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OSCOLA at a glance
OSCOLA puts every citation in a footnote. There are no in-text author-date citations.
| Source | Format | Example (from OSCOLA 5th edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Case with neutral citation | Case name [year] court number, [year] volume report page | Corr v IBC Vehicles Ltd [2008] UKHL 13, [2008] 1 AC 884 |
| Case before neutral citations | Case name [year] report page (court) | Page v Smith [1996] AC 155 (HL) |
| Act of Parliament | Short title year, section | Human Rights Act 1998, s 2 |
| Statutory instrument | Title year, SI year/number | Eggs and Chicks (England) Regulations 2009, SI 2009/2163, reg 7(2) |
| Book | Author, Title (edition, publisher year) | Timothy Endicott, Administrative Law (OUP 2009) |
| Journal article | Author, 'Title' (year) volume journal first page | Rebecca Williams, 'Rethinking Administrative Law for Algorithmic Decision Making' (2021) 42 OJLS 468 |
| Website or blog | Author, 'Title' (Website, date) <link> | Cyclefree, 'Is This Really Necessary, Minister?' (Legal Feminist, 27 April 2023) <https://perma.cc/3THK-P4AX> |
| Repeat citation | Short form (n footnote number) pinpoint | Stevens (n 1) 110 |
What changed in the 5th edition (2026)
The Oxford Faculty of Law published the fifth edition on 25 March 2026. Its own summary of key changes includes:
- No more ibid. Subsequent citations always use a short form and a cross-citation such as (n 1). Other Latin terms (supra, infra, op cit, loc cit) are also discouraged; eg, ie and cf are still fine.
- Websites and blogs: prefer a persistent link (for example Perma.cc) or a DOI. With one of those you do not need an access date. Without one, follow the URL with "accessed" and the date. Links go in angled brackets; a DOI does not need them.
- New source types: book reviews, social media posts, podcasts and generative AI output.
- Assimilated EU law: add "Assimilated" before the title of direct EU legislation kept in UK law, and replace the OJ reference with the amending UK statutory instrument.
- EU court decisions are cited with their European Case Law Identifier (ECLI).
- International law sources are back in the main guide as a revised chapter 4, replacing the 2006 supplement.
- Tables and bibliography: more guidance on tables of cases and legislation; bibliography entries do not end with a full stop.
- Retrospectively created neutral citations (for cases before 2001) should not be used, and some court identifiers changed.
Universities switch editions on their own timetables. If your handbook still says OSCOLA 4, the main practical difference is that ibid is allowed there.
What Is OSCOLA?
OSCOLA, the Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities, is a footnote-based citation system maintained by the Oxford Faculty of Law. It uses as little punctuation as possible: no full stops in abbreviations or after initials. Its two stated principles are consistency and consideration for the reader.
The guide divides sources into primary sources (cases, legislation), secondary sources (books, articles, websites) and international sources.
Citing Cases
Case citation format depends on whether the case has a neutral citation—a court-assigned reference introduced after 2001.
With neutral citation:
Corr v IBC Vehicles Ltd [2008] UKHL 13, [2008] 1 AC 884
Without neutral citation (older cases):
Page v Smith [1996] AC 155 (HL)
Key conventions: case names in italics, minimal punctuation in report abbreviations (AC not A.C.), square brackets when year identifies the volume, round brackets when volumes are numbered independently.
Pinpoint references cite specific paragraphs:
Corr v IBC Vehicles Ltd [2008] UKHL 13, [2008] 1 AC 884 [42]
Citing Legislation
UK legislation requires only the short title and year:
Acts of Parliament:
Human Rights Act 1998, s 6
Statutory Instruments:
Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019, SI 2019/855
Eggs and Chicks (England) Regulations 2009, SI 2009/2163, reg 7(2)
Rules of court are the exception. Section 2.5.3 says the Civil Procedure Rules, Criminal Procedure Rules and Family Procedure Rules are cited without their SI number or year:
CPR 5.2(1)(b)
EU legislation:
Regulation (EC) No 593/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 2008 on the law applicable to contractual obligations [2008] OJ L177/6
The assimilated UK version of the same regulation (5th edition, section 2.4.9):
Assimilated Regulation (EC) No 593/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 2008 on the law applicable to contractual obligations, as amended by SI 2019/834, reg 10
No punctuation in section abbreviations (s not s.). For multiple sections, use ss. Schedules are abbreviated as sch, paragraphs as para.
Citing Secondary Sources
Books:
Leigh Sagar and Jack Burroughs, The Digital Estate (2nd edn, Sweet & Maxwell 2022)
Format: Author, Title (additional information, edition, publisher year). The edition is followed by a comma; the publisher and year are separated by a space with no punctuation between them, and the place of publication is not given.
