oxford referencing example essay

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How to Reference in Oxford Style

Last Updated: July 25, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was reviewed by Gerald Posner and by wikiHow staff writer, Danielle Blinka, MA, MPA . Gerald Posner is an Author & Journalist based in Miami, Florida. With over 35 years of experience, he specializes in investigative journalism, nonfiction books, and editorials. He holds a law degree from UC College of the Law, San Francisco, and a BA in Political Science from the University of California-Berkeley. He’s the author of thirteen books, including several New York Times bestsellers, the winner of the Florida Book Award for General Nonfiction, and has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in History. He was also shortlisted for the Best Business Book of 2020 by the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 98,740 times.

Oxford style is a way of referencing sources used in a text by incorporating footnotes into the text. To use Oxford style, a writer cites their sources using footnotes that direct the reader to a list of citations at the bottom of the page for more details about the reference source. [1] X Research source While Oxford style might seem confusing, it can make reading a text a lot easier. Once you get used to using this reference style, you'll be able to easily use it in your papers.

Creating Your Footnotes

• Journal or print article with author: 1 T. Rock. This Smells Delicious. Journal of Cooking, vol. 40, no. 6, 2005: pp. 272-273.
• Journal or print article without author: 1 Cooking Makes People Happy. Journal of Cooking, vol. 40, no. 6, 2005: pp. 250-254.
• Book with one author: 2 T. Rock. Cooking is Fun, New York: Great Books Press, 2008, p. 22.
• Book with multiple authors: 2 T. Rock, J. Cena, and R. Flair. This is Cooking, New York: Great Books Press, 2009, p. 55.
• Book with no authors: 2 They Keep Cooking, New York: Great Books Press, 2008, pp. 46-47.
• Chapter in a book: 3 T. Rock. Get a Spatula. In Cooking is Fun, 46-58. New York: Great Books Press, 2008.
• Internet article: 4 T. Rock. I Love to Cook. Fun Cooking. 08-24-08. http:www.funcookingmag.com/I-love-to-cook/2008 (Accessed 2009-08-24). [3] X Research source

• For example, the superscript number is bold: 1 T. Rock. This smells delicious. Journal of Cooking , vol. 40, no. 6, 2005, pp. 272-273.
• Put a space after the superscript number.

• If there is no author name, begin the entry with the title, starting with the first word that is not an article, meaning not “A,” “An,” or “The.” [4] X Research source
• If there are more than two authors, list them all in the same manner. If there are two authors, use "and" between them. If there are more than two authors, separate the names using commas, with "and" before the last author.
• For example, the author's name is bold: 1 T. Rock . This smells delicious. Journal of Cooking , vol. 40, no. 6, 2005, pp. 272-273.

• For example, the title of the article is bold: 1 T. Rock. This smells delicious . Journal of Cooking , vol. 40, no. 6, 2005, pp. 272-273.
• For example, the title of the journal is bold: 1 T. Rock. This smells delicious. Journal of Cooking , vol. 40, no. 6, 2005, pp. 272-273.

• For example, the volume and issue number are bold: 1 T. Rock. This smells delicious. Journal of Cooking , vol. 40, no. 6 , 2005, pp. 272-273.

• For example, the city and publisher are bold: 2 T. Rock. Cooking is Fun , New York: Great Books Press , 2008, p. 22.

• For example, the year in a journal article is bold: 1 T. Rock. This smells delicious. Journal of Cooking , vol. 40, no. 6, 2005 , pp. 272-273.

• For example, the page number for a journal article is bold: 1 T. Rock. This smells delicious. Journal of Cooking , vol. 40, no. 6, 2005, pp. 272-273 .
• For example, the page number for a book is bold: 2 T. Rock. Cooking is Fun , New York: Great Books Press, 2008, p. 22 .

Making Your Reference Page

• Title your page "Reference List." [6] X Research source
• On your reference page, you will list author surname first, rather than the author's first name.

• If there is no author, use the first word in the title. [8] X Research source
• A typical journal entry will look like this: Rock, T. This smells delicious. Journal of Cooking , vol. 40, no. 6, 2005, pp. 272-273.
• A typical book footnote will look like this: Rock, T. Cooking is Fun , New York: Great Books Press, 2008, p. 22.
• A book chapter entry will look like this: Rock, T. Get a Spatula. In Cooking is Fun , New York: Great Books Press, 2008, pp. 46-58.
• An internet article looks like this: Rock, T. I love to cook. Fun Cooking . 08-24-08. http:www.funcookingmag.com/I-love-to-cook/2008 (Accessed 2009-08-24). [9] X Research source
• If there are two authors, alphabetize it by the first author's last name, then list the remaining authors. [10] X Research source

• For example, the page range is in bold: Rock, T. This smells delicious. Journal of Cooking , vol. 40, no. 6, 2005, pp. 272-273 .
• Use a p. for one page or a pp. for multiple pages.

