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.

If the electronic version of an item looks exactly like the paper version, treat the item as if it was in paper format. 

  • If the item has an ISBN, treat it as a paper book.  Check near the front of the item as well as the back cover for the ISBN.
  • Chapters from edited books, books without authors, books with editors, etc. also follow the same rule.
  • Ebooks from Law Trove, Ebook Central, Cambridge, and others where the text looks like the paper version, reference the book as a paper book.
  • If no page numbers:  reference as a paper book, but include the ebook type/edition before the publisher detail.
  • How to pinpoint if no page numbers: Include chapter or section name/number, and sub-section/paragraph number (if given).

 

Footnote examples with no page numbers

4 Williams on Wills (9th edn, Lexis Library edn, Lexis Nexis 2007) vol 1, part F, para 23.1.
5 James Glister and James Lee, Hanbury & Martin Modern Equity (21st edn, Kindle edn, Sweet & Maxwell 2018) ch 1, part 2E, 1-008, text above n 24.
6 William Lucy, Philosophy of Private Law (Kindle edn, OUP 2007) ch 1, text above n 16.

 

Bibliography

Lucy W, Philosophy of Private Law (Kindle edn, OUP 2007)

Glister J and Lee J, Hanbury & Martin Modern Equity (21st edn, Kindle edn, Sweet & Maxwell 2018)

Williams on Wills (9th edn, Lexis Library edn, Lexis Nexis 2007)

 

Notes

Reference: Faculty of Law, University of Oxford, OSCOLA: Oxford Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities (4th edn Oxford University 2010) 33, 34.  Additional guidance is for ebooks is found on the OSCOLA FAQ page.

 

Book with single author - Footnote form

Author (Initials or forename unpunctuated followed by Surname), Title (additional information, edition if later than first, Publisher publication year) page if required.

 

Book with multiple authors - Footnote form

Two authors:

Author 1 and Author 2 (Initials or Forename unpunctuated followed by Surname in each case), Title of Book (additional information, edition if later than first Publisher publication year) page number if required.

Three authors:

Author 1, Author 2 and Author 3 (Initials or Forename unpunctuated followed by Surname name in each case), Title of Book (additional information, edition if later than first Publisher publication year) page number if required.

Four or more authors:

Author 1 and others, (Initials or Forename unpunctuated followed by Surname name all other authors abbreviated to 'and others'), Title of Book (additional information, edition if later than first, Publisher publication year) page number if required.

 

Book with single author - Footnote examples

1 Doreen J McBarnet, Conviction: Law, the State and the Construction of Justice (Oxford socio-legal studies, Macmillan 1981) 67.

2 Gareth Jones, Goff and Jones: The Law of Restitution (1st supp, 7th edn, Sweet & Maxwell 2009).

3 Ian J Lloyd, Information Technology Law (9th edn, OUP 2020) 28.

4 J Peeler, Building Democracy in Latin America (2nd edn, Lynne Reiner 2004) 21.
 

 

Book with multiple authors - Footnote examples

1 MH Moore and others, Dangerous Offenders: the Elusive Target of Justice (Harvard University Press 1984).

2 Stephen W Mayson, Derek French and Christopher L Ryan, Mayson, French & Ryan on Company Law (36th edn, Blackstone 2019) 22.

3 W Strunk and EB White, The Elements of Style (3rd edn, Macmillan 1979) 16-18.

 

Bibliography

Jones G, Goff and Jones: The Law of Restitution (1st supp, 7th edn, Sweet & Maxwell 2009)
Lloyd IJ, Information Technology Law (9th edn, OUP 2020)
McBarnet DJ, Conviction: Law, the State and the Construction of Justice (Oxford socio-legal studies, Macmillan 1981)
Mayson SW, French D and Ryan CL, Mayson, French & Ryan on Company Law (36th edn, Blackstone 2019)
Moore MH and others, Dangerous Offenders: the Elusive Target of Justice (Harvard University Press 1984)
Peeler J, Building Democracy in Latin America (2nd edn, Lynne Reiner 2004)
 

Notes

Reference: Faculty of Law, University of Oxford, OSCOLA: Oxford Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities (4th edn Oxford University 2010) 34-36.

 

If an ebook is by a corporate author and looks different from a printed version (e.g. no page numbers), follow the below guidance and combine with the guidance for Books: Paper v Electronic.



