OSCOLA (Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities) Referencing Guide
(updated Oct 2023)

How do you cite a book in the OSCOLA (Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities) referencing style? (2023 Guide)

One of the most cited mediums is of course books. Here’s how to cite a book in OSCOLA (Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities)

Here’s an example book citation in OSCOLA (Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities) using placeholders: So if we want to cite, for example, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou we’d do so like this:
OSCOLA (Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities) citation: And an in-text citation book citation in OSCOLA (Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities) looks like this: M Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (, , 1st edn., Random House 1969).


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How to reference a journal article in the OSCOLA (Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities) citation style?

How do you cite scientific papers in OSCOLA (Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities) format?

An OSCOLA (Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities) citation for a journal article includes the author name(s), publication year, article title, journal name, volume and issue number, page range of the article, and a DOI (if available). Here’s how

Here’s a OSCOLA (Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities) journal citation example using placeholders: So if we want to reference this scientific article: “Testing consumer preferences for iced-coffee: Does the drinking environment have any influence?” by C. Petit and J.M. Sieffermann in OSCOLA (Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities): And an in-text citation would look like this: C Petit and J Sieffermann, “Testing Consumer Preferences for Iced-Coffee: Does the Drinking Environment Have Any Influence?” (2007) 18 accessed October 4, 2023.


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How to cite a website in a paper in OSCOLA (Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities) style?

The basics of a reference list entry for a web page or web document in OSCOLA (Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities) is straight forward. Here’s how

Here’s an OSCOLA (Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities) example website reference: To reference the article located at this link:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/nov/05/uselections20083
on The Guardian website: And an in-text citation would look like this: M Tran, “Barack Obama To Be America’s First Black President” (, , , November 5, 2008) accessed October 4, 2023.

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How to cite a YouTube video OSCOLA (Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities) in 2023

Citing a video from YouTube may appear more difficult than citing a book because YouTube has so much information. But the process is quite simple, here’s how to do it in OSCOLA (Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities)

Here’s a OSCOLA (Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities) citation YouTube video example: So how to cite a video OSCOLA (Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities)? And an in-text video citation would look like this: Pixar, “Pizza Clip — Inside Out” (, , , YouTubeJune 3, 2015) accessed October 4, 2023.

How to cite a podcast using OSCOLA (Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities) referencing style

Are you listening to a podcast and you want to use it in your essay or presentation? Here’s how to cite it in OSCOLA (Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities)

It is becoming more and more common to reference podcasts in essays or other school work.
Here’s how to reference a podcast it in OSCOLA (Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities). Podcast referencing example in OSCOLA (Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities) using “This American Life” episode 640: And an in-text citation would look like this: This American Life, “640: Five Women” accessed October 4, 2023.

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How to cite a piece of music or a song using OSCOLA (Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities) referencing style?

Did you know that Bob Dylan has written well over 500 different songs? Here’s how to cite any song in OSCOLA (Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities)

An example song citation in OSCOLA (Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities). Let‘s say we want to reference “Here Comes the Sun” off The Beatles “Abbey Road” album in OSCOLA (Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities): And an in-text citation would look like this: The Beatles, “Here Comes the Sun” accessed October 4, 2023.