Expert Q&A

You might also like.

• ↑ https://libraryguides.vu.edu.au/oxford-referencing/getting-started-with-oxford-referencing
• ↑ https://www.ox.ac.uk/sites/files/oxford/media_wysiwyg/University%20of%20Oxford%20Style%20Guide.pdf
• ↑ https://libraryguides.vu.edu.au/oxford-referencing/sample-reference-list
• ↑ https://libraryguides.vu.edu.au/oxford-referencing/books-and-e-books

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Referencing styles

Author-date citations (Harvard) Numbered notes Numbered reference citations (Vancouver) OSCOLA

Introduction

Source references are vital to academic works (both print and digital) and so it is essential that they are clear, complete, and consistently formatted. Online bibliographical material is hyperlinked to provide readers with instant access to relevant sources or additional information.

Reference styles vary greatly across disciplines. This section details the main reference styles supported by OUP (Harvard, Vancouver, and OSCOLA) and provides examples that you can follow. If you are in doubt, your OUP editorial contact will be able to advise you on the best citation system for your text.

Author-date citations (Harvard)

The author-date style is an efficient and clear method of providing citations to published sources, which appear in a reference list at the end of the chapter or book. No superscripts are used, which means that reordering of the text does not require renumbering of notes. Instead of superscript numbers, a parenthetical citation (consisting of author name and date of publication) appears in the text and leads the reader to a full entry in a reference list that appears at the end of the chapter or book.

The method works particularly well when most of your citations are to published books or journal articles. It works less well if you are citing a lot of unauthored material or untraditional sources. Unlike numbered notes, author-date citations cannot accommodate translations or commentary outside the main text, although it is possible to combine author-date citations (for bibliographic citations) with numbered notes (for explanatory text).

In-text citation

References are cited within the text by including the author’s last name and a date parenthetically. A page number can be added if needed. If the author’s name appears in the sentence containing the citation, you need only use the date. Complete bibliographical reference information is listed at the end of the chapter or text.

Up to two author names can be used in the in-text citation. When citing a work with three or more authors, use the first author’s last name plus ‘et al.’

If you cite multiple references by the same author that were published in the same year, distinguish between them by adding labels (e.g. ‘a’ and ‘b’) to the year, in both the citation and the reference list.

Structure of the reference list

The reference list appears at the end of the chapter or text in alphabetical order. The name of the first author is inverted. In science literature, initials are often used in place of author first names.

The bibliographic elements listed below are required for the most common types of reference citations. Additional elements are mentioned that may be optional or to be used in only certain instances (e.g. a page number or other locator that is required if you are quoting a precise part of a large work, but not if the reference is to the work as a whole). Consistency in application is important.

Do not use long dashes (“—") to substitute for the name of an author who is identified in the bibliography due to how that entry will be linked in digital versions. Because the entry may not appear immediately following the entry with the full name, repeat the name in full.

Examples of author-date references in British style

Authored book.

Required elements

Lastname, Firstname/initials. Year of Publication. Title of Work .

With optional elements

Lastname, Firstname/initials, and Firstname/initials Lastname. Year of Publication. Title of Work , 2nd ed. City of Publication: Publisher.

Chapter in an edited book

Lastname, Firstname/initials, Year of Publication. ‘Title of Chapter in an Edited Book’. In Title of Edited Volume , edited by Firstname Lastname.

Lastname, Firstname/initials, and Firstname/initials Lastname. Year of Publication. ‘Title of Chapter in an Edited Book’. In Title of Edited Volume , edited by Firstname Lastname, page number(s) [or alternative locator info]. 2nd ed. City of Publication: Publisher.

Journal article

Lastname, Firstname/initials,Year of Publication. ‘Title of Article’. Name of Journal vol. number: start page.

Lastname, Firstname/initials, and Firstname/initials Lastname. Year of Publication. ‘Title of Article’. Name of Journal vol. number (issue number) (Month or Season): start page–end page. doi: DOI [or stable URL].

Magazine article

Lastname, Firstname/initials, Year of Publication. ‘Title of Article’. Day and Month of Pub. doi: DOI [or stable URL].

Lastname, Firstname/initials, and Firstname/initials Lastname. Year of Publication. ‘Title of Article’. Name of Magazine , Day and Month of Pub. doi: DOI [or stable URL].