Footnote form

Author, Title (additional information, Edition if later than first, Publisher Publication year) page if required.

 

Footnote examples

1 American Psychological Association, Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th edn, Author 2001).

2 University of Oxford: Faculty of Law, OSCOLA 2006: The Oxford Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities (Oxford University 2006).

3 University of Portsmouth: Centre for Coastal Zone Management, Best Practice Guide for the Preparation of Coastal Zone Management Plans: Tender Submitted by the Centre for Coastal Zone Management, University of Portsmouth (University of Portsmouth Enterprise Ltd 1995) 10.

 

Bibliography

Information about arranging the bibliography.

 

Notes

  • If a book has a title and a subtitle, use the existing punctuation. Where there is none, insert a colon.
  • If there is no author, begin the footnote with the title.

    Reference: Faculty of Law, University of Oxford, OSCOLA: Oxford Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities (4th edn Oxford University 2010) 33-34.

 

Referencing a whole edited book is uncommon. You are more likely to be referencing individual chapters. Treat an introduction as a chapter. See the information for referencing chapters in an edited book.


Single editor - Footnote form

Editor (as with author) (ed), Title of Book (additional information, Edition if later than first, Publisher Publication year) pinpoint if required.


Multiple editors - Footnote form

Editors (up to three as for authors) (eds), Title of Book (additional information Edition if later than first, Publisher Publication year).
 

 

Footnote examples

1 BA Maher (ed), Progress in Experimental Personality Research, vol 2 (Academic Press 1965) para 908.

2 D French (ed), Blackstone's Statutes on Company Law 2020-2021 (24th edn, Oxford University Press 2020).

[The above example shows that well established books continue to be known by their original titles long after their original authors have died and each new editor must be identified.]

3 Peniel E Joseph (ed), The Black Power Movement: Rethinking the Civil Rights-Black Power Era (Routledge 2006).

4 VN Koutrakou (ed), Contemporary Issues and Debates in EUP Policy (MUP 2004) 6-10.

5 J Carroll and J Ryan (eds), Teaching International Students: Improving Learning for All (Routledge 2005) 56-62.

6 S J Stedman, D Rothchild and E Cousens (eds), Ending Civil Wars: the Implementation of Peace Agreements (Lynne Rienner 2002) 24.


 

Bibliography

French D (ed), Blackstone's Statutes on Company Law 2020-2021 (24th edn, Oxford University Press 2020)

Joseph PE (ed), The Black Power Movement: Rethinking the Civil Rights-Black Power Era (Routledge 2006)

Stedman JS, Rothchild D and Cousens E (eds), Ending Civil Wars: The Implementation of Peace Agreements (Lynne Rienner 2002) 

 

Notes

  • Information about the arrangement of the bibliography.
  • If there are more than three editors, give the names of the first editor followed by 'and others'.
  • If a book has a title and a subtitle, use the existing punctuation. Where there is none, insert a colon.
  • If a book consists of more than one volume, the volume number follows the publication details, unless the publication details of the volumes vary, in which case it precedes them, and is separated from the title by a comma. Pinpoint to paragraphs rather than pages if the paragraphs are numbered.

    Reference: Faculty of Law, University of Oxford, OSCOLA: Oxford Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities (4th edn Oxford University 2010) 35.

Where the contents page shows that the chapters (including an introduction or preface) have been written by several different people (including the editor(s)), use this format.

If necessary, additional information, including a description of the document, a series number and any other details which may help the reader to locate the source should be referred to in parenthesis after the title.

 

Footnote form

Author of chapter, 'Title of chapter' in Editor(s) (up to three as with authors) (ed/s), Title of Book (Additional information, edition if later than first, Publisher publication year).
 

 

Footnote examples

1  Aldo Chircop and Desai Shan, 'Governance of International Shipping in the Era of Decarbonisation: New Challenges for the IMO?' in Proshanto K Mukherjee, Maximo Q Mejia, Jr and Jingjing Xu (eds), Maritime Law in Motion (Springer 2020).

2 Bernstein JM, 'Torture, Dignity, and the Rule of Law' in Steven J Barela and others (eds), Interrogation and Torture (OUP 2020), 396. 


