Cite a Case
See generally OSCOLA p. 13 onwards for a comprehensive guide.
Cases will often be used to support arguments you make, whether as part of a skills unit or an academic law coursework or exam. Cases can be English, EU, Council of Europe, UN or even from other jurisdictions. When you find a case, make sure you have the full ‘citation’ written down. It doesn’t matter which report you used, or which online sources, simply copy the reference for the source you used.
Case citations Most cases have an official citation to the principal ‘official’ report of the court concerned. Eg Donoghue v Stevenson 1932 SC (HL) 31. However, most cases which are reported appear in different sets of reports. Thus Donoghue v Stevenson is also in [1932] AC 562. For cases, you need to have the names of parties, year, report and pages of the report you used in the library or online.
More recently, cases are given a neutral citation number, these are useful due to their ease of location on the internet on free (eg www.bailii.org) as well as password protected sites. Eg Donoghue v Stevenson [1931] UKHL 3. Note that OSCOLA advises against the sole use of neutral citations.
Cite a case
Need more information on your particular reference not adequately covered, see full OSCOLA.