Case citations explained uk. 2 (for practitioners) and 1.

Case citations explained uk. Parallel Citations Citations to the same law or opinion published in different sources are called parallel citations. Case Citator signals are designed to provide a quick visual indication of how a case has been treated in subsequent judgments. This guide cites resources for locating and identifying judicial decisions from the U. It also provides disambiguation for similar or identical abbreviations used in Aug 18, 2025 · UK cases quick start The UK is a common law country and as such judgments and case law are particularly important as the doctrine of precedent applies. It also explains the case hierarchy, that is, when to use an authorised report series Jun 12, 2024 · How to read and construct Bluebook citations We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. Citation formats exist for many different types of legal sources including cases, statutes and secondary legal materials. Learn how to cite case law correctly in legal writing. Sep 22, 2025 · Cases coverage includes UK and European jurisdictions. 1 of The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation and Rule 12. Understanding case citations Follow the Case citations and law reports interactive tutorial below to learn how to decipher case citations, how to find cases with a citation, and to understand how cases are reported; Case citation is a system used by legal professionals to identify past court case decisions, either in series of books called reporters or law report s, or in a neutral style that identifies a decision regardless of where it is reported. First developed by Peter Birks of the University of Oxford Faculty of Law, and now in its 4th edition (2012, Hart Publishing,), [1] it has been adopted by most law schools and many Understanding the difference between facts and citations. Finding and Updating Case Law: Indexes, Citators, Digests For a refresher on case law, go to Law Reports in the Overview This section outlines the main sources for finding information about cases. Aug 18, 2025 · Unlocking UK case citations: neutral citations Since the growth of electronic sources there have been unreported transcripts also available on all the major legal databases. 2 (for Legal citation is the practice of crediting and referring to authoritative documents and sources. This handout, used in conjunction with Bluebook Rules B1. Unlike the majority of citations, neutral citations do not refer to a specific report of a case, but to the judgment itself. Learn more in this short video about the role of a . We highly recommend familiarizing yourself with the General Principles for Case Citation before exploring the specific examples in each jurisdiction. IMPORTANT NOTE: This Feb 18, 2025 · Even though most UK case law research is now conducted online, and few practitioners still consult reporters in print, citations to UK case law are still based on these print reporters. A citation for a reported judgment should contain: names of the parties (with a v in between) identifying date or volume number of report series May 29, 2025 · The fastest way to collect all of the citation information for a case is to highlight the specific text you would like to cite and use the database's copy with citation feature. How to cite and reference cases Apr 29, 2025 · UK Cases referencing with a neutral citation Neutral citation is a unique case reference available for cases since 2001. Case name Volume Abbreviation for the reporter and series designation Beginning page number of the opinion Jurisdiction and court Date These elements are labeled in the example below: In some case citations, the parallel citation is included. ), Call No. Jul 1, 2025 · Traditional and Neutral Case Citation There are two types of case citation, ‘traditional’, which includes details of a printed volume number, and page number and ‘neutral’, which began in 2001 when the Court of Appeal and later all divisions of the High Court adopted a form of citation which includes details of the case number and the Feb 8, 2024 · Understand case law citations with clear examples, formats & expert tips. These principles cover crucial aspects of case May 9, 2024 · Discover the anatomy behind a case law citation. Start now. Jul 24, 2025 · Learn how to format case law citations with our easy-to-use guide. Sep 12, 2025 · Legal citation is the practice of crediting and referencing authoritative documents and sources in law. Learn fundamental principles for accurate and effective legal referencing. Sep 2, 2022 · Neutral citation is discussed in table T2 of The Bluebook (p. Unlike many pieces of legal citation that are purely technical, an effective use of signals can add meaning to your writing, indicating quickly to your reader how a certain source relates to your proposition. A judgment may then be published in a law report. That said, two major elements are missing. The local Aug 26, 2024 · Unlock the secrets of effective string cites in legal writing. I hope you find this video useful, Leave us a comment if you have any doub Sep 10, 2025 · ICLR - Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for England and Wales The Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for England and Wales (ICLR) has published the official, authorised law reports for the UK since 1865. Unpublished judgments are known as cases with medium neutral citations. To locate a case, you need to be able to understand the citation. REF K85 . Roe vs. It is essential that citations to legal materials follow a standard format so that anyone using a law library may find the resources cited. In your studies you will encounter many case reports. Jul 21, 2025 · Learn how to read and understand South African legal citations, a crucial skill for legal research and practice. learn how to cite a case, what to include (name, year, ruling), and why it matters in exams and May 7, 2025 · Case law is law based on judicial decisions. Case law citations are structured differently depending on the jurisdiction and the style guide being used. Apr 26, 2024 · Confused about citation in law and how to use it in your legal documents? Many legal professionals and students struggle to understand what is a citation in law, the different types like neutral citation or parallel citation, and the correct way to reference cases or statutes. They cover judgments from all divisions of the High Court, Court of Appeal, House of Lords and the Supreme Court They are independent of any series of law reports. Case citation is a system used by legal professionals to identify past court case decisions, either in series of books called reporters or law report s, or in a neutral style that identifies a decision regardless of where it is reported. 481). Provides examples of references for periodicals; books and reference works; edited book chapters and entries in reference works; reports and gray literature; conference presentations and proceedings; dissertations and theses; unpublished and informally published works; data sets; audiovisual media; social media; and webpages and websites. Understand the basics of citing, including structure and formatting. as you can see these are guides to not just statute citation abbreviations but also include abbreviations to different courts and case reporters, secondary sources such as law reviews, legal encyclopedias, codes of regulations, etc. This guide will provide examples on the rules for referencing cases which have been reported in published law reports, and Sep 16, 2019 · Case citation is a system of referencing by which legal professionals can identify a legal case heard and decided by one of the courts in the UK. Index to Legal Citations and Abbreviations, (4th ed. A citation (or cite) in legal terminology is a reference to a specific legal source, such as a constitution, a statute, a reported case, a treatise, or a law review article. 3. Mar 19, 2025 · Law and Legal Resources Understanding a Case Citation Individual cases are arranged collectively in series of Law Reports. Cases published since 2001 will have a neutral citation which must be used. g. A. A legal citation is a "reference to a legal precedent or authority, such as a case, statute, or treatise, that either substantiates or contradicts a given position. This guide will provide examples on the rules for referencing cases which have been reported in published law reports, and Sep 11, 2025 · Learn how to decipher UK law citations and understand the structure and meaning behind them with this beginner-friendly guide. The Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities (OSCOLA) is a style guide that provides the modern method of legal citation in the United Kingdom; the style itself is also referred to as OSCOLA. Law reports are the documents where the case was reported. A neutral citation by itself therefore cannot be used to locate a law report without […] Case citation is a system used by legal professionals to identify past court case decisions, either in series of books called reporters or law report s, or in a neutral style that identifies a decision regardless of where it is reported. Follow essential referencing styles, including OSCOLA, for accurate legal citations to boost grades. Sep 24, 2024 · What is a Citation? A citation is a reference to a legal authority. Where the Bluepages and local court rules are silent regarding the citation of a particular document, you may use the other rules in The Bluebook, referred to as the “Whitepages,” to supplement the Bluepages. Users should always conduct further research before deciding whether to rely on a specific case in their legal argument. Generations of law students, lawyers, scholars, judges, and other legal professionals have relied on The Bluebook's unique system of citation in their… Apr 28, 2025 · This is a study guide designed to help you find legal cases. The citations indicate the the court in which the case was heard and the case number. Use italics for the name of the case, with an unpunctuated italic v to separate the names of adverse parties. Despite their cursory treatment in The Bluebook, signals are important tools of legal writing. Mar 10, 2025 · The purpose of this guide is to introduce The Bluebook and basic concepts of legal citation to new law students. Learn the components of citations and what those numbers