OSCOLA Referencing : Everything you Need to Know About It For Your Law Dissertation!

OSCOLA, or as we call it, Oxford Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities, is the legal standard referencing used in law tasks

Well, this provides a consistent formatting style in your law cases. Furthermore, it shows your understanding and efforts in conducting the research.

This uses a footnote method where the citations appear as the footnotes at the bottom of each page.

Most institutes require you to reference your tasks using the OSCOLA format.

Sounds easy, right?

Nope! It is very difficult. Only those who understand this can use it.

The good thing is learning about its key features, you can reference your tasks using OSCOLA.

Come on! Let’s learn more about this!

What is OSCOLA?

Before we dive into how to format your tasks using OSCOLA, let’s discover what it is.

To  put, it is one of the basic formatting styles used in law schools to reference journals, essays, articles and papers.

The key features of OSCOLA include:

• OSCOLA uses a numeric system for citations, with a number script added at the end of the sentence and after the punctuation. Furthermore, it aligns at the bottom with the footnote of the page.
• When using OSCOLA, you have to add a bibliography. It includes all the sources cited in alphabetical order.
• Moreover, the footnotes at the end contain all the details of the cited sources, like the author’s name, article, page number, and publication details.
• If you want to learn more about how to reference your tasks using the OSCOLA method, there is a complete guide which includes detailed information about the rules and regulations. Furthermore you can access this guide through the University of Oxford. You can even access other resources.

General OSCOLA Principles

When it comes to OSCOLA, there are general principles that you need to adhere to at any cost.

Come on! Let’s learn what they are:

• Accuracy: You need to make sure that all your references are accurate and relevant. Furthermore they are consistent throughout the content.
• Clarity: When adding bibliography and footnotes, make sure to use simple and easy-to-understand wordings. Moreover, be concise with your wording.
• Consistency: You want to ensure that your readers can navigate through the content. Thus, maintain a consistent style throughout.
• Consult the Guide: Remember the guide we mentioned above? Well, always have it by your side when using this style for your tasks. It has all the examples and detailed information, making it easier for you to cite.
• Use Reference Generator. You heard it right! There are many reference generators which allow you to add citations to your work using the OSCOLA style. Hence consider using it in your work.

So, now that you are aware of the general principles for this  style let us move forward and see how to cite your law tasks using it.

Key OSCOLA Elements to Consider

If you want to make sure that you have formatted correctly, here are some OSCOLA elements that you really need to consider.

Come on! Let us have a look at them:

Footnotes

When doing OSCOLA , pay attention to the footnotes and their placements. Remember whether it’s direct or indirect, all the sources must be placed at the footnote, at the bottom of the page.

Furthermore, indicate the footnotes using the correct number placed after the punctuation. If you find it difficult, consider seeking guidance from the Law Dissertation Writing Services. They have experience and can help you with the placement of the footnote. Also, here are some guidelines that you need to adhere to:

• Start with providing the full citation for the source.
• Moreover, use a short version of the case name. Also, add the cross-citation to the original footnote.
• Make sure to use square brackets to pinpoint the information in the paragraphs.
• If the following citation is used right after the full citation, consider using ibid.

Table of Authorities

The next element you need to consider is the table of authorities. Here is what you should consider when  using the OSCOLA method:

• Start by listing all your cases cited in the dissertation alphabetically by case name.
• Furthermore don’t forget to list all the legislation in your cases. Make sure to use alphabets along with short titles and year.
• Make sure that these tables appear at the end of your text and before the bibliography.

By following these tips, you can add a perfect table of authorities.

Bibliography

Another thing you need to consider when using this is the bibliography. Here is what you should know about this:

• Purpose: Familiarise yourself with the purpose of bibliography. It lists all the secondary sources you have used throughout your dissertation. From books to sources, journals etc it includes everything. Furthermore it helps the readers understand the context better.
• Placement: The bibliography appears at the end of your text just after the table of authorities.
• Formatting: When adding the bibliography in the end, follow the formatting guidelines to reference different sources like case studies, research papers, journals, etc.

Now that we have covered the key elements, let us discover the examples for each of the different sources:

Examples of OSCOLA

When using OSCOLA, here are some different examples you can take aid from:

• Book: When the book source starts with the author’s name, initial year, edition (If it’s not the first one), place of publication, and publisher.
• Journal Article: When citing a journal article, the format is a bit different. It mostly goes like Author, “Article Title” (Year) Volume(Issue) Journal Abbreviation, page number.
• Website: Even if you are using text from the website, you have to reference it in your work. Here is how it must be like Author, Article Title (Year), <URL>, accessed date.

Wrapping Up!

So that is a wrap! OSCOLA  is one of the basic law formatting styles you must use while working. Firstly, familiarise yourself with the general principles to make things easier for yourself. Furthermore, you should also know about the elements. From footnotes to tables of authorities and bibliography. If you are having problems using this style, consider seeking professional aid. Hopefully, this guide helped you understand this.