Quick answer
OSCOLA is the footnote referencing system used by UK law schools, and its 5th edition, published by the Oxford Law Faculty in March 2026, replaced the 2012 edition. Cite each source in full in its first footnote, for example Corr v IBC Vehicles Ltd [2008] UKHL 13, [2008] 1 AC 884, then use a short form with a cross-reference such as Corr (n 1), because the 5th edition no longer uses ibid. Cases, legislation and secondary sources go in a Table of Cases, a Table of Legislation and a Bibliography.
How to use the OSCOLA referencing generator
- 1Choose what you are citing: a UK case, an Act, a statutory instrument, EU legislation, an EU or ECHR case, or a book, chapter, journal article, website, newspaper article, thesis or report.
- 2Fill in the details. For books, articles and websites you can paste an ISBN, DOI or link and the details fill in for you. Select Show an example to see what each box should contain.
- 3Copy the footnote into your work. The preview also shows the short form for later footnotes, such as Corr (n 1), because the 5th edition of OSCOLA no longer uses ibid.
- 4Select Add to my list. Cases go into the Table of Cases, legislation into the Table of Legislation and secondary sources into the Bibliography, each sorted as OSCOLA requires.
- 5Copy the whole list or download it as a Word file. Your list is saved in this browser only.
What changed in the 5th edition of OSCOLA
The Oxford Law Faculty published the 5th edition of OSCOLA in March 2026, replacing the 4th edition from 2012. If your module handbook or older online tools still show the 4th edition, these are the changes most likely to affect your footnotes:
- No ibid: later footnotes use a short form with a cross-reference, for example Stevens (n 1) 110, and Latin terms such as supra and op cit are no longer used.
- Court identifiers: KBD for King's Bench Division judgments from 9 September 2022, QBD before that date.
- Neutral citations: do not use neutral citations created later for cases decided before 2001.
- EU court cases: cited with the European Case Law Identifier (ECLI), for example EU:C:2005:446, instead of a report reference.
- ECHR cases: cited by application number, for example App No 8139/09, with the date of the judgment.
- Websites and blogs: use a persistent link (such as Perma.cc) or a DOI where available. Otherwise give the URL and the date you accessed it.
- Theses: the title is now in italics. Command papers from 2019 onwards use the CP prefix.
- New guidance on social media, podcasts, generative AI and international law sources.
OSCOLA footnote formats used by this tool
These examples come from the formats in the 5th edition. Case names, book titles and thesis titles are in italics in your footnotes.
| Source | Footnote example |
|---|---|
| UK case | Corr v IBC Vehicles Ltd [2008] UKHL 13, [2008] 1 AC 884. |
| Case before 2001 | Donoghue v Stevenson [1932] AC 562 (HL). |
| Act | Human Rights Act 1998, s 2. |
| Statutory instrument | Eggs and Chicks (England) Regulations 2009, SI 2009/2163, reg 7(2). |
| EU court case | Case C-403/03 Schempp v Finanzamt EU:C:2005:446 [19]. |
| Book | HLA Hart, The Concept of Law (2nd edn, Clarendon Press 1994) 135. |
| Journal article | JAG Griffith, 'The Common Law and the Political Constitution' (2001) 117 LQR 42, 64. |
| Report | Law Commission, The Illegality Defence (Law Com No 320, 2010) para 3.12. |
Footnotes, later footnotes and the bibliography
OSCOLA is a footnote style. Put a footnote marker at the end of the sentence, after the punctuation, and give the full citation in the first footnote for each source. Every footnote ends with a full stop.
When you cite the same source again, use a short form and the number of the footnote with the full citation, for example Corr (n 3) [12] for a case or Hart (n 5) 140 for a book. Legislation is usually cited in full again, or by a short form you defined in the first footnote, such as HRA 1998.
At the end of your work, a Table of Cases and a Table of Legislation list the primary sources, and the Bibliography lists books, articles and other secondary sources. In the bibliography the surname comes first, followed by initials without full stops, for example Hart HLA, and entries do not end with a full stop.
Tables of cases and legislation
- Case names are not in italics in the Table of Cases.
- Cases are listed by the first significant word, so Re Farquar's Estate is listed as Farquar's Estate, Re.
- UK, EU and ECHR cases are listed in separate sections when you cite more than a few.
- Statutes come first in the Table of Legislation, then statutory instruments, then EU legislation.
- Your law school may ask you to add the page numbers where each source appears. Add these in Word once your work is finished.
Common OSCOLA mistakes
- Using ibid, which the 5th edition no longer allows
- Missing pinpoints for quotations: a paragraph in square brackets, for example [24], or a page number
- Putting a comma before the year of an Act (Human Rights Act, 1998 is wrong)
- Using p or pp before page numbers, which OSCOLA does not use
- Listing cases or legislation in the bibliography instead of the tables
- Using full stops in abbreviations and initials, such as H.L.A. Hart or L.Q.R.
Check your law school handbook
Most UK law schools use OSCOLA, but some ask students to keep using the 4th edition for a while, and some add their own rules, for example on page numbers in tables. Follow your handbook where it differs from this tool. Irish law schools may use OSCOLA Ireland, which is a separate adaptation.
If you would like an expert to check every footnote in a law essay, problem question or dissertation, our referencing help and law assignment help cover OSCOLA in full.