OSCOLA referencing generator
Build correctly formatted OSCOLA references for cases, legislation, books, chapters, journal articles, websites and newspapers. You get the footnote, the bibliography or table entry and the short form for later footnotes, following the 5th edition published in 2026.
Free to use. Your answers stay in this browser and aren't sent to us unless you ask us to email you something.
What changed in OSCOLA 5
The fifth edition of OSCOLA was published by Oxford's Faculty of Law in spring 2026, replacing the fourth edition from 2012. The changes you're most likely to notice:
- No more ibid. 'Ibid' and the other Latin shortcuts (supra, infra, op cit and so on) are gone. For a later reference, use a short form and a cross-reference to the footnote where you cited the source in full, such as Brown (n 3) 236.
- Persistent links are preferred for websites. Where you can, cite a Perma.cc link or a DOI. With either of those, you don't need a date of access. With an ordinary web address, give the date you accessed it.
- Court identifiers. Decisions of the King's Bench Division from 9 September 2022 use KBD; earlier decisions keep QBD.
- Newspapers no longer need the city of publication.
- New guidance covers social media, podcasts, video and audio pinpoints, and output from generative AI, and international law is back in the main guide.
Some law schools kept the fourth edition for assignments already under way. If your module handbook says to use the fourth edition, the main difference you'll see here is that you may use 'ibid' for a reference to the immediately preceding footnote.
OSCOLA examples
- Case with a neutral citation: R (Haw) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2006] EWCA Civ 532, [2006] QB 780.
- Older case with the court: R v Leeds County Court, ex p Morris [1990] 1 QB 523 (QBD) 530–31.
- Statute: Human Rights Act 1998, s 15(1)(b).
- Statutory instrument: The Online Safety Act 2023 (Commencement No 1) Regulations 2023, SI 2023/1242.
- Book: JH Baker, An Introduction to English Legal History (4th edn, Butterworths 2002) 419–21.
- Journal article: Paul Craig, ‘Theory, "Pure Theory" and Values in Public Law’ [2005] PL 440, 441.
Footnotes, tables and bibliographies
OSCOLA references go in footnotes, each ending with a full stop. In the footnote, authors' names appear as they're printed in the source. In the bibliography the surname comes first, followed by initials without full stops (for example, Baker JH), entries don't end with a full stop, and there are no pinpoints. Cases and legislation go in a table of cases and a table of legislation rather than the bibliography of secondary sources. Your assessment brief may ask for something different, so follow it where it does.
Tips that save marks
- Pinpoint to a paragraph, in square brackets, whenever the judgment has numbered paragraphs.
- Italicise case names in your text and footnotes. The rest of the citation isn't italicised.
- Be consistent: whatever choices you make, make them the same way every time.
- Check every reference against the source. A generator formats what you give it; it can't check that a citation is right.
Questions
Does OSCOLA 5 still use ibid?
No. The fifth edition removed 'ibid' and the other Latin shortcuts. Use a short form with a cross-reference to the earlier footnote instead, such as Craig (n 4) 445.
Do I need an accessed date for a website?
Only for an ordinary web address. If you cite a persistent link such as Perma.cc, or a DOI, the fifth edition says no date of access is needed.
Do cases go in the bibliography?
Cases go in a table of cases and legislation in a table of legislation, separate from the bibliography of secondary sources. Many law schools ask for all three, so check your assessment brief.
How do I cite a book with more than two authors?
In the footnote, give the first author followed by 'and others'. In the bibliography, list every author, surname first.
Can I use this for my dissertation?
Yes. It's free and formats references in line with OSCOLA 5. Always check the result against the source and your law school's guidance.
Sources
Want feedback on the essay too?
References are the easy marks. We'll show you where the rest are won and lost, with margin comments, an indicative mark and a debrief.