Required elements if a magazine article has no stated author

‘Title of Article’. Year of Publication. Name of Magazine , Month of Pub. doi: DOI [or stable URL].

Website or other source

Include as much of the following as possible in your bibliographic entry: author; title or description of the content; owner/publisher; month and/or day of publication, most recent revision (or, failing that, date accessed); and URL. The year of publication should be the second element in the entry.

Some flexibility is acceptable to accommodate the wide variety of content available, particularly online.

Website names are usually set in roman type, but the names of online magazines and books are italicized (like their print counterparts).

As you write ...

Example: author–date citation with a reference list and further reading —british style.

Psychoanalytic studies, along with other literary and cultural texts, not only contribute to the new discourse of the jungle but also reflect the imperialist history that brings West Europeans and Americans into contact with the geographic jungles of India, Africa, and other parts of the world (Rogers et al. 2010, 1). This colonial context needs to be sketched here as well in order to reveal how the birth of the jungle eventually produces new constructions of sexuality in the United States. Billops (1999a) notes that the word ‘jungle’ comes from the Hindi and Marathi word jangal, meaning ‘desert’, ‘waste’, ‘forest’; as well as from the Sanskrit jangala, meaning ‘dry’, ‘dry ground’, or ‘desert’. Its first appearance in English is in 1776, with its meaning already shifted towards what might be more recognizable today: ‘Land overgrown with underwood, long grass, or tangled vegetation; also, the luxuriant and often almost impenetrable growth of vegetation covering such a tract’ (Dreft and Smithers 1978, 87). Brought into English as a result of an imperialist presence in India, ‘jungle’ is intimately related to the larger rise of Western imperialism around the world, particularly in the nineteenth century (Billops 1999b). Western powers such as Britain and France went from controlling 35 per cent of the earth’s surface in 1800 to, by 1914, ‘a grand total of roughly 85 per cent of the earth as colonies, protectorates, dependencies, dominions, and commonwealths’ (Said 1993, ch.2, ‘Colonial impacts’).

Reference list

Billops, Camille. 1999a. ‘Indo-European Loan Words’. Annals of Linguistics 21 (4): pp. 38–44.

Billops, Camille. 1999b. ‘Indo-European Vowel Shift: Evidence and Interpretation’. Annals of Linguistics 21 (4): p. 45.

Dreft, Edward, and Susan Smithers. 1978. ‘Words Working’. International Journal of American Linguistics 62 (3): pp. 227–263. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1978.tb25475.x.

Rogers, Jason, Millicent Eng, and Rene Woo. 2010. ‘English-Based African Creoles’. In Spreading the People: Colonizing Languages in the Raj , edited by Jason Rogers, pp. 310–330. 2nd ed. London: Verso.

Said, Eleanor. 1993. The European Dream of Africa . New York: Random House.

Further reading

Bickerton, Derek. 2008. Bastard Tongues: A Trail-Blazing Linguist Finds Clues to Our Common Humanity in the World’s Lowliest Languages . New York: Hill and Wang.

‘Evolutionary Linguistics’. 2012. Wikipedia. Updated 4 November. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolutionary_linguistics.

Mfuti, Miriam. 2001. ‘Pidgin Town’. In The Oxford Handbook of Pidgins and Creoles , edited by Alain Smet, pp. 107–112. New York: Oxford University Press.

Rambow, John. 2007. ‘Will This Demon Fit in My Carry-On?’ Bangalore Monkey blog. 21 December. http://www.bangaloremonkey. com/2007/12/will-this-demon-fit-in-my-carry-on.html.

Examples of author-date references in US style

Lastname, Firstname/initials, Year of Publication.  Title of Work .

Lastname, Firstname/initials, and Firstname Lastname/initials. Year of Publication.  Title of Work , 2nd ed. City of Publication: Publisher.

Lastname, Firstname/initials, Year of Publication. “Title of Chapter in an Edited Book.” In  Title of Edited Volume , edited by Firstname Lastname.

Lastname, Firstname/initials, and Firstname Lastname/initials. Year of Publication. “Title of Chapter in an Edited Book.” In  Title of Edited Volume , edited by Firstname Lastname, page number(s) [or alternative locator info]. 2nd ed. City of Publication: Publisher.

Lastname, Firstname/initials,Year of Publication. “Title of Article.”  Name of Journal  vol. number, start page.

Lastname, Firstname/initials, and Firstname Lastname/initials. Year of Publication. “Title of Article.”  Name of Journal  vol. number (issue number) (Month or Season Year): start page–end page. doi: DOI [or stable URL].

