OSCOLA (Oxford University Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities) is normally the preferred referencing style for written pieces of work completed by SOAS law students, but in some circumstances an individual member of staff may recommend another system, most likely Harvard.
Citing and referencing is the way in which you provide details of quotations, arguments and ideas of others that you have included in your own work. To avoid plagiarism, always keep notes as you go along of what you have been reading. Using reference organising software (e.g. Zotero and Endnote Web) would be recommended, although there are complications when gathering information about legal documentation, such as cases, legislation and international treaties.
This is a beginner’s guide to OSCOLA; it is not comprehensive and it is a work in progress. Please always refer to the full OSCOLA Guide (4th edn, Hart Publishing).
In this guide you will find explanations for referencing different kinds of information using OSCOLA style.
Please feel free to email your subject librarian with enquiries: Naomi Hart, nh64@soas.ac.uk
There are three important guides available on the OSCOLA website, which you should familiarise yourself with:
(the current edition of OSCOLA does not cover international law material).
Abridged guides from other sources:
Below are some example essays using OSCOLA:
SOAS' repository, SOAS Research Online is a free database of the latest research by SOAS academics and PhD students. Click here to explore submissions from the School of Law, which use OSCOLA referencing: eprints.soas.ac.uk/view/divisions/8500/
Essay example 1 (from the University of Portsmouth)
Essay example 2 (from the University of Portsmouth)
Bibliography example (from Anglia Ruskin University)
Salford University Library has made a helpful walk-through of OSCOLA below. The video includes a guide to formatting in-text citations and bibliographies, subsequent citations and cross-citations, creating footnotes in Microsoft Word, and more.