How to OSCOLA Reference a Website? A Complete Guide

OSCOLA reference website or OSCOLA bibliography is a citation style that the faculty of law of Oxford University developed. This referencing was specially built for legal documents in the UK. Students are encouraged to use OSCOLA referencing if they are pursuing any type of legal degree in the UK. Many students face difficulty in learning this style, as they might be habitual with other citation styles, but this is different from all those. This blog will help you learn all the essential things that you must know before starting your OSCOLA bibliography or references. 

Here in this blog, we will learn everything from the basics, starting with what OSCOLA referencing is. What is the importance it plays for legal students? And mainly, how you can cite OSCOLA referencing perfectly with the OSCOLA website citation example. When you are new to the OSCOLA format website reference, you might make many common mistakes. In this OSCOLA referencing guide, we will discuss these mistakes as well so that you do not repeat them and get perfect OSCOLA references in first go.  

What Is OSCOLA Referencing?

The preferred form of referencing used to write legal documents in the UK is the OSCOLA (Oxford Standard of Citation of Legal Authorities). It offers a standard of referencing different types of legal works, as it provides clarity, consistency, and accuracy in academic and professional documents in law.

The main characteristics of referencing in OSCOLA are:

• Footnotes: The citation is placed mostly in footnotes, which are indicated by superscripts within the text.

• Full Citation in First Reference: When the source is cited the first time, it is done in a full citation, in the footnote. Further citations may be shortened.

• Specific Formatting: OSCOLA contains particular regulations concerning the referencing of cases, legislation, books, journal articles, and other legal materials.

• Minimal Punctuations: OSCOLA uses minimal punctuations in contrast to other referencing styles, such as the Harvard.

Importance of OSCOLA Referencing

OSCOLA referencing was not introduced just to increase your workload; it has its own benefits, and they are as follows: 

• Academic Integrity: You will also have to provide proper credit to the original authors and avoid plagiarism by citing them.

• Professionalism: The application of OSCOLA shows that you are familiar with the legal conventions and that your work is more credible.

• Clarity and Consistency: Due to the standardised format of OSCOLA, the readers can find and check your sources more easily.

• Professionalism & Credibility: Using the same, correct OSCOLA referencing will indicate that you have the knowledge of legal practice and thus make your arguments carry more weight and be less sloppy.

• Dealing with Volatile Sources: OSCOLA suggests special guidelines on dealing with volatile web pages and advises you to seek a stable URL or rely on homepage links to keep your work.

How to OSCOLA reference a website 

This must be broken down into several subheadings.

Basic OSCOLA Website Reference Format

The majority of the online sources you see will show that OSCOLA references have a simple format. But here are the most important elements required:

• Author/Organisation: In case a particular author is mentioned, use his or her name. Otherwise, use the name of the organisation or institution behind such a site.

• Title of the Page: Be precise! Take the precise title which is on the webpage. In case it is not obvious, attempt to employ a descriptive phrase.

• Name of the Website: The actual name of the website itself (e.g., Supreme Court website).

• Date: The last date when the page was updated or published. In case of unavailability of date, then use [date accessed]. When there is no date at all, then simply use [no date].

• URL: The full website address.

• (Optional) Pinpoint reference: If you are referring to particular abstracts of the site, then it is always good to provide a pinpoint reference to the text. As an example, a certain paragraph number, in case it is possible or a section heading that enables the reader to find the mentioned information quickly. This comes in handy, particularly with long pages.

Author (individual or organisation)

• Title (enclosed in single quotation marks).

• Website name in parentheses.

• Publication date, where possible.

• URL in angled brackets < >.

• Date of access (important to online updates)

In case there was No Author or No Date

• No Author: When the name of the author is not known, the name of the organisation under which the webpage is published is the corporate author. And, in case no individual or organisation can be mentioned, start the citation with the title of the webpage.

• No Date: You should omit the publication date in round brackets; however, you still need to add the date on which you accessed the webpage. Access date is important as the contents of a website may change very often. 

OSCOLA Reference Website Footnote vs Bibliography

OSCOLA Website Citation Examples

Here are examples for you to make it easy for you to understand complete OSCOLA referencing.

OSCOLA referencing website example With Author

This is an example of a Webpage containing Author and Date:

• Author: John Doe

• Title: “The Effect of AI on Law Practice.