Lastname, Firstname/initials, Year of Publication. “Title of Article.”  Name of Magazine , Month of Pub.

Lastname, Firstname/initials, and Firstname Lastname/initials. Year of Publication. “Title of Article.”  Name of Magazine , Month and Day of Pub. doi: DOI [or stable URL].

Required elements If a magazine article has no stated author:

“Title of Article.” Year of Publication.  Name of Magazine , Month of Pub.

 “Title of Article.” Year of Publication.  Name of Magazine , Month and Day of Pub, doi: DOI [or stable URL].

Include as much of the following as possible in your bibliographic entry: author; title or description of the content; owner/publisher; month and/or day of publication, most recent revision (or, failing that, date accessed); and URL. The year of publication should be the second element in the entry. Some flexibility is acceptable to accommodate the wide variety of content available, particularly online.

The names of websites are usually set in roman type, but the names of online magazines and books are italicized (like their print counterparts).

Reference list vs. bibliography

Note that a reference list in the author-date system can contain only items that are actually cited in the work. The reference list must contain all of those items. This differs from a bibliography in the numbered-note system, which can contain both cited items and items of interest that have not been specifically cited. If there are uncited works that you would like to draw to the reader’s attention, these can be placed after the references in a separate listed titled ‘Further reading’.

Example: author–date citation with a reference list and further reading—US style

Psychoanalytic studies, along with other literary and cultural texts, not only contribute to the new discourse of the jungle but also reflect the imperialist history that brings West Europeans and Americans into contact with the geographic jungles of India, Africa, and other parts of the world (Rogers et al. 2010, 1). This colonial context needs to be sketched here as well in order to reveal how the birth of the jungle eventually produces new constructions of sexuality in the United States. Billops (1999a) notes that the word “jungle” comes from the Hindi and Marathi word jangal, meaning “desert,” “waste,” “forest”; as well as from the Sanskrit jangala, meaning “dry,” “dry ground,” or “desert.” Its first appearance in English is in 1776, with its meaning already shifted toward what might be more recognizable today: “Land overgrown with underwood, long grass, or tangled vegetation; also, the luxuriant and often almost impenetrable growth of vegetation covering such a tract” (Dreft and Smithers 1978, 87). Brought into English as a result of an imperialist presence in India, “jungle” is intimately related to the larger rise of Western imperialism around the world, particularly in the nineteenth century (Billops 1999b). Western powers such as Britain and France went from controlling 35 percent of the earth’s surface in 1800 to, by 1914, “a grand total of roughly 85 percent of the earth as colonies, protectorates, dependencies, dominions, and commonwealths” (Said 1993, ch.2, “Colonial impacts”).

Billops, Camille. 1999a. “Indo-European Loan Words.” Annals of Linguistics 21 (4): pp. 38–44.

Billops, Camille. 1999b. “Indo-European Vowel Shift: Evidence and Interpretation.” Annals of Linguistics 21 (4): p. 45.

Dreft, Edward, and Susan Smithers. 1978. “Words Working.” International Journal of American Linguistics 62 (3): pp. 227–263. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1978.tb25475.x.

Rogers, Jason, Millicent Eng, and Rene Woo. 2010. “English-Based African Creoles.” In Spreading the People: Colonizing Languages in the Raj , edited by Jason Rogers, pp. 310–330. 2nd ed. London: Verso.

“Evolutionary Linguistics.” 2012. Wikipedia. Updated November 4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolutionary_linguistics.

Mfuti, Miriam. 2001. “Pidgin Town.” In The Oxford Handbook of Pidgins and Creoles , edited by Alain Smet, pp. 107–112. New York: Oxford University Press.

Rambow, John. 2007. “Will This Demon Fit in My Carry-On?” Bangalore Monkey blog. December 21. http://www.bangaloremonkey. com/2007/12/will-this-demon-fit-in-my-carry-on.html.

Numbered notes

Using numbered notes is a common method of citing sources, particularly in the humanities. Sequential superscript numbers appear in the text to direct the reader to bibliographic or explanatory information that appears in a note.

This is a flexible style that allows authors to combine bibliographic information with annotation, translation, or other commentary. Scholars who frequently cite unpublished material will find numbered notes more useful than author-date citations.

Endnotes or footnotes?

In print publishing, notes can be placed at the bottom of the page as footnotes or at the end of a chapter or book in a separate section as endnotes.

