This document provides an introduction to referencing and the OSCOLA referencing style. It discusses why referencing is important, including to acknowledge the work of others and avoid plagiarism. The document outlines what plagiarism is and how to avoid it through practices like taking effective notes and paraphrasing sources properly. It then explains key aspects of the OSCOLA style such as using footnotes and reference lists and provides examples of citing different source types like cases, legislation, books, and journal articles. Further help resources on referencing are also mentioned.

1. Introduction to Referencing
OSCOLA Referencing Style
Susan McGlamery
Academic Support Librarian, Law
Susan.Mcglamery@uwl.ac.uk
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2. What is referencing and
why should I do it?
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3. • Acknowledge when using
someone’s work
• To make clear to the reader
that this idea is not your own
• Demonstrate breadth of
reading
• Support your argument and
make your assignment more
academic.
• To allow you, your tutor and
other readers to retrieve the
documents cited
• To avoid accusations of
plagiarism
What is referencing? Why should you do
it?
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4. What is plagiarism?
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5. Plagiarism
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“Plagiarism is presenting someone else’s work or ideas as
your own, with or without their consent, by incorporating it
into your work without full acknowledgement.”
(University of Oxford, 2015)

6. Plagiarism
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• Using someone’s work
without clear
acknowledgement
• Paying someone to write
your essay
• Collusion
• Poor paraphrasing and
summarising
• Self Plagiarism

7. How to avoid plagiarism?
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8. • Take effective notes
• Don’t leave it to the last
minute
• Keep a note of the
sources used
• Paraphrase and
summarise properly
• Reference accurately
Avoid Plagiarism
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9. Paraphrasing thoughts
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Your work flows better if you learn to put different authors’
ideas in your own words
You can use some key words and phrases but the key is
understanding meaning and significance
Be careful not to change the odd word here or there. Direct quote
if you can not paraphrase
Always use a reference

10. Summarising thoughts
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A brief statement of the main points of an article, web page,
chapter or book, known as a summary
Only lists the main topics or headings
Most of the detailed information is left out
Always use a reference

11. • Distinctive ideas
• Distinctive structure or
organising strategy
• Information or data from a
particular source
• Verbatim phrase or passage
• If it’s not common knowledge
• Whenever in doubt, cite it!
(Greetham, 2015)
When to cite
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12. Is it plagiarism if you…
Yes.
This is probably the most well-known form of
plagiarism. When you copy the exact words from
another source, you must enclose them in
quotation marks and provide a reference.
1. Copy and paste a paragraph of
text from a website without
enclosing it in quotation marks
and not referencing the source?

13. Is it plagiarism if you…
No.
You can include a table, diagram or image from
another source as long as you provide a
reference.
2. Copy a diagram or data table from
a website, providing a reference
for the source underneath?

14. Is it plagiarism if you…
Yes - this is plagiarism.
Even if you do not directly copy the author's
words, you must provide a reference when you
talk about their ideas.
(Questions and answers taken from “Avoiding Plagiarism” tutorial produced by Cardiff University)
3. Use the ideas of another
author without providing a
reference, even if you write
them in your own words?

15. • Oxford
• Standard for
• Citation of
• Legal
• Authorities
Referencing for Law: OSCOLA
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16. • footnote style (Harvard uses in-text citations)
- consists of an in-text footnote marker and citation in
footnote (on same page)
• Reference List: check with your tutor
• No full stops and very little punctuation
OSCOLA: how does it work?
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17. OSCOLA example
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18. • If you make a legal proposition always give the authority
on which that proposition is based.
• This will normally be a primary source (a reported case or
legislation).
- If you have stated an opinion on the law then you
might cite a secondary source (textbooks or articles).
- When making a primary legal proposition do not cite
a student textbook as authority.
What sources can I cite?
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19. Corr v IBC Vehicles Ltd [2008] UKHL 13, [2008] 1 AC 884
Corr v IBC Vehicles Ltd
[2008] UKHL 13
[2008] 1 AC 884
Pre-2001 case, with no neutral citation:
R v Leeds County Court, ex p Morris [1990] 1 QB 523 (QB)
Pinpointing a specific page:
R v Leeds County Court, ex p Morris [1990] 1 QB 523 (QB) 530-31
Citing cases
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Party Names
Neutral citation
(for cases after 11/01/2001
Law reports citation