• Website: “LawTech Journal”

• Date: 15 April 2024

• URL: https://www.example.com/lawtech/ai

• Citation OSCOLA: John Doe, The Impact of AI on Legal Practice (LawTech Journal, 15 April 2024) https://www.example.com/lawtech/ai.

OSCOLA website citation example Without Author

A Webpage written by an Organisation and No Author:

• OSCOLA Citation: The Supreme Court, “Judgments: R (on the application of Miller) v The Prime Minister (The Supreme Court, [no date]) https://www.supremecourt.uk/cases/uksc-2019-0192.html.

Example: No date of publication

Website/Blog (only online): You do not write the date of the publication in the internal brackets; always write the complete URL and the date when you accessed the information.

Example: Author, Title (Website Name, [no date]) accessed Date accessed.

Example Sarah Cole, Virtual Friend Fires Employee (Naked Law, [no date]) http://www.nakedlaw.com/2009/05/index.html accessed 19 November 2009.

Bibliography Entry

The bibliography page has the same format as the footnote, only the surname of the author appears first, then the initials and no full stop at the end.

Example: Website: Case Lexis Nexis, Cole S, 'Virtual Friend Fires Employee' (Naked Law, [no date]) http://www.nakedlaw.com/2009/05/index.html accessed 19 November 2009. 

Common OSCOLA Website Citation Mistakes

Experienced attorneys are not always correct! These are the pitfalls that you must be aware of and ways in which you can avoid them to ensure that you are referencing OSCOLA correctly.

• Irregular formatting: The error that occurs the most. Also, make sure that you follow the conventions of OSCOLA during your work. Proofread single quotes, italic and punctuation. Consistency is key!

• Misuse of italics: Italics should be used on the name of the site or journal and not the title of the webpage. This is often confused.

• Leaving out the URL: Always remember the URL! It is vital in checking. This enables the readers to source your source. In its absence, your reference is not complete and credible.

• Incorrect dates: The incorrect date should be replaced by the revised date. In case of doubt, take the date of access to the webpage. Double-check for accuracy!

• Applying an inappropriate citation style: OSCOLA has its rules. You should make sure that you are applying this system and not an alternate system, e.g., MLA or APA. Always double-check.

• Failure to employ pinpoint references: In longer pages, it is easier to use pinpoint citations. Direction is done using paragraph numbers, headings, or sections.

• Using citation generators only: Citation tools are useful, but they may be incorrect. They should never forget to check their results. These are time-saving tools that ought not to be depended upon. They are supposed to support and not substitute your personal knowledge.

• Leaving out the update of citations: Webpages evolve! Ensure that you revisit and revise your references in case the writing has been changed drastically.

• Disregarding modifications in the guidelines of the OSCOLA style: OSCOLA is changing. Make headway with any developments. Make sure that you refer to the most recent version of the manual and update your citation.

You will do a better job of citation by avoiding these errors. It is important to remember that one needs to pay attention to detail when citing OSCOLA.

Quick OSCOLA Website Checklist

Now, we should go down to details of formatting to make sure that your citations are looking and functioning correctly. These are some of the major details that are to be remembered:

• Enclose the titles of web pages in single quotation marks: The titles of the web pages should be enclosed in single quotation marks.

• Capitalise the name of the site: The name of the site should always be italicised.

• Insert the URL: It is always important to insert the full URL. This will provide ease of access for your readers to the source.

• Consistency: Cite using the OSCOLA rules of referencing throughout. In consistency, you enhance your general credibility.

• Check and re-check: It is better to check the citations of every reference before handing in your work so that they are in accordance with the source and guidelines of OSCOLA.

• Keep in mind that a citation management tool: Zotero or Mendeley software, will help you to create citations automatically, which is time-saving and eliminates the chances of making errors.

• Pinpoint references: Add pinpoint references wherever it is pertinent to enable the reader to locate certain points on the webpage. This can be a number of the paragraph, section head or the text itself.

• Keep on changing: OSCOLA style might change. Keep up with the latest news at the Oxford University Law Faculty.

Conclusion

In conclusion, writing the OSCOLA reference website is not that much of a deal if you know how to write them step by step. There is no issue in coming here again and again to check whether you are doing the right thing or not. Once you are habitual with writing OSCOLA website referencing, you will not have any issues in writing it. If you are pursuing your Legal degree from UK, it should be must for you to learn this, as you will be asked to add OSCOLA references.