 

Bibliography

Chircop A and Shan D, 'Governance of International Shipping in the Era of Decarbonisation: New Challenges for the IMO?' in PK Mukherjee, MQ Mejia, Jr and Jingjing Xu (eds), Maritime Law in Motion (Springer 2020)

JM Bernstein, 'Torture, Dignity, and the Rule of Law' in SJ Barela and others (eds), Interrogation and Torture (OUP 2020)


 

Notes

  • Information on the arrangement of the bibliography.
  • If there are more than three chapter authors, give the names of the first author followed by 'and others'.
  • If a book has a title and a subtitle, use the existing punctuation. Where there is none, insert a colon.
  • If you have used a several chapters and have referenced these chapters properly in the bibliography, there is no need for another reference to the whole book in the bibliography.
  • It is not necessary to give the pages of the chapter.

Reference: Faculty of Law, University of Oxford, OSCOLA: Oxford Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities (4th edn Oxford University 2010) 35.

 

If no personal author is given, check to see if any corporate body has acted as publisher or claimed editorial responsibility, and use that as an author e.g. Ministry of Justice, Department for Constitutional Affairs, etc. If you can find no person or body acting as author, and are convinced the source is an authoritative one for your purposes, begin the citation with the title. This style can be adapted for other materials where there is no author or editor.

 

Footnote form

Title (additional information, edition if later than first, Publisher year) page if required.

 

Footnote examples

1 Encyclopedia of Psychology (Routledge 1979) 356-359.

2 Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (11th edn, Merriam-Webster 2013) 54.
 

Bibliography

 Encyclopedia of Psychology (Routledge 1979)

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (11th edn, Merriam-Webster 2013)

 

Notes

 

Reference: Faculty of Law, University of Oxford, OSCOLA: Oxford Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities (4th edn Oxford University 2010) 33-34.

 

If there is no author, cite the editor or translator as you would an author, adding in brackets after their names '(ed)' or '(tr)', or '(eds)' or '(trs)' if there is more than one.

If the work has an author, but an editor or translator is also acknowledged on the title page or front cover, cite the author in the usual way and attribute the editor or translator at the beginning of the publication information, within the brackets.

 

Footnote form

If there is no author:
Author (editor(s) or translator(s)), Title of Book (additional information, edition if later than first, Publisher publication year) page if required.


If there is an author, but an editor or translator is also acknowledged:
Author, Title of Book (Editor or Translator, additional information, edition if later than first, Publisher publication year) page if required.

 

Footnote examples

1 HLA Hart, Punishment and Responsibility: Essays in the Philosophy of Law (John Gardener ed, 2nd edn, OUP 2008) 5-10.

2 J Derrida, Who's Afraid of Philosophy (J Plug tr, first published 1990, Stanford University Press 2002).

3 Jeremy Horder (ed), Oxford Essays in Jurisprudence: Fourth Series (OUP 2000) 23.

4 K Zweigert and H Kotz, An Introduction to Comparative Law (Tony Weir tr, 3rd edn, OUP 1998).

5 Peter Birks and Grant McLeod (trs), The Institutes of Justinian (Duckworth 1987).

 

Bibliography

In the bibliography, the author's/editor's/translator's surname should precede their initial(s), with no comma separating them, but a comma after the first initial. Only initials should be used, not forenames.

Birks P and McLeod G (trs), The Institutes of Justinian (Duckworth 1987)

Derrida J, Who's Afraid of Philosophy (Plug J tr, first published 1990, Stanford University Press 2002)

Hart HLA, Punishment and Responsibility: Essays in the Philosophy of Law (Gardener J ed, 2nd edn, OUP 2008)

 

Notes

  • Information on arranging the bibliography.
  • Where there are multiple authors or translators, follow the guidance for books with multiple authors or multiple editors.
  • If a book has a title and a subtitle, use the existing punctuation. Where there is none, insert a colon.

Reference: Faculty of Law, University of Oxford, OSCOLA: Oxford Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities (4th edn Oxford University 2010) 35.

 

Examples include dictionary or encyclopaedia/encyclopedia entries. 

Note: If an entry has named author(s), include them as authors of the entry, but exclude the editor(s) and publisher, but include the edition and year of publication/republication. 

