Does OSCOLA use footnotes?

Yes. OSCOLA places citations in numbered footnotes, and a bibliography may be added at the end for secondary sources.

What is OSCOLA used for?

OSCOLA is used for UK legal writing, including law essays, dissertations, and journal articles that cite cases and legislation.

Does OSCOLA use punctuation in citations?

OSCOLA minimises punctuation, and CiteOrbit follows the OSCOLA formatting rules when it builds each citation.

OSCOLA Citation Generator

Generate accurate OSCOLA citations in seconds. Search by title, DOI, ISBN, or URL — or add references manually. Free, instant, and works for books, journal articles, websites, and more.

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What is OSCOLA?

OSCOLA (Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities) is a footnote-based legal citation style used mainly in UK law. It cites cases, legislation, and secondary sources in footnotes rather than with in-text author-date references.

How to cite in OSCOLA

Worked examples generated by CiteOrbit:

Book: Kuhn TS, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (University of Chicago Press 1962)
Journal article: Hilal N, “Anxiety and Depression among Medical Students” (2026) 8 European Journal of Medical and Health Sciences 1 <https://doi.org/10.24018/ejmed.2026.8.1.1>
Website: CiteOrbit, “What Is a Citation?” (CiteOrbit, January 1, 2026) <https://citeorbit.com/citation-generator> accessed June 20, 2026

OSCOLA FAQ

Does OSCOLA use footnotes?: Yes. OSCOLA places citations in numbered footnotes, and a bibliography may be added at the end for secondary sources.
What is OSCOLA used for?: OSCOLA is used for UK legal writing, including law essays, dissertations, and journal articles that cite cases and legislation.
Does OSCOLA use punctuation in citations?: OSCOLA minimises punctuation, and CiteOrbit follows the OSCOLA formatting rules when it builds each citation.