Australian Guide to Legal Citation (AGLC) | UniSC | University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

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Australian Guide to Legal Citation (AGLC)

AGLC referencing guides 
Primary sources – Cases
Reported Judgments

Cite from authorised law reports if available (CLR, FCR, VR, etc)

Law reports with sequential volume numbering - use round brackets for the year Party names (Year) Volume number Law Report Abbreviation First page, Cited page and/or [paragraph number]

Example: New South Wales v Lepore (2003) 212 CLR 511

Law reports with sequence organised by year rather than volume - use square brackets for the year Party names [Year] Volume number if applicable Law report abbreviation First page, Cited page and/or [paragraph number]

Example: Victorian Lawyers RPA Ltd v X [2001] 3 VR 601

Unreported Judgments

Use Medium Neutral Citation if available Party names [Year of decision] Court abbreviation Sequential judgment number (Full date)

Example: R v Whyte [2004] VSCA 5 (12 April 2004)

Primary sources – Statutes
Acts

Short title Year (Jurisdiction) Pinpoint reference

Example: Legal Practices Act 1996 (Vic) s 37

Bills

Short title Year (Jurisdiction)

Example: Anti-terrorism Bill 2004 (Cth)

Primary sources – Treaties
Treaties

Treaty title, Parties names, Date Opened for Signature or Signed, Treaty Series, Date of Entry into Force

Example: Security Treaty between Australia, New Zealand and the United States of America [ANZUS], opened for signature 1 September 1951, [1952] ATS 2 (entered into force 29 April 1952)

Secondary sources – Books

Author, Title (Publisher, Edition, Year of publication), Page, paragraph or chapter reference.

Author names in Footnote: first name, last name   

Author names in Bibliography: last name, first name

Authored book

Example:

Chisolm, Richard and Nettheim, Garth, Understanding Law: An Introduction to Australia's Legal System (LexisNexis Butterworths, 7th ed, 2007)

Edited book

Example:

Kinley, David (ed), Human Rights in Australian Law: Principles, Practice and Potential (Federation Press, 1998)

Chapter in an edited book

Example:

Morgan, F, 'The Extent and Location of Crime', in Goldsmith, Andrew, Israel, Mark and Daly, Kathleen (eds), Crime and Justice: an Australian Textbook in Criminology (Lawbook, 2nd ed, 2003), 11

Secondary sources – Journal articles

Author, 'Title' (Year) Volume Journal Title, First page number of the article, Cited page.

Journal article with continuous voluming - use round brackets for the year

Example:

Bagaric, Mirko, 'Active and Passive Euthanasia: Is there a Moral Distinction and Should there be a Legal Difference?' (1977) 5 Journal of Law and Medicine, 143.

Journal article with no continuous voluming - use square brackets for the year

Example:

Lee, HP, 'The High Court and Implied Fundamental Guarantees' [1993] Public Law 606.

Note - an article should be cited as above regardless of retrieval method (ie. print or electronic) UNLESS the article is ONLY available in electronic form. If paragraph numbers are available, these may be referred to and enclosed in square brackets.

Journal article only available on the internet (no print equivalent)

Example:

Rimmer, Matthew, 'Daubism: Copyright Law and Artistic Works' (2002) 9(4) eLaw Journal: Murdoch University Electronic Journal of Law [58] <http://www.murdoch.edu.au/elaw/issues/v9n4/rimmer94.html>

Secondary sources – Internet

Author, Title (Full date of last update), Website name <URL>

A Document published on the internet

Example:

Board of Examiners, Admission Requirements (18 February 2010), Council of Legal Education    <http://www.lawadmissions.vic.gov.au>

Quoting and paraphrasing

You must reference your sources whenever you quote or paraphrase.

Quotations are covered in AGLC4 Rule 1.5

Quotation example:

Groves’ analysis of the OG judgment that ‘disclosure of academic misconduct should not be limited to formal disciplinary findings or proceedings.' 1

Paraphrase example:

Groves argues that the decision in the OG case applies to situations beyond university study. 1