mean in legal briefs and documents. Case citations abbreviate the key information relating to a case and its publication details. These citations provide a unique identifier for each court opinion, making it easier to locate and reference specific cases. Cases may be published in more than one report series. View a short video about the ICLR reports. This doctrine operates under the principle of stare decisis meaning "to stand by decisions Case citation is citing references used by legal professionals. Jun 3, 2024 · A guide to deciphering those cryptic legal citations. In this video, we will understand how to read a judgment or a legal case citation. What is the difference between square brackets and round brackets in a case citation? In this video, we will provide a beginner's guide to understanding legal case citations, including the different components of a citation and how to interpret them. Contemporary cases have three main elements in the citation: party names (in italics), the neutral citation, and the report of the judgment. Keep in mind the typeface differences between academic documents and non-academic legal documents as explained in Bluepages B2. Knowing more about how case reports work and are organised can help you to read them more effectively and also deepen your knowledge and understanding of the law. To find what legal abbreviations stand for see the box on the left. Master citation formats, court rules, and legal referencing in 2025. In this comprehensive guide, you'll learn how to enhance your arguments, improve credibility, and master the art of citation. This citation reflects where and when the case was heard, not where it was reported. ). Neutral citations All cases heard in the High Court, Court of Appeal or House of Lords/Supreme Court since 2001 have been given a neutral citation. Jun 24, 2022 · There are many different citation styles, but they typically use one of three systems: parenthetical, note, or numerical citations. Guide to UK law reports and their citations Below is a list of the most common domestic series not published by ICLR but cited in our reports. Reported cases are those that have been published in a law report series. Aug 18, 2025 · UK cases quick start The UK is a common law country and as such judgments and case law are particularly important as the doctrine of precedent applies. Two of the most important features in Casefleet are facts and citations. This guide will demystify citation in Aug 15, 2025 · Understand the nuanced rules for accurately citing court cases in your written work, ensuring credibility and easy source location. A legal citation Aug 18, 2025 · Unlocking UK case citations If you are looking for a reported case you will usually have a full case citation. Wade), most legal materials also include a legal citation indicating where the decision is found in a specific reporter. 3 days ago · Citing cases Case law contains judgments published by courts and tribunals. Feb 18, 2025 · UK Legal Abbreviations & Acronyms Use these tools described below to help you decipher unfamiliar UK legal abbreviations and acronyms. Therefore, the ICLR database is usually the first place you should look to find UK cases. . Jul 22, 2025 · Learn how to cite case law in legal documents with this quick guide. Apr 6, 2021 · Case Citation Elements There are several elements to a case citation. You can also view the graphical history of a case. INTRODUCTION There is no one prevailing source for citation of legal authorities in documents filed in New York courts. Let’s delve into the intricacies of court citation numbers Dec 17, 2024 · Learn how to accurately create case law citations with this step-by-step guide, essential for legal research and writing. R. Nov 11, 2024 · Case Law & Law Reports Neutral case citation Neutral case citations were introduced in January 2001. Tables of the most regularly used journal titles and law reports, together with their abbreviations can be found in the CARDIFF INDEX TO LEGAL ABBREVIATIONS or the Case citation explained Case citation is a system used by legal professionals to identify past court case decisions, either in series of books called reporters or law report s, or in a neutral style that identifies a decision regardless of where it is reported. Learn how to cite case law correctly with this ultimate guide. Discover uk contract law textbooks legal citations explained simply—clear, useful, and tailored for students and legal professionals. S. Boost your legal writing and citations. Here is a sample Citation: Fisher v Bell [1960] 3 WLR 919 The different parts of the Citation are explained below. Note that The Law Reports is divided into four sub-series, which have changed over time. Jul 25, 2025 · A case citation is a reference to a legal source, such as a constitution, statute, reported case, treatise, or law review article. Essential elements, examples, and tips. Jan 28, 2022 · The third rule is to identify the law report. It means that even if a case is not reported in the law reports it can be identified and referenced. For example, the Bluebook is the most widely used legal citation style guide in the US, while the OSCOLA guide is commonly used in the UK. 2 (for practitioners) and 1. 