Footnotes are preferred in cases where the information in the note is important enough that readers need it to fully engage with the material. Please note that in a digital context, footnotes in the traditional sense are not possible. Depending on the format, footnotes can appear at the end of a section or chapter, or they may be viewed by clicking or hovering over the superscript numbers in the text to display individual footnotes.

Endnotes are a better choice in print if the material in the notes does not need immediate engagement by the reader. For digital publications where individual chapters may be made available to readers, the notes should appear with the chapter, rather than separately at the end of the work. This varies according to discipline, so please consult your OUP editorial contact if you are unsure.

The formatting of bibliographic information is identical for footnotes and endnotes.

Please use the following guidance:

• Numbered notes appear sequentially in the text as superscripts, ideally at the end of a sentence, following the closing punctuation.
• Use Arabic numerals.
• Numbers should restart at 1 at the beginning of each chapter and run consecutively to the end of each chapter. Do not start renumbering within a chapter (e.g. per page or per double-page spread) or use asterisks, as this will cause confusion in a digital environment.
• Do not number the notes continuously throughout a book, because a later change would necessitate extensive renumbering.

Note structure and format

Required bibliographic elements are given below for the most common types of reference citations, along with optional elements that if used, must be consistent.

• Page numbers are useful locators when referencing in print publications.
• Give page ranges using the fewest number of figures as possible (e.g. pp. 126–27, not pp. 126–127).
• When referencing a digital publication, you may not have access to a print page number. Cite a specific locator (e.g. chapter titles and sub-headings). Do not use location numbers from a proprietary e-reader (e.g. Kindle location numbers).
• Edition numbers are not required when citing a first edition but are necessary for subsequent editions.

Numbered notes in British style

Firstname Lastname, Title of Work (Year of Publication).

Firstname Lastname, Title of Work , 2nd ed. (City of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication), page number(s) [or alternative locator info].

• Michael Murray, Climate Change at the Poles (New York: Scribner, 2007), p. 9.
• Darian Ibrahim and Carol Marche, Financing the Next Silicon Valley , 3rd ed. (San Francisco: Upbeat Press, 2010).

Edited book

Firstname Lastname, ed., Title of Work (Year of Publication).

Firstname Lastname, eds., Title of Work , 2nd ed. (City of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication), page number(s) [or alternative locator info].

• Anton Smirov, ed., Eastern Europe After the Iron Curtain (London: Chatto and Windus, 2012).

Firstname Lastname, ‘Title of Chapter in an Edited Volume’, in Title of Edited Volume , edited by Firstname Lastname (Year of Publication).

Firstname Lastname, ‘Title of Chapter in an Edited Volume’, in Title of Edited Volume , edited by Firstname Lastname (City of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication), page number(s) [or alternative locator info].

Hanna Growiszc, ‘Far Right Ideologies in Czech Literature’, in Eastern Europe After the Iron Curtain , edited by Anton Smirov (London: Chatto and Windus, 2012), ch. 7.

Authored book with an editor or translator

Firstname Lastname, Title of Work , ed./trans. Firstname Lastname, (Year of Publication).

Firstname Lastname, Title of Work , ed./trans. Firstname Lastname, 2nd ed. (City of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication), page number(s) [or alternative locator info].

• Günter Grass, The Tin Drum , trans. Breon Mitchell (New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2009).

 Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics , ed. and trans. Terence Irwin (Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing, 1999).

Multi-volume work

References to multi-volume book citations can take a variety of forms, depending on whether an individual volume or the entire work is being cited, and the authorship of the work.  

Citing one volume of a multi-volume work

• Robert Caro, The Path to Power , vol. 1, The Years of Lyndon Johnson (New York: Knopf, 1982), p. 267.

Citing a multi-volume work as a whole

Robert Caro, The Years of Lyndon Johnson , 4 vols (New York: Knopf, 1982–2012).

Allison Wyste, ed. Indian and Tibetan Cooking , vol. 6, Cuisines of Asia, ed. Robert Trautmann (London: Brill Books, 2007).

Multi-volume work with series editor and individual author/editors

Whenever possible, include a DOI (preferred) or a stable URL for citations to journal articles. However, a URL or DOI is not sufficient to stand alone as a reference.

Firstname Lastname, ‘Title of Article’, Name of Journal vol. number, (Year): start page.

Firstname Lastname, ‘Title of Article’, Name of Journal vol. number, issue number (Month or Season Year): start page–end page, doi: DOI [or stable URL].

Barbara Eckstein, ‘The Body, the Word, and the State: J. M. Coetzee’s “Waiting for the Barbarians”’, Novel: A Forum on Fiction 22, no. 2 (Winter 1989): pp. 175–198, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1345802.

