LLB Essay Technique

OSCOLA Quick Reference Guide

Correct referencing is a core LLB skill. Poor OSCOLA formatting can cost marks even where legal analysis is strong. This guide provides a clear, practical reference to the most commonly examined OSCOLA rules, with examples you can follow directly in coursework and exams.

Key OSCOLA Rules (Always Remember)

• Do notuse full stops in abbreviations
  (eg UKHL, EWCA Civ, ECHR, edn)
• Separate multiple citations with a semi-colon
• Case names are italicised
• Titles of books and journals are italicised
• Use footnotes, not in-text citations
• Keep citations precise and consistent

Primary Sources

Cases

Give:

1. Party names
2. Neutral citation (if available)
3. Law Reports citation

If there is no neutral citation, give the Law Reports citation followed by the court in brackets.
If the case is not reported in the Law Reports, cite the All ER, WLR, or a specialist report.

Examples:

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

R (Roberts) v Parole Board [2004] EWCA Civ 1031, [2005] QB 410

Page v Smith [1996] AC 155 (HL)

Pinpointing Cases

• Use paragraph numbersin square brackets
• If there are no paragraph numbers, use page numbers

Examples:

Callery v Gray [2001] EWCA Civ 1117, [2001] 1 WLR 2112 [42], [45]

Bunt v Tilley [2006] EWHC 407 (QB), [2006] 3 All ER 336 [1]–[37]

R v Leeds County Court, ex p Morris [1990] QB 523 (QB) 530–31

Citing a Particular Judge

Add the judge’s name in brackets at the end.

Example:

Arscott v The Coal Authority [2004] EWCA Civ 892, [2005] Env LR 6 [27] (Laws LJ)

Statutes and Statutory Instruments

• Give the short title and year
• Use section numbers where relevant

Examples:

Act of Supremacy 1558

Human Rights Act 1998, s 15(1)(b)

Penalties for Disorderly Behaviour (Amendment of Minimum Age) Order 2004, SI 2004/3166

EU Legislation and Cases

EU Treaties and Regulations

Examples:

Consolidated Version of the Treaty on European Union [2008] OJ C115/13

Council Regulation (EC) 139/2004 on the control of concentrations between undertakings (EC Merger Regulation) [2004] OJ L24/1, art 5

EU Cases

Example:

Case C–176/03 Commission v Council [2005] ECR I–7879, paras 47–48

European Court of Human Rights

Examples:

Omojudi v UK (2009) 51 EHRR 10

Osman v UK ECHR 1998–VIII 3124

Balogh v Hungary App no 47940/99 (ECHR, 20 July 2004)

Simpson v UK (1989) 64 DR 188

Secondary Sources

Books

Give:

• Author’s full name (as it appears in the publication)
• Title (italicised)
• Edition and publication details
• Page number at the end

Examples:

Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan (first published 1651, Penguin 1985) 268

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

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

Contributions to Edited Books

Example:

Francis Rose, ‘The Evolution of the Species’ in Andrew Burrows and Alan Rodger (eds), Mapping the Law: Essays in Memory of Peter Birks (OUP 2006)

Encyclopedias

Example:

Halsbury’s Laws (5th edn, 2010) vol 57, para 53

Journal Articles

Give:

• Author
• Article title in single quotation marks
• Year, volume and journal title
• First page number

Examples:

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

When pinpointing, add the page number after a comma:

JAG Griffith, ‘The Common Law and the Political Constitution’ (2001) 117 LQR 42, 64

Online Journals

Example:

Graham Greenleaf, ‘The Global Development of Free Access to Legal Information’ (2010) 1(1) EJLT http://ejlt.org//article/view/17 accessed 27 July 2010

Command Papers and Law Commission Reports

Examples:

Department for International Development, Eliminating World Poverty: Building our Common Future (White Paper, Cm 7656, 2009) ch 5

Law Commission, Reforming Bribery (Law Com No 313, 2008) paras 3.12–3.17

Websites and Blogs

Example:

Sarah Cole, ‘Virtual Friend Fires Employee’ (Naked Law, 1 May 2009) <www.nakedlaw.com/2009/05/index.html> accessed 19 November 2009

Newspaper Articles

Example:

Jane Croft, ‘Supreme Court Warns on Quality’ Financial Times (London, 1 July 2010) 3

Examiner Tips for LLB Students

• OSCOLA errors are easy marks lost
• In exams, clarity beats perfection
• Use pinpoints sparingly but accurately
• Never mix referencing styles
• Keep footnotes concise and consistent