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OSCOLA Referencing

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Languishing in libraries and struggling with the OSCOLA referencing system?

We know how you feel. We can guide you through the differences between Harvard, Vancouver and OSCOLA referencing styles and help you to produce perfect references without any hassle. So relax - we're here to help!

Referencing Styles: Harvard vs. Vancouver vs. OSCOLA

When it comes to referencing styles, these three are the most popular at universities in the UK. Some universities will allow you to choose which one you want to use for your work, but others will have a firm preference, so it's worth checking before you get started.

There are many different referencing styles and if you're looking for more information about these then Pro-Referencing has a very useful guide.

If you're a history student, though, it's worth noting that OSCOLA is a style that was designed specifically for the humanities and social sciences. It focuses more on giving a bibliographical description of the material rather than its location. So if you need help with your citations then come to us - we'll be happy to help!

OSCOLA Referencing Style

The OSCOLA referencing style is different from the traditional Harvard and Vancouver styles. 

It's simpler than the former, which can be quite daunting for first-time users; but more complex than the latter, whose simplicity hides its flexibility. 

Surprisingly little literature exists on the subject, but what does is nevertheless instructive. 

Here at GoAssignmentHelp UK, we've produced an OSCOLA referencing guide to show you how it works when it's put into practice.

Harvard Referencing Style

The Harvard style is one of the most popular styles in use because of its flexibility. It allows you to cite literature both in a bibliographical list and the essay itself.

Vancouver Referencing Style

The Vancouver style is relatively simple compared to the two above it. It consists of three components: author, year, and the page number. 

You only have to include one of these for each reference that you make. This means that, unlike the Harvard and (to a lesser extent) OSCOLA styles, it's relatively easy to keep track of who said what.

Your Guide to OSCOLA Referencing

We hope that this guide is helpful for students using OSCOLA referencing for the first time.

OSCOLA referencing style is designed specifically for humanities and social science students. It provides a bibliographical description of the material rather than its location. OSCOLA referencing consists of two components: descriptive elements and the inverted pyramid. 

Descriptive Elements

The following are descriptive elements in OSCOLA referencing which are required by the style:

  • The title of the source should be italicized. 
  • Concepts that are part of a title should be capitalised. 

For example: "The concept of life is not easy to define" or "Referencing in Education". Note that if the same word appears twice within a single sentence it will only be capitalized once.

  • The editor should be omitted if no editor has been specified in the source, e.g. 'A London guide' not 'A London Guide' or by Smith 1997 not by Smith 1997: 6.
  • For edited works which have no named individual editors, use et al., without a full point after it - for example, Giddens et al. 2000:4-5

"In this work it is argued…" not "In this work, it is argued…".

  • For two authors, list both first names of the first author followed by 'et al.' i.e. 'Smith and Jones 2013'. 
  • If a source has more than one author with the same family name, list all authors thus: ' Smith et al. 2013'.
  • For three or more authors, use 'et al.' for the remaining names after the first set i.e. 'Giddens et al. 2000'. 
  • Italicise both book titles and subtitles e.g. A Good Practice Guide to Referencing.
  • Leave a space after the comma in a bibliography entry. 

The Inverted Pyramid 

For every citation, the most relevant piece of information which describes it should appear at the top of your OSCOLA referencing list. This is known as the 'inverted pyramid'. The inverted pyramid consists of an element from each of the following list of elements:

  • Author Last name, First Name. 
  • Date of Publication.
  • Title of source in italics followed by the edition number (if any).
  • Publication place e.g. 'London': Publisher.
  • For publications with more than one volume, separate volume numbers with semicolons i.e '1; 2; 3'.
  • If the publication has been republished as a separate edition, add 'Second' before the date e.g. '1st; 2nd'. 
  • For online editions of print publications, place publisher names in inverted commas and use an access date that corresponds to the same day as the printed version was published i.e. 'Oxford University Press (Online Ed.)'.
  • For arXiv preprints, prefix with the identifier e.g. 'arXiv:1504.00531'. For more information about how to cite preprints and post-prints in line with OSCOLA referencing style, please refer to our experts.

In general, limit your references to a maximum of five per page. For the first citation within the text, give a reference in full. 

Our Best Experts

Full-Form and Definition of OSCOLA

OSCOLA's full form is Oxford Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities. It is a referencing style developed by Oxford University Press, which has now been adopted by many leading law journals and international courts.

The following are the elements in OSCOLA which you need to know:

Primary sources 

Primary sources comprise original research papers published either in academic journals or as standalone publications.

Quoted secondary sources 

A secondary source reports or comments on research originally reported in primary sources. Quotations of the opinions, findings, arguments or theories which appear in a secondary source do not need to be referenced as this information has already been attributed to the author(s) of the original research from which it is taken.