David Hyun-Su Kim, ‘The Brahmsian Hairpin’, 19th Century Music 36, no. 1 (Summer 2012): pp. 46–47, doi:10.1525/ncm.2012.36.1.046. 

A DOI or URL can be included for articles that you consulted online. The citations for online-only magazines follow the same pattern as print-based magazines, with the addition of URLs. If an online journal or magazine has a stable home page that allows a user to search for articles by title or author, it is acceptable to include the URL for that page (rather than the longer, more specific URL).

‘Title of Article’, Name of Magazine , Month of Pub, Year.

Firstname Lastname, ‘Title of Article’, Name of Magazine , Month and Day of Pub, Year, doi: DOI [or stable URL].

Mary Rose Himler, ‘Religious Books as Best Sellers’, Publishers Weekly , 19 February 1927.

‘Amazon Best Books 2012 Revealed’, Publishers Weekly , 13 November 2012, http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/54738-amazon-best-books-2012-revealed.html.

Fritz Allhoff, ‘The Paradox of Nonlethal Weapons’, Slate , 13 November 2012, http://www.slate.com.

Law citation styles vary widely depending on jurisdiction. The following examples are for citing law cases in a non-specialist academic context. If you are writing specialist legal content, see ‘Citing of Legal Materials’ for detailed citation information.

Case Number Name of Case [Year] Report VolNo-FirstPageNo

Case C-34/89 P Smith v EC Commission [1993] ECR I-454

Name of Case [Year] VolNo Report, PageNo

Ridge v Baldwin [1964] AC 40, 78

Name of Case , VolNo Reporter SeriesNo (Year)

Name of Case , VolNo Reporter SeriesNo (Name of Court Year)

Bowers v Hardwick 478 US 186 (1986).

Unpublished or informally published content

The titles of unpublished works are set in quotation marks rather than italics. In place of a publisher, location or institutional information can be given.

Troy Thibodeaux, ‘Modernism in Greenwich Village, 1908–1929’ (PhD dissertation, New York University, 1999), p. 59.

Mary Koo, ‘Prakriti and Purusha: Dualism in the Yoga of Patanjali’ (lecture, Theosophical Society, Chennai, India, 17 May 2008).

To cite a website or other source that does not fall within those covered here, include as much of the following as possible (in this order) in your citation: author; title or description of the content; owner/publisher; date of publication or most recent revision (or, failing that, date accessed); and URL. Some flexibility is acceptable to accommodate the wide variety of content available, especially online.

The names of websites are usually set in roman type but the names of online magazines and books are italicized (like their print counterparts).

• ‘The Board of Directors of the Coca-Cola Company Authorizes New Share Repurchase Program’, Coca- Cola Company, 18 October 2012, http://www.coca-colacompany.com/media-center/press-releases/the-board-of-directors-of-the-coca-cola-company-authorizes-new-share-repurchase-program.
• John Rambow, ‘Will This Demon Fit in My Carry-On?’, Bangalore Monkey blog, 21 December 2007, http://www.bangaloremonkey.com/2007/12/will-this-demon-fit-in-my-carry-on.html.
• Wikimedia privacy policy, Wikimedia Foundation, accessed 26 November 2010, http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/ Privacy policy.

Numbered notes in US style

Firstname Lastname, Title of Work , (Year of Publication).

Firstname Lastname, eds., Title of Work , (Year of Publication).

• Hanna Growiszc, “Far Right Ideologies in Czech Literature,” in Eastern Europe After the Iron Curtain , edited by Anton Smirov (London: Chatto and Windus, 2012), ch. 7.
• Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics , ed. and trans. Terence Irwin (Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing, 1999).

Multi-volume book citations can take a variety of forms, depending on whether an individual volume or the work as a whole is being cited, and on how the multi-volume work was authored or edited.

• Robert Caro, The Years of Lyndon Johnson , 4 vols. (New York: Knopf, 1982–2012).
• Allison Wyste, Indian and Tibetan Cooking , vol. 6, Cuisines of Asia, ed. Robert Trautmann (London: Brill Books, 2007).

Firstname Lastname, “Title of Chapter in an Edited Volume,” in Title of Edited Volume , edited by Firstname Lastname (Year of Publication).

Firstname Lastname, “Title of Chapter in an Edited Volume,” in Title of Edited Volume , edited by Firstname Lastname (City of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication), page number(s) [or alternative locator info].

Firstname Lastname, “Title of Article,” Name of Journal vol. number, (Year): start page.

Firstname Lastname, “Title of Article,” Name of Journal vol. number, issue number (Month or Season Year): start page–end page, doi: DOI [or stable URL].

