Oscola and Bluebook Citations

What is Citation

Citation means giving reference to the source of information that a person has used in their writing in simple words when you use the idea’s facts, judgement or research of someone else you must show where or from what sources you are coming to this statement/conclusion and it also gives the author their deserving credit and helps the writer to avoid plagiarism, here in this article we will only discuss two types of citation styles.

1. Bluebook (A uniform system of citation) used in the US.
2. Oscola (Oxford standard for the citation of legal authorities) used in UK, EU, and many Indian law journal

Citation is an essential part of legal writing. It serves multiple purposes within any legal document. Providing citations is important as it ensures that due credit is given to the original authors for their work. For a legal student or professional, presenting someone else’s work as one’s own without proper acknowledgment is not legitimate—it is both morally and legally wrong.

1. Credit- Citations provide proper and legitimate credit to the original author. Credit is something that should always be given, and one must not simply take another person’s work and present it as their own.
2. Avoids plagiarism - By giving due credit through proper citation, one can avoid the risk of plagiarism. Without citations, it appears as though the work has been copied without acknowledging the original author.
3. Evidence – Legal writing revolves around proof. Citations demonstrate the authority on which the arguments are based, thereby ensuring that the supporting evidence remains attached to the paper.
4. Professionalism – Judges, lawyers, and academicians must be able to trace the sources from which statements are derived. If the cited source is incorrect, they themselves may verify and rectify it by referring to the original material. This process not only ensures accuracy but also enhances the trustworthiness of the work.

OSCOLA stands for Oxford University Standard for the Citation of legal authorities its styles mainly used in the law schools, journal, and courts in the UK and also adopted in India by many law journals

1. Cases

To cite cases in the OSCOLA style citation you just have to follow this format: Case name | [Year] or (Year) | Volume (if any) | Report abbreviation | First page | (Court).

Use italics for case names:
1. Case Name - The parties involved in the case.
2. Year - When the case was decided (in [ ] or ( ) depending on the report).
3. Volume - The number of the report book in that year (only if multiple volumes exist).
4. Report Abbreviation - The short form of the law report series (e.g., SCC, AIR, SCR).
5. First Page - The page number where the case begins.
6. Court - The court that delivered the judgment (SC = Supreme Court, All HC = High Courts, etc.).
7. Square Brackets [ ] - Used when the year is essential to locate the case.
8. Round Brackets ( ) - Used when the report is organized by volume, not strictly by year.

Examples: We are taking the example of the famous Tort law case Donoghue v Stevenson.

Case Name: Donoghue v Stevenson

• Year- The judgment was delivered in 1932.
• Volume- The volume number is required only when the law report series publishes more than one volume in a given year. Since the Appeal Cases report publishes only one volume per year, no volume number is necessary here.
• Report abbreviation- The case was published in the Appeal Cases (AC) report, which is part of the official Law Reports series.
• First page- The case begins at page 562 in the report.
• Court- The judgment was delivered by the House of Lords (HL).

Indian case laws
1. Kesavananda Bharati v State of Kerala (1973) 4 SCC 225 (SC): Case name- Kesavananda Bharati v State of Kerala, Year- 1973, Volume- 4, Report- SCC (Supreme Court Cases), Page- 225, Court-Supreme Court of India
2. Maneka Gandhi v Union of India (1978) 1 SCC 248 (SC): Year- 1978, Volume- 1, Report- SCC, Page- 248, Court- Supreme Court
3. Indra Sawhney v Union of India 1992 Supp (3) SCC 217 (SC): Year- 1992, Volume- Supp (Supplementary), 3rd book, Report- SCC, Page- 217, Court- Supreme Court
4. ADM Jabalpur v Shivkant Shukla 1976 AIR 1207 (SC): Year- 1976, Report-AIR (All India Reporter), Page- 1207, Court- Supreme Court
5. State of UP v Rajesh Gautam (2003) 5 SCC 527 (SC): Year- 2003, Volume- 5, Report- SCC, Page- 527, Court- Supreme Court

• - Act Name | Year
• - Example - Human Rights Act | 1998
• - Section -Act | Year | s Section number
• - Example - Human Rights Act | 1998 | s 15

Author | Title | Edition | Publisher | Year
Example - A Ashworth | Principles of criminal law | 7th edn | OUP | 2013

Author | Title | Year | Volume | Journal Name | Page
Example - Paul Craig | Theory, “pure theory” and values in public law | 2005 | 61 | CLJ | 312

Author/Organization | Page title | Website | Date | URL | Accessed Date
Example: UK Parliament | House of Lords business | Parliament.uk | 21 July 2013 | www.parliament.uk | 9 September 2025

Bluebook stands for a Uniform System of Citation; The Bluebook is a guide that tells you how to cite legal sources consistently. It covers cases, statutes, books, journal article, and online sources so that lawyers, judges, and students can communicate clearly and professionally.

Two systems in Bluebook:
1. Academic Citation – used in law review articles and legal scholarship; often uses footnotes (similar to OSCOLA).
2. Court Citation – used in court judgments; shorter and simpler for quick reference.
1. Cases
• Bluebook Format: Case name | Volume | Reporter | Page | (Court Year)
• Example Bluebook: Donoghue v. Stevenson | 1932 | A.C. | 562 | (H.L.)
• Example OSCOLA: Donoghue v Stevenson [1932] AC 562 (HL)
Differences:
• OSCOLA: Case names in italics, year in square brackets before volume, court after page.
• Bluebook: Case names in normal font, year in parentheses after page, court in parentheses.

2. Statutes / Laws
• Bluebook Format: Name of Act | Year | Title Code | § Section
• Example Bluebook: Human Rights Act of 1998 | 1998 | H.R.A. | § 15
• Example OSCOLA: Human Rights Act 1998, s 15
Differences:
• OSCOLA: Uses S for section.
• Bluebook - Uses § and adds year in parentheses if US statute.

3. Books
• Bluebook Format - Author | Title | Edition | Year
• Example Bluebook - A. Ashworth | Principles of Criminal Law | 7th ed. | 2013
• Example OSCOLA - A Ashworth, Principles of Criminal Law (7th edn, OUP 2013)
Differences:
• OSCOLA - Title in italics, publisher included.
• Bluebook - Title normal font, publisher optional, edition format slightly different.

4. Journal Articles
• Bluebook Format - Author | Title | Volume | Journal | Page | (Year)
• Example Bluebook - Paul Craig | Theory, “Pure Theory” and Values in Public Law | 61 | CLJ | 312 | (2005)
• Example OSCOLA - Paul Craig, ‘Theory, “Pure Theory” and Values in Public Law’ (2005) 61 CLJ 312
Differences:
• OSCOLA - Quotes around title, year before volume.
• Bluebook - Title normal font, year after page.

5. Websites
• Bluebook Format -Author | Title | Website | (Date) | URL
• Example Bluebook -UK Parliament | House of Lords Business | Parliament.uk | (July 21, 2013) | https://www.parliament.uk
• Example OSCOLA -UK Parliament, ‘House of Lords Business’ (Parliament.uk, 21 July 2013) accessed 9 September 2025
Differences:
• OSCOLA - Italics/quotes for title, “accessed” date mandatory.
• Bluebook - Normal font, access date optional, date in parentheses.