Edited books (chapter):
John Cartwright, 'The Fiction of the "Reasonable Man"' in AG Castermans and others (eds), Ex Libris Hans Nieuwenhuis (Kluwer 2009)
Journal articles:
Alison L Young, 'In Defence of Due Deference' (2009) 72 MLR 554
Format: Author, 'Title' (Year) Volume Abbreviation First Page. Journal titles are abbreviated without punctuation.
Websites and blogs, with a persistent link (no access date needed):
Cyclefree, 'Is This Really Necessary, Minister?' (Legal Feminist, 27 April 2023) <https://perma.cc/3THK-P4AX>
With an ordinary URL, add the access date after the angled brackets:
Geert van Calster, 'Rechtbank Noord Holland on Applicable Law viz a Pig Butchering Scam, Echoing the Classic Difficulty of Distinguishing Contract from Tort' (GAVC Law, 15 July 2023) <https://gavclaw.com/2023/07/15/rechtbank-noord-holland-on-applicable-law-viz-a-pig-butchering-scam-echoing-the-classic-difficulty-of-distinguishing-contract-from-tort/> accessed 21 July 2023
Theses (the title is italic in the 5th edition):
Javan Herberg, Injunctive Relief for Wrongful Termination of Employment (DPhil thesis, University of Oxford 1989)
Generative AI:
ChatGPT, response to 'Explain how artificial intelligence works', OpenAI (16 July 2023)
Footnotes and Subsequent Citations
OSCOLA uses footnotes exclusively—no in-text citations. Number footnotes consecutively using superscript after punctuation.
For a subsequent citation, briefly identify the source and give a cross-citation in brackets to the footnote that has the full citation:
1 Robert Stevens, Torts and Rights (OUP 2007). ... 26 Stevens (n 1) 110. 27 Stevens (n 1) 219.
Cases work the same way, with paragraph pinpoints in square brackets:
1 Austin v Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis [2009] UKHL 5, [2009] AC 564. 2 Austin (n 1) [34], [39], [43]–[47].
If you cite two works by the same author, the footnote number tells them apart: Williams (n 1) 240 and Williams (n 5) 472.
The 5th edition says ibid should not be used, even when the previous footnote cites the same source. Under the 4th edition ibid was allowed for an immediately preceding citation. In longer works, start citations afresh in each chapter.
Bibliography
In longer works such as dissertations, theses and books, OSCOLA asks for a bibliography of secondary sources after the main text. Primary sources are not repeated there because they appear in the tables of cases and legislation at the front. Entries follow footnote format with three differences: the surname comes first, followed by initials with no comma between them; initials replace forenames; and unattributed works start with a double em-dash. Entries are alphabetical by surname and do not end with a full stop.
Footnote: Elizabeth Fisher, Risk Regulation and Administrative Constitutionalism (Hart Publishing 2007).
Bibliography: Fisher E, Risk Regulation and Administrative Constitutionalism (Hart Publishing 2007)
Many law schools set their own bibliography rules for coursework, so check your handbook.
Common OSCOLA Mistakes
- Adding unnecessary punctuation. Write MLR not M.L.R., AC not A.C.
- Italicizing legislation. Case names are italic; statute titles are not.
- Including database information. Don't cite Westlaw or LexisNexis—cite the underlying report as if it were print.
- Forgetting pinpoints. Always cite the specific paragraph or page when referring to particular content.
- Using ibid under the 5th edition. Use the short form and (n X) every time.
OSCOLA vs Bluebook
| Feature | OSCOLA | Bluebook |
|---|---|---|
| Region | UK/Commonwealth | United States |
| Punctuation | Minimal | Extensive |
| Case names | Italic | Regular (in footnotes) |
| Subsequent citations | Short form + (n X); no ibid in the 5th edition | Id., supra |
| Free access | Yes (PDF online) | Paywall |
Who Uses OSCOLA?
OSCOLA is standard for UK law schools, most Commonwealth jurisdictions, and many international law journals. If you're writing for a US audience or US courts, use Bluebook instead.
Sources
- Faculty of Law, University of Oxford, OSCOLA: The Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities, 5th edition (2026)
- Faculty of Law, University of Oxford, Key changes made in the fifth edition of OSCOLA
- Faculty of Law, University of Oxford, Fifth edition of OSCOLA published (25 March 2026)
Accessed 21 September 2026. Every example on this page is reproduced from the fifth edition of OSCOLA, which we read in full at the link above.