• Barbara Eckstein, “The Body, the Word, and the State: J. M. Coetzee’s ‘Waiting for the Barbarians,’” Novel: A Forum on Fiction 22, no. 2 (Winter 1989): pp. 175–198, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1345802.
• David Hyun-Su Kim, “The Brahmsian Hairpin,” 19th Century Music 36, no. 1 (Summer 2012): pp. 46–47, doi:10.1525/ncm.2012.36.1.046.

A DOI or URL can be included for articles that you consulted online. Online-only magazines follow the same pattern as print-based magazines, with the addition of URLs. If an online journal or magazine has a stable home page that allows a user to search for articles by title or author, it is acceptable to cite that page rather than a longer, more specific URL.

“Title of Article,” Name of Magazine , Month of Pub, Year.

Firstname Lastname, “Title of Article,” Name of Magazine, Month and Day of Pub, Year, doi: DOI [or stable URL].

• Mary Rose Himler, “Religious Books as Best Sellers,” Publishers Weekly , February 19, 1927.
• “Amazon Best Books 2012 Revealed,” Publishers Weekly , November 13, 2012, http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/54738-amazon-best-books-2012-revealed.html.
• Fritz Allhoff, “The Paradox of Nonlethal Weapons,” Slate , November 13, 2012, http://www.slate.com.

Law - case law

Law citation styles can vary widely depending on jurisdiction. These examples are for citing legal case law in a non-specialist academic context. If you are writing specialist legal content, see ‘Citing of legal materials’ for detailed information on law citation.

Name of Case [Year] VolNo Report PageNo

Ridge v. Baldwin [1964] AC 40, 78

Name of Case , Vol No. Reporter Series No. (Year)

Bowers v Hardwick , 478 U.S. 186 (1986)

Name of Case , Vol No. Reporter Series No. (Name of Court Year)

Bowers v. Hardwick 478 U.S. 186 (1986)

The titles of unpublished works are set in quotation marks rather than italics. Since there is no publisher, location or institutional information can be cited.

• Troy Thibodeaux, “Modernism in Greenwich Village, 1908–1929” (PhD dissertation, New York University, 1999), p. 59.
• Mary Koo, “Prakriti and Purusha: Dualism in the Yoga of Patanjali’ (lecture, Theosophical Society, Chennai, India, May 17, 2008).

If you need to cite a website or other source that does not fall within those covered here, include as much of the following as possible (in this order): author; title or description of the content; owner/publisher; date of publication or most recent revision (or, failing that, date accessed); and URL. Some flexibility is acceptable to accommodate the wide variety of content available, especially online.

• “The Board of Directors of the Coca-Cola Company Authorizes New Share Repurchase Program,” Coca-Cola Company, October 18, 2012, http://www.coca-colacompany.com/media-center/press-releases/the-board-of-directors-of-the-coca-cola-company-authorizes-new-share-repurchase-program.
• John Rambow, “Will This Demon Fit in My Carry-On?,” Bangalore Monkey blog, December 21, 2007, http://www.bangaloremonkey. com/2007/12/will-this-demon-fit-in-my-carry-on.html.
• Wikimedia privacy policy, Wikimedia Foundation, accessed November 26, 2010, http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/ Privacy_policy.

Short citations

When a work is cited for the first time in a chapter, full bibliographic information should be given (for an alternative, see ‘Numbered notes in combination with a bibliography’). Subsequent citations should be shortened as in the following examples.

Legal short citations

Give the first mention of legal cases in full. Subsequent mentions within the same article or chapter can be shortened to the case name alone, given in italics (even if italics are not used in the original citation)

• Case C–34/89 P Smith v EC Commission [1993] ECR I–454
• P Smith v EC Commission.

Example: short citations in US style

• See, for example, Alan Hess, Googie: Fifties Coffee Shop Architecture (San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1985) and Noah Sheldon, Ranch House (New York: Harry S. Abrams, 2004).
• Sheldon, Ranch House , p. 207.
• Ashraf Salama, “Evolutionary Paradigms in Mosque Architecture,” Faith & Form 40, no. 1 (2007): pp. 16–17.
• Salama, “Evolutionary Paradigms.”
• Hess, Googie , p. 21.
• Wikimedia privacy policy, para. 16.

Numbered notes in combination with a bibliography

It is possible to combine notes and bibliography so that all the notes, including the first reference, are short citations that lead the reader to a full citation in the bibliography. This system results in shorter notes and less work for the reader, since complete information is easily available in the alphabetical bibliography and need not be hunted for through all the chapter notes. This requires that all cited sources appear in a bibliography, which can also contain works that are not cited but are germane to the topic.

