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Readings on Anti-Black Racism and the Law: Legal Abbreviation, Citation & Bibliography

Legal Abbreviation

Understanding legal abbreviations is very critical in legal research and writing. Here are some useful resources that will help you identify legal abbreviations:

In the Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Abbreviation, legal abbreviations can be found in:

  • Appendix A / Annexe A - Jurisdiction Abbreviations ~ Abréviations de Jurisdictions
  • Appendix B / Annexe B - Courts and Tribunals ~ Cours et Tribunaux
  • Appendix C/ Annexe C - Caselaw Reporters ~ Recueils officiels canadiens
  • Appendix D / Annexe D - Periodicals and Yearbooks ~ periodiques et annuaires

Other sources of legal abbreviation are the following publications:

  • Donald Raistrick, 3d ed (London: Sweet & Maxwell, 2013). Index to Legal Citations and Abbreviations KF 246 R24 2013
  • Mary Miles Prince, 8d ed (New York: William S. Hein & Co., Inc., 2017). Prince's Dictionary of Legal Citations: A Reference Guide for Attorneys, Legal Secretaries, Paralegals, and Law Students KF 246 B459 2017
  • The Canadian Abridgment 3d ed (Toronto: Carswell, 2004) DIG B35 3RD ED.

Online

The Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations is a very useful tool for finding legal abbreviations from any jurisdiction either by abbreviation or by title.

Legal Citation

Australia

The Australian Guide to Legal Citation (AGLC) is being used by legal academics, students, practitioners and members of the judiciary. A third edition can be viewed here.

Canada

The Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation a.k.a McGill Citation Style is the acceptable citation style in many Canadian law schools and officially acceptable to some Canadian courts and journals. Copies of the manual are available in the Law Library - KF 245 C34 2018.

The manual provides general rules for citing bibliographies, footnotes and in-text citations. As well it spells out how to cite legislation in any format, government documents, international materials, secondary materials (books, periodicals, dictionaries, encyclopedic digests, book reviews, case comments, unpublished works, theses and dissertations, magazines, newspapers, websites etc).

Ireland

OSCOLA Ireland is used by academics, practitioners and students in Ireland. It is an amended version of OSCOLA UK.

United Kingdom

The Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities (OSCOLA) is used in law schools and by legal publishers in the UK. OSCOLA is edited by the Oxford University Law faculty. The fourth edition is available here - OSCOLA Fourth edition. Users should note that the there is a separate document containing how to cite international law titled - OSCOLA 2006 - Citing International Law.

United States

The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation is the most widely used citation style for the United States. It is now in its 20th edition and is compiled by the editors of the Columbia Law Review, the Harvard Law Review, the University of Pennsylvania Law Review and the Yale Law Journal. The 20th edition is available by subscription online here. Copies of the 19th edition of the manual are available in the Law Library - KF 245 B58 2015.

The ALWD (Association of Legal Writing Directors) citation manual is used by lawyers, students and academics in the United States. The manual is now in its 6th edition. More information can be found here. Copies of the 6th edition of the manual are available in the Law Library - KF 245 A45 2017.

Creating Your Bibliography

When creating your bibliography it must comply with the citation style required by the institution. However there are tools that you can use to help you organize and compile your bibliography. Databases like HeinOnline, Nexis Uni, Proquest and EbscoHost are all compatible with Zotero.

Zotero

Zotero is free web based software that helps you to organize your research and readings. It is a Firefox add-in but it works with other operating systems. In order to use Zotero, you have to download it on your computer from here. Click the red button that says 'Download Now' and once you finish downloading, restart your computer; the Zotero icon will appear on the button right-hand corner of your screen. Also remember to create your account. Once you have this icon you can always save your references in your Zotero account whch you can access anywhere and anytime.

To learn more about setting up and using Zotero, see our Zotero for Legal Research guide.

Legal Citation LibGuide