OSCOLA

Books are secondary sources. An example of a footnote and bibliography entry would be:

Footnote:

¹ Gillian Black and Josephine R Bisacre, Business Law in Scotland (3rd edn, W Green 2015).

NOTE: name the author(s) as they appear in the publication

Footnote with pinpoint:

¹ Gillian Black and Josephine R Bisacre, Business Law in Scotland (3rd edn, W Green 2015) 23.

NOTE: add a pinpoint at the end of your footnote when you have made a direct quotation, or are referring to something from a specific page. This example pinpoints page 23.

Subsequent footnote:

⁴ Black and Bisacre (n1) 65.

NOTE: when footnoting something you've already footnoted earlier in your work, the subsequent footnote is abbreviated, as above. (n1) indicates where the full footnote can be found. This example now pinpoints page 65.

Bibliography:

Black G and Bisacre J R, Business Law in Scotland (3rd edn, W Green 2015)

NOTE: the bibliography is ordered alphabetically by surname. Format the authors names here by surname followed by initial(s).

For further guidance, see the Law Division's OSCOLA Guide.

Journals are secondary sources. An example of a footnote and bibliography entry would be:

Footnote:

¹ Paul Craig, ‘Theory, “Pure Theory” and Values in Public Law’ [2005] PL 440.

Footnote with pinpoint:

¹ Paul Craig, ‘Theory, “Pure Theory” and Values in Public Law’ [2005] PL 440, 442.

NOTE: pinpoint by adding the page number after the first page of the article, ie 440=first page, 442=pinpoint

Subsequent footnote:

⁶ Craig (n1).

NOTE: (n1) indicates where the full footnote can be found

Bibliography:

Craig P, ‘Theory, “Pure Theory” and Values in Public Law’ [2005] PL 440

For further guidance, see the Law Division's OSCOLA Guide.

NOTE: journal titles are always abbreviated, in this case PL standing for Public Law. You should abbreviate journal titles correctly according to the Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations.

A case is a primary source. An example of a footnote and table entry would be:

Footnote:

¹ Corr v IBC Vehicles Ltd [2008] UKHL 13, [2008] 1 AC 884.

Footnote with pinpoint:

¹ Corr v IBC Vehicles Ltd [2008] UKHL 13, [2008] 1 AC 884 [42].

NOTE: when pinpointing, give paragraph numbers in square brackets. If there are no paragraph numbers, give the page number unbracketed.

Subsequent footnote:

¹⁰ Corr (n 1) [45].

NOTE: (n 1) indicates where the full footnote can be found, but this citation refers to a different paragraph

Bibliography table of cases entry:

Corr v IBC Vehicles Ltd [2008] UKHL 13, [2008] 1 AC 884

Different rules apply depending on a number of factors eg whether a neutral citation is available, or whether or not the year is essential to find the source. For further guidance, see the Law Division's OSCOLA Guide.

A case is a primary source. An example of a footnote and table entry would be:‌

Footnote:

¹ Davidson v Scottish Ministers [2005] UKHL 74, 2006 SC (HL).

Footnote with pinpoint:

¹ Davidson v Scottish Ministers [2005] UKHL 74, 2006 SC (HL) [41].

NOTE: when pinpointing, give paragraph numbers in square brackets. If there are no paragraph numbers, give the page number unbracketed.

Subsequent footnote:

⁷ Davidson (n 1) [45].

NOTE: (n 1) indicates where the full footnote can be found, but this citation refers to a different paragraph

Bibliography table of cases entry:

Davidson v Scottish Ministers [2005] UKHL 74, 2006 SC (HL)

Different rules apply depending on a number of factors eg whether a neutral citation is available, or whether or not the year is essential to find the source. For further guidance, see the Law Division's ‌.

Legislation is a primary source. An example of a footnote and table entry would be:‌

Footnote:

¹ Food (Scotland) Act 2015 (asp1).

NOTE: a footnote is not required if all the information has already been given in the body of your text. If the title or section are not in your text, provide a footnote.

Subsequent footnote:

¹ Food (Scotland) Act 2015 (asp1) (FSA 2015) s 19(1).

⁷ FSA 2015, s. 21(2).

NOTE: if you are planning to refer to the same Act a number of times, include the abbreviated form eg (FSA 2015) in the first footnote, then use the abbreviated form thereafter.

Table entry:

Food (Scotland) Act 2015 (asp1)

Different rules apply depending on a number of factors. For further guidance, see the Law Division's OSCOLA Guide.

The bibliography should follow your work and include all sources cited in your work. It should be arranged alphabetically under the following headings:

• Abbreviations (if appropriate)
• Table of cases (subdivided by jurisdiction)
• Table of legislation (subdivided by jurisdiction)
• Secondary sources, subdivided by type: 
  • Books
  • Journal Articles 
  • Government Reports
  • Websites etc

OSCOLA is a footnote style, therefore all citations must appear as footnotes.

To insert a footnote into your Word document:

• place the cursor where you would like to insert a footnote - the footnote marker should be placed at the end of a sentence, after any punctuation eg ...sentence end.¹ or mid-sentence, if needed for clarity
• go to References (in Word horizontal menu)
• insert footnote
• insert the details required for your footnote depending on what type of legal resource it is