Quoted primary sources 

A primary source reports original research directly, without the mediation of another author's interpretation, opinion or analysis. Quotations from a primary source need to be referenced to make it clear which pieces of information are being drawn from the original source and which are being provided by you as the author of the OSCOLA reference list.

Types of OSCOLA Referencing

Books 

A book with one author 

Author's last name, first name. Title of book. Place of publication: Publisher, Year of publication.

e.g. Pettit, P.. Being realistic about reasons. Oxford University Press, 2006.

If the work has no named individual author or editor but is an edited collection in which all the individual contributions and their authors are listed:

Title of collection in italics. (Ed.) Place of publication: Publisher, Year of publication.

e.g. Civil society in Africa. (Eds.) Dakar: Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa, 2009.

A book with multiple authors

Author A, author B last name. Title. Place of publication: Publisher, Year of publication.

e.g. Hinsch, C., Koller, M., Reissner, E.. Principles of European Contract Law. 3 rd edn. Kluwer Law International , 2010.

If an individual contribution to a larger work is listed separately in the book's table of contents:

Last name, first name. "Title of contribution." Place of publication: Publisher, Year of publication.

e.g. Blome-Tillmann, M... "The concept of good faith in European contract law." In Principles of European Contract Law, edited by Hinsch, C., Koller, M., Reissner, E.. 3 rd edn. Kluwer Law International , 2010.

A book with editors but no author 

Title of collection in italics. (Eds.). Place of publication: Publisher, Year of publication.

e.g. The European Union and human rights. (Eds.) Alston, P.. Oxford University Press, 2011.

Articles in books 

Author's last name, first name. " Title of article ." Title of book. Place of publication: Publisher, Year of publication.

e.g. Shraga, D... "Compensating victims for the destruction of life, body and health." In European Tort Law. Alphen aan den Rijn: Kluwer Law International , 2007.

Journals

A journal article with one author

Author's last name, first name. " Title of article ." Title of Journal Volume number (Issue number): Page range - Year of publication.

e.g. Arroyo, A.. "La Responsabilidad civil en el derecho espanol." Revista de Derecho Privado Series 6, no. 1 (1997): 91-138 - 1997.

If the journal article has no named individual author but is an edited collection in which all the individual contributions and their authors are listed:

Title of collection in italics. (Ed.). Place of publication: Publisher, Year of publication.

e.g. Civil society across the globe. (Eds.) Ebbesson, S... Farnham: Ashgate`744, 2009.

A journal article with multiple authors 

Author 1 last name, first name Author 2 last name, first name. " Title of article ." Title of Journal Volume number (Issue number): Page range – Year of publication.

e.g. Guerra, G., Vittone, A.. "La clausola penale nel diritto commerciale italiano." Diritto Commerciale Series 2, no. 1 (2004): 9-33 - 2004.

A journal article with editors but no authors 

Editor 1 last name, first name Editor 2 last name, first name. " Title of article ." Title of Journal Volume number (Issue number): Page range – Year of publication.

e.g. Cordero, R., Garcia-Pablo, R., Palau, F.. "La policia local en el Derecho Civil Venezolano." Revista Juridica de Castilla-La Mancha Series 2, no. 1 (2008): 69-88 - 2008.

A journal article with no author

Title of Journal Volume number (Issue number): Page range – Year of publication.

e.g. "La clausola penale nel diritto commerciale italiano." Diritto Commerciale Series 2, no. 1 (2004): 9-33 - 2004.

Quotations

Short quotations

Quotation within a sentence in quotation marks or set off in brackets with an indication of the abbreviation of the title of the work in italics. If no author is identified, include only the title.

e.g. As Justice Binnie explained "the reasonableness test for limitation periods protects the class members' legitimate expectations that claims will be resolved within a reasonable time" (Civil Code, art. 6.119).

e.g. "In my opinion, the parties, by virtue of Article 9(1) of the CISG, have a common interest in avoiding disputes and if possible reaching agreement on the questions arising from the contract" (Schlechtriem, Com., p. 305).

Multiple short quotations

Quotation within a sentence in quotation marks or set off in brackets with an indication of the abbreviation of the title of the work in italics. If no author is identified, include only the title.

Quotation within a sentence in quotation marks or set off in brackets with an indication before each individual quote of which article and section are being cited - e.g. "Recognising that it would be contrary to the aim of any national system for recognition and enforcement" (Preamble) - e.g. Article 9, paragraph 3

e.g. "If one State provides a remedy against the breach of contract by the seller (Article 36 CISG ), then in principle another contracting State must also provide the same remedy against the breach" (Recht der Internationalen Wirtschaft Series 2, no. 4 (1993): 231-32 - Paragraph 194).

e.g. "According to this provision, a party who expects another party's conduct to affect their contractual rights or obligations may request that the other party observe those rights or obligations" (Paragraphs 31-32).

For more examples of OSCOLA referencing lists or citations, contact GoAssignmentHelp experts!

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