2013) (KD 400 R34 2013, in Foreign Law Office). Sep 15, 2025 · Citations to case law A case citation is the way in which a case is referenced in order to allow lawyers to both find a copy of a case report or transcript and to identify a specific case. Mar 7, 2025 · Examples of Citation Guides Here are some snapshots of what those look like. Apr 11, 2025 · In a nutshell The components of a typical case citation are the case name, the neutral citation (where appropriate) and the law report citation. A standard citation includes first the volume number, then the title of the source, (usually abbreviated) and lastly, a page or section number. Typically, a proper legal citation will inform the reader about a source's authority, how strongly the source supports the writer's proposition, its A case citation is a standard way of uniquely describing a case. Understanding the distinction between these two can significantly enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of your case management. The Whitepages. Following on from this (from 2002) came the use of neutral citations where by each case was given a neutral citation to identify it. May 9, 2025 · Understanding Court Case Citations: Demystifying the Numbers Understanding Court Citation Numbers: What You Need to Know When navigating the legal landscape, one crucial aspect to grasp is court case citations. Understanding the parts of a case citation will help to find the case online or in a printed library collection. Aug 19, 2025 · Citing Law Cases: What You Need to Know Navigate the world of legal case citations with confidence. Understanding Case Citations Apr 11, 2025 · In a nutshell The components of a typical case citation are the case name, the neutral citation (where appropriate) and the law report citation. 3 days ago · Reading Case Citations A case citation typically has five parts: Party names, name if the reporter in which the case is found, volume number of the reporter, page in the reporter where the case starts, and the year the case was decided. Jan 26, 2023 · Get a head start on court case citations with the beginner’s guide to the Bluebook. Jul 23, 2025 · Knowing how to cite case law is an essential skill for anyone studying or working in law. Westlaw's Case Analysis documents also provide you with the case digest, links to cases cited, legislation and relevant journal articles. A comma separates the neutral citation and the law report citation. Aug 6, 2025 · A guide covering citing and referencing legal materials using Harvard, including examples for case law and legislation. May 9, 2025 · Understanding Case Citations Contemporary cases have three main elements in the citation: party names (in italics), the neutral citation, and the report of the judgment. Accurate citations are crucial for credibility, compliance, and winning cases. A case may contain parallel citations, which means there is more than one full-text version of the case. courts using primary and secondary sources of case law. It’s important to cite the law report because that’s the official record of that case. For help with deciphering United Kingdom case citations, consult the Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations online or Donald Raistrick, Index to Legal Citations and Abbreviations (4th ed. Feb 26, 2024 · The case of Harber v Commissions for His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs [2023] UKFTT 1007 (TC) is the first reported UK decision to have found that cases cited by a litigant were not genuine judgments, but had been created by an AI system such as ChatGPT. Rule 10. Learn how to properly cite case law in your UK assignment. Like most legal resources, the resources in this section have subject indexes, tables of cases and legislation, and other tables. Below is a breakdown of a citation. Case citations are formatted differently in different jurisdiction s, but generally contain the same key information. You should review the rest of this section on citing cases (and the relevant rules in The Bluebook) before trying to format a case citation for the first time. A basic knowledge of their structure will assist you in focusing on the most important sections of a report and therefore speed up your reading. Q. All citations must include a pin cite, unless the citation is merely providing the citation for a full case name in text or the citation is a see generally cite in which the entire source makes the point referred to in text. Sep 5, 2024 · The basic format for a case citation is: the case name, the volume number and abbreviation of the reporter in which the case was published, the initial page number of the case, and the year of the case. They are primary sources of law that evolve as courts interpret statutes and follow the decisions made by judges in earlier cases according to the doctrine of precedent. This video explains the difference between reported case citations and unreported, medium neutral citations. