A citation lets your reader find and check your source. Choose one style, follow it from the first footnote to the last, and apply it consistently. Mixing styles is one of the most common marks of weak legal writing.
Which style? Use the style your journal, competition or university asks for. Many Indian law schools and journals use OSCOLA or an Indian adaptation of the Bluebook. This guide covers both. The citation generator formats case and statute citations for you.
At a glance
| OSCOLA | Bluebook (Indian law school adaptation) | |
|---|---|---|
| Case name | Italics, “v” without a full stop | Italics, “v.” with a full stop |
| Statute | Act Year, s number | Act, year, § number, No., Acts of Parliament, year (India) |
| Article title | Single quotation marks, not italic | Italic or plain, as your guide says |
| Book author | Author name in normal case | Author and title in small capitals |
| Repeat citation | ibid, or Author (n 3) | Id., or Author, supra note 3 |
| End list | Table of cases, table of legislation, bibliography | Bibliography or a list of sources |
OSCOLA examples
| Source | Format and example |
|---|---|
| Case | Maneka Gandhi v Union of India (1978) 1 SCC 248 |
| Statute | Indian Contract Act 1872, s 10 |
| Constitution | Constitution of India 1950, art 21 |
| Book | Author Name, Title of Book (4th edn, Publisher 2020) 45 |
| Journal article | Author Name, ‘Title of the Article’ (2021) 12 Journal Name 55, 60 |
| Website | Organisation or Author, ‘Title of the Page’ (Website Name, date) <URL> accessed 5 March 2026 |
| Shortened form | ibid (same source as the previous footnote), or Maneka Gandhi (n 4) for an earlier source |
OSCOLA does not use full stops after “s”, “ss” or “art”. Case names are italicised in the original, and the year goes in square brackets when it is part of the report’s name and in round brackets when it is not. Add a pinpoint page or paragraph after the first page.
Bluebook (Indian law school adaptation) examples
| Source | Format and example |
|---|---|
| Case | Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India, (1978) 1 SCC 248. With pinpoint: Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India, (1978) 1 SCC 248, 281. |
| Statute | Right to Information Act, 2005, § 6, No. 22, Acts of Parliament, 2005 (India). |
| Constitution | INDIA CONST. art. 21. |
| Book | AUTHOR NAME, TITLE OF BOOK 45 (4th ed. Publisher 2020). |
| Journal article | Author Name, Title of the Article, 12 J. NAME 55, 60 (2021). |
| Website | NAME OF WEBSITE, https://example.org/page (last visited Mar. 5, 2026). |
| Shortened form | Id. (same source as the previous footnote), Id. at 70 (different page), or AUTHOR, supra note 10, at 89. |
For Acts passed before 1950, the “Acts of Parliament” phrase may not fit. Check what your style guide says about the enacting body.
Citing Indian cases
- Give the case name, then the report citation, such as SCC, AIR or SCR.
- The same case is often reported in several places. Use the report your guide prefers, and be consistent.
- Cases without a printed report citation can be cited by court, case number and year, or with a neutral citation if one exists.
- Always give the court if it is not clear from the citation.
Rules that apply to every style
- Cite every legal proposition and every fact you take from a source.
- Put footnotes at the bottom of the page where the source appears, numbered continuously from 1, in a smaller font than the body text.
- Prefer primary sources: Acts, judgments and treaties. Use secondary sources to support them.
- Verify every case name, section number, author and page against the original.
- Do not cite Wikipedia, unverified blogs or AI-generated text as authority.
- Do not put two unrelated sources in one footnote.
Common errors
- Mixing OSCOLA and Bluebook features in one article.
- Missing pinpoints.
- Citing a section of the old IPC, CrPC or Evidence Act when the new code applies. Check the section finder.
- Putting the year in the wrong kind of brackets.
- Giving a website without an access date.
Format a citation now with the citation generator.
A general guide. Journals, competitions and universities each set their own word limits, formats and citation rules. Always follow the instructions of the place you are writing for. Last updated: October 2026.