20. • Corr v IBC Vehicles Ltd [2008] UKHL 13, [2008] 1 AC 884
UKHL = UK House of Lords (neutral citation)
AC = Law Reports, Appeal Cases
Guides to legal abbreviations:
• Index to legal citations and abbreviations, Raistrick
• Cardiff online guide: http://www.legalabbrevs.cardiff.ac.uk/
Tip: legal abbreviations
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21. • Law Reports (AC, Ch, QB)
• Weekly Law Reports (WLR)
• All England Law Reports (All ER)
• Specialist law reports (Lloyd’s Law Reports, Industrial
Cases Reports, Criminal Appeal Reports)
• Unreported cases: use the neutral citation, if available
Law reports: order of authority
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UWL PPT Guidelines - Version 2 - February 2015

22. OSCOLA: citing legislation
Footnote citation not required (all
information reader needs to
know about source is in the text)
Text does not include name of
the Act or relevant section, so
you must provide a footnote.
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23. OSCOLA: primary legislation: general form
Title of statute | year, | section | (subsection) (paragraph)
e.g. Act of Supremacy 1558
e.g. Shipping and Trading Interests (Protection) Act 1995
e.g. Consumer Protection Act 1987, s 2
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24. OSCOLA: secondary sources:
1. Book
author, | title | (additional information, | edition, | publisher |
year)
e.g. Timothy Endicott, Administrative Law (OUP 2009) 16
e.g. Gareth Jones, Goff and Jones: The Law of Restitution (1st
supp, 7th edn, Sweet & Maxwell 2009)
‘pinpoint’
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25. OSCOLA: secondary sources
Secondary sources, such
book or article must also
be cited in a footnote
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26. OSCOLA: secondary sources
2. Journal articles (print)
author, | ‘title’ | [year] | journal name or abbreviation | first page of
article
OR
author, | ‘title’ | (year) | volume | journal name or abbreviation | first
page of article
e.g. Alison L Young, ‘In Defence of Due Deference’ (2009) 72 MLR
554
e.g. J A G Griffith, ‘The Common Law and the Political Constitution’
(2001) 117 LQR 42, 64
‘pinpoint’
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27. OSCOLA: secondary sources
3. Journal articles (electronic)
author, | ‘title’ | [year] OR (year) | volume /issue | journal name or
abbreviation | <web address> | date accessed
e.g. 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
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28. OSCOLA: secondary sources
4. Website
author, | ‘title’ | (additional information, | publisher | year) <web address> |
date accessed
e.g. Sarah Cole, ‘Virtual Friend Fires Employee’ (Naked Law, 1 May
2009) <www.nakedlaw.com/2009/05/index.html> accessed 19
November 2009
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29. OSCOLA: guides & tutorials
Subject guide: Law: http://uwl-uk.beta.libguides.com/law
Click on the tab for “Referencing”
•Download online guide and quick reference guide from:
www.law.ox.ac.uk/oscola
• Cardiff University information Services tutorial: ‘Citing the Law’ at:
https://ilrb.cf.ac.uk/citingreferences/oscola/tutorial/
• Cite Them Right
• Databases A-Z, go to “C”: Cite Them Right Online
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30. Any Questions
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31. Don’t panic there is
lots of help
available:
• Information on
your LibGuides
• Contact or book
an appointment
with your librarian
• FAQs
• Basics tab on Cite
Them Right
Further Help
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32. Greetham, B. (2015) Referencing and avoiding plagiarism.
Available at: http://www.palgrave.com/studentstudyskills/page/
referencing-and-avoiding-plagiarism/ (Accessed: 18 August
2015).
Oxford University (2015) Plagiarism. Available at:
http://www.ox.ac.uk/students/academic/guidance/skills/plagiar
ism (Accessed: 18 August 2015).
References
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