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. Important law report series include ICLR's Law Reports (1865-) and Weekly Law Reports (1953-). There are three parts of case citation - Volume, reported designation and page number. Jul 1, 2025 · While court cases are usually referenced by name (e. A basic case citation typically includes the case name Aug 4, 2025 · This session provides guidelines for citing cases from different jurisdictions, including Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, the People's Republic of China, the European Union, and International cases. Mar 10, 2025 · The precise format of a case citation depends on a number of factors, including the jurisdiction, court, and type of case. R3 2013 This index enables users to de-code the initial-letter-only system of most British legal citation. Oct 1, 2025 · Case law (or judicial precedent or judge made law) is the law in Common Law jurisdictions that is made by judges in a court of law. Dec 17, 2024 · Master the essential elements of legal citations to enhance credibility and ensure accuracy in court documents with this comprehensive guide. It is essential that citations to legal material follow a standard format so that anyone may find the referenced items without difficulty. However, the basic format of a case citation is as follows: Note: In court documents (briefs, motions) and legal A neutral citation is the unique reference given to a particular judgment by HM Courts and Tribunals Service. The volume number is placed before the reporter abbreviation and the page number is placed after the abbreviation. For judgments prior to the introduction of neutral citations, cite party names (in italics), the report of the judgment and the abbreviated name of the court, in brackets. Reported citations Below are the parts of a citation for the reported judgment, Jaensch v Coffey (1984) 155 CLR 549. 4(b)(1)(a) of the ALWD Citation Manual: A Professional System of Citation provide that case citations in documents submitted to state courts must conform with the local rules of that state. AGLC4 rule 2 sets all the different examples of how to reference cases. The most common sources of authority cited are court decisions (cases), statutes, regulations, government documents, treaties, and scholarly writing. Case citations are unique and follow a standard format, typically comprising five parts: the names of the parties in the case, the volume number of the court reporter, the court reporter abbreviation, the page number of the reporter where the case begins, and the Understanding Citations citation is a reference to a legal authority. 📚 How to Read Case and Statute Citations in England and Wales When reading judgments or textbooks, you'll often encounter cryptic-looking references like: Donoghue v Stevenson [1932] AC 562 Caparo Industries plc v Dickman [1990] 2 AC 605 White v Jones (1995) 2 WLR 187 Let’s break this down clearly 👇 Case citation is a system used by legal professionals to identify past court case decisions, either in series of books called reporters or law report s, or in a neutral style that identifies a decision regardless of where it is reported. Legal citation is the practice of crediting and referring to authoritative documents and sources. Jul 14, 2025 · Learn how to read and understand legal citations to navigate the complex world of case law and legal research with ease. In the UK, case citations are used by legal professionals to identify past court case decisions. Case citations are formatted differently in different jurisdictions, but generally contain the same key information. As case law (the stuff decided in court cases) is such an important part of UK law we have to show precisely where that piece of law came from. Sep 5, 2016 · If you lead with a citation to the exact document, then your corresponding source list entry would do the same; your source list would eventually be bloated beyond control with thousands of citations to original documents. Apr 29, 2025 · OSCOLA (Law) Referencing Guide Understanding Legal Citations Instead of referring to a case or journal article by its full details, lawyers use abbreviations and legal citations: All reported cases will have a case citation (or law report citation) which you need to use for referencing purposes. It is important to adhere to the rules of citation so that the cases to which you refer can be easily identified and located by others. Traditional case citations Traditionally, the citation refers to where a judgment is reported. Simplify your legal research and writing with this quick reference. Unreported judgments contain the text of the judgment but are not Aug 26, 2025 · Citing cases Case law contains judgments published by courts and tribunals. It helps them to understand the decisions of the case. confused about case citations? here’s the simplest way to understand them in just 60 seconds. This means that the judgment of each case can bind all subsequent cases depending on the seniority of the court (the court system has a hierarchical structure. " [1] Dec 8, 2022 · UNDERSTANDING CASE CITATIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS Journals and Law Reports are frequently referred to only by their abbreviations, for example, All England Law Reports are All E. A case citation can refer to a "reported" or "unreported" full-text version of the case.