorial, 'Redemption, Rehabilitation and Basic Human Rights' The Independent (London 22 August 2007) 3
Travis A, 'MI5 Report Challenges Views on Terrorism in Britain' The Guardian (London 21 August 2008) <http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/aug/20/uksecurity.terrorism1> accessed 27 August 2008
Notes
- Information about arranging the bibliography.
- If it is an Editorial, list alphabetically under Editorial.
- If there is no author, list alphabetically by the first word/s of the title at the beginning of list under the heading Secondary Sources.
- Do not include full stops at the end of bibliography entries.
Reference: Faculty of Law, University of Oxford, OSCOLA: Oxford Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities (4th edn Oxford University 2010) 42.