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OSCOLA referencing guide (Online)

Mae'r dudalen hon hefyd ar gael yn Gymraeg

Cases from Scotland, Northern Ireland and other jurisdictions

In Scottish cases, the year is not put in square brackets if it is essential to locate the case in the series of reports but is put in round brackets if the volumes of the law report series are independently numbered.

The only punctuation used is a comma to separate page numbers and to separate a neutral citation from a law report citation.

Below are examples of how to reference cases in a footnote and in the bibliography.

Example of a case without neutral citation in a footnote:

Dodds v HM Advocate 2003 JC 8.

Hislop v Durham (1842) 4 D 1168.

Example of a case with a neutral citation in a footnote:

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

Bibliography

The only differences are that case names are not italicised, pinpointing is not used and there is no full stop at the end of the reference.

Example of a case in the bibliography:

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

The Northern Ireland jurisdiction dates from 1921, and the Northern Ireland Law Reports (NI) from 1925.

For cases decided before 1925, cite the Irish Reports or the Irish Times Reports.

Cite Scottish cases with neutral citations as you do for English and Welsh cases.

Below are examples of how to reference a case with neutral citations as a footnote and in the bibliography.

Example of a case without neutral citation in a footnote:

Hylands v McClintock [1999] NI 28.

Example of a case with a neutral citation in a footnote:

Wilson v Commissioner of Valuation [2009] NICA 30, [2010] NI 48.

Bibliography

The only differences are that case names are not italicised, pinpointing is not used and there is no full stop at the end of the reference.

Example of a case in the bibliography:

Hylands v McClintock [1999] NI 28

  • Cite cases from other jurisdictions as they are cited in their own jurisdiction, but without punctuation.
  • Give the identity of the court at the end of the citation if the name of the law report series doesn't make it obvious.
  • When citing a decision of the highest court of a US state the abbreviation of the name is the state is used.

Examples of how to reference in footnotes 

Cases from the United States:

Henningsen v Bloomfield Motors Inc 161 A 2d 69 (NJ 1960).

Waltons Stores (Interstate) Ltd v Maher (1988) 164 CLR 387.

Roe v Wade 410 US 113, 163-64 (1973).

Case from Germany:

BGH NJW 1992, 1659.

Case from France:

CA Colmar 25 January 1963, Gaz Pal 1963.I.277.

Bibliography

The only differences are that case names are not italicised, pinpointing is not used and there is no full stop at the end of the reference.

Examples of how to reference these cases in the bibliography:

Case from the United States:

Henningsen v Bloomfield Motors Inc 161 A 2d 69 (NJ 1960)

Case from France

CA Colmar 25 January 1963, Gaz Pal 1963.I.277