 

Footnote form

Author (Initials unpunctuated followed by surname), 'Title of entry', Title of Reference Book (additional information, edition if later than first, Publication year ) volume (abbreviated to vol), part (abbreviated to pt), paragraph (abbreviated to para) or page if required.

 

Footnote examples

1 A Cherp and R Mnatskanian, 'Environmental degradation: past roots, present transition and future hopes', Eastern Europe, Russia and Central Asia 2005 (5th edn, 2004).

2 A Lijphart, 'Electoral systems', The Encyclopaedia of Democracy (1995) vol 3, para 2.

3 P Scratan and K Chadwick, 'Critical criminology', Sage Dictionary of Criminology (4th edn, 2019) 127.

4 L Lockwood, N O'Regan and JA Owens, 'Palestrina, Giovanni Pierluigi da' The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (2nd edn, 2001) 123.

 

Bibliography

Lijphart A, 'Electoral systems', The Encyclopaedia of Democracy (1995)

Scratan P and Chadwick K, 'Critical criminology', Sage Dictionary of Criminology (4th edn, 2019)

 

Notes

Reference: Faculty of Law, University of Oxford, OSCOLA: Oxford Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities (4th edn Oxford University 2010) 36-37.

 

Note:  Exclude the editor(s)'s name(s) and publisher, but include the edition number and year of publication/republication.  Please note there are differences between the layout of dictionary and encyclopedia entries. 

 

Footnote form

Title of Reference Book (additional information, edition if later than first, Publisher publication year) volume (abbreviated to vol), part (abbreviated to pt), paragraph (abbreviated to para) or page if required.

 

Footnote examples

Dictionary

1 'no-fault compensation', Oxford Dictionary of Law (7th edn, OUP 2013).

2 'philosophy, n' (OED Online, OUP June 2013) <www.oed.com/view/Entry/142505> accessed 21 August 2013.
This is an example of a dictionary that is different from the paper version and is updated regularly, hence the need for the url and access date. 
Additional guidance is on the OSCOLA FAQ page.

 

Encyclopaedic work

2 Halsbury's Laws (4th edn, 2006) vol 27, pt 1.

 Exclude the editor(s)'s name(s) and publisher, but include the edition number and year of publication/republication

 

 

Bibliography

Halsbury's Laws (4th edn, 2006) 

Oxford Dictionary of Law (7th edn, OUP 2013)

'philosophy, n' (OED Online (OUP June 2013) <www.oed.com/view/Entry/142505> accessed 21 August 2013

 

Notes

Reference: Faculty of Law, University of Oxford, OSCOLA: Oxford Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities (4th edn Oxford University 2010) 36 and https://www.law.ox.ac.uk/oscola-faqs

 

This is an interpretation of OSCOLA guidance. Check with your lecturer before using this suggestion, which is based on the scheme's guiding principles of consistency and consideration for the reader.

 

If the original version of a book in a language other than English is used as a source, reference the original version.

If your source is written in a language that does not use Latin characters (Aa, Bb, Cc, etc.), such as Russian, it is recommended that you transliterate the details. So a book whose title is in Russian (i.e. written using Cyrillic characters), e.g.

к Комментарии «Евгению Онегину» Александра Пушкина
...should be referenced like this:


V Nabokov, Kommentarii k 'Evgeniiu Oneginu' Aleksandra Pushkina NPK, Moscow 1999.
 

Footnote form

Author, Title of Book (Additional information, edition if later than first, Publisher publication year) page if required.

 

Footnote examples

1 Ecolo (Albin Michel, 1992). G Bassani, Il giardino dei Finzi-Contini (Einaudi 1962) 20.

2 J-L Bennahmiasm & A Roche, Des Vertes de Toutes les Coleurs: Histoire et Sociologie du Mouvement. (Albin Michel, 1992) 55.
 

Bibliography

Bennahmiasm J-L & Roche A, Des Vertes de Toutes les Coleurs: Histoire et Sociologie du Mouvement Ecolo (Albin Michel, 1992)
 

Notes

  • Information on arranging the bibliography.
  • Where there are multiple authors follow the guidance for books with multiple authors.
  • If there is no author, begin the footnote with the title.
  • If a book has a title and a subtitle, use the existing punctuation. Where there is none, insert a colon.

Reference: Faculty of Law, University of Oxford, OSCOLA: Oxford Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities (4th edn Oxford University 2010) 35.