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.
Do not use Latin terms such as supra, infra, ante, id, op cit, loc cit, contra or the vague phrase 'see above'.
Use ‘ibid’, which means ‘in the same place’ to repeat a reference in the footnote immediately before it.
Cross referencing a law report
12 Bradlaugh v Gossett (1884) 12 QBD 271.
13 ibid 274.
This means ‘in the same work, but this time at page 274’. Alternatively, you can repeat a reference by using ‘n’ to refer to an earlier footnote. For example:
12 Bradlaugh v Gossett (1884) 12 QBD 271.
13 Foakes v Beer (1884) 9 App Cas 605, 611.
14 Bradlaugh (n 12) 274.
For subsequent citations of cases in the same short document or chapter of a long document, a short form of the case name is sufficient to identify the source. Subsequent citations of legislation may use abbreviations or other short forms.
Cross referencing a book
12 W Strunk and EB White, The Elements of Style (3rd edn, Macmillan 1979) 16.
13 Foakes v Beer (1884) 9 App Cas 605, 611.
14 Strunk (n 12) 18.
Subsequent citations of secondary sources require only the author's surname, unless several works by the same author are being cited, in which case the surname and title of the work (or a short form of the title) should be given.
The second method can be used to refer to any earlier reference, and so can be used more widely than ‘ibid’. Whichever method you choose, it is important to be consistent and not switch back and forth between methods.
Follow the above principles for cross citation for other types of sources.
Please note: It is advisable only to cross reference in this way within shorter pieces of work or within distinct chapters of a longer piece of work such as a dissertation. If you are citing from a footnote in a different chapter, or if you are unsure, repeat your footnote in full.
Faculty of Law, University of Oxford, OSCOLA: Oxford Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities (4th edn Oxford University 2010) s 1.2.1.