Structure of a bibliography entry

Bibliographies are structured similarly to notes, but there are some important differences. The first author name (and only the first) is inverted for alphabetization. Punctuation format also varies slightly between notes and bibliographic entries.

Do not use long dashes (e.g. “—") to substitute for an author’s name if it is repeated in the bibliography. Repeat the name in full because in a digital version, the shortened entry may not follow the complete one immediately.

Bibliography entries in British Style

Lastname, Firstname, Title of Work , (Year of Publication).

Lastname, Firstname, and Firstname Lastname. Title of Work , 2nd ed. (City of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication).

Lastname, Firstname. ‘Title of Chapter in an Edited Book’. In Title of Edited Volume , edited by Firstname Lastname (Year of Publication).

Lastname, Firstname, and Firstname Lastname. ‘Title of Chapter in an Edited Book’. In Title of Edited Volume , edited by Firstname Lastname (City of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication), page number(s) [or alternative locator info].

Lastname, Firstname,‘Title of Article’. Name of Journal vol. number, no. X (Year): start page.

Lastname, Firstname, and Firstname Lastname. ‘Title of Article’. Name of Journal vol. number, no. X (Month or Season Year): start page–end page. doi: DOI [or stable URL].

‘Title of Article’. Name of Magazine , Month Year of Pub.

Lastname, Firstname, and Firstname Lastname. ‘Title of Article’. Name of Magazine , Day Month Year of Pub, doi: DOI [or stable URL].

If you need to cite a website or other source that does not fall within those covered here, include as much of the following as possible (in this order): author; title or description of the content; owner/publisher; date of publication, most recent revision (or, failing that, date accessed); and URL. Some flexibility is acceptable to accommodate the wide variety of content available, especially online.

Sample bibliography

Growiszc, Hanna. ‘Far Right Ideologies in Czech Literature’. In Eastern Europe After the Iron Curtain , edited by Anton Smirov (London: Chatto and Windus, 2012), ch. 7.

Himler, Mary Rose. ‘Religious Books as Best Sellers’. Publishers Weekly , 19 February 1927.

Khan, Imran, and Richard Collins. ‘True Belief: Hindu Metanarratives in Bollywood’. Journal of Cinema Studies 7, no. 4 (2009): pp. 104–115. doi:10.1086/jcs113.3.752.

Murray, Michael. ‘The Antarctic Summer Lengthens’. Journal of Climate Studies 20, no. 9 (2011): p. 203.

Murray, Michael. Climate Change at the Poles (New York: Scribner, 2007).

Rambow, John. ‘Will This Demon Fit in My Carry-On?’ Bangalore Monkey blog. 21 December 2007. http://www.bangaloremonkey.com/2007/12/will-this-demon-fit-in-my-carry-on.html.

Bibliography entries in US style

Lastname, Firstname, “Title of Chapter in an Edited Book.” In Title of Edited Volume , edited by Firstname Lastname (Year of Publication).

Lastname, Firstname, and Firstname Lastname. “Title of Chapter in an Edited Book.” In Title of Edited Volume , edited by Firstname Lastname (City of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication), page number(s) [or alternative locator info].

Lastname, Firstname,“Title of Article.” Name of Journal vol. number, no. X (Year): start page.

Lastname, Firstname, and Firstname Lastname. “Title of Article.” Name of Journal vol. number, no. X (Month or Season Year): start page–end page. doi: DOI [or stable URL].

“Title of Article.” Name of Magazine , Month of Pub, Year.

Lastname, Firstname, and Firstname Lastname. “Title of Article.” Name of Magazine , Month and Day of Pub, Year, doi: DOI [or stable URL].

Growiszc, Hanna. “Far Right Ideologies in Czech Literature.” In Eastern Europe After the Iron Curtain, edited by Anton Smirov (London: Chatto and Windus, 2012), ch. 7.

Himler, Mary Rose. “Religious Books as Best Sellers.” Publishers Weekly, February 19, 1927.

Khan, Imran, and Richard Collins. “True Belief: Hindu Metanarratives in Bollywood.” Journal of Cinema Studies 7, no. 4 (2009): pp. 104–115. doi:10.1086/jcs113.3.752.

Murray, Michael. “The Antarctic Summer Lengthens.” Journal of Climate Studies 20, no. 9 (2011): p. 203.

Rambow, John. “Will This Demon Fit in My Carry-On?” Bangalore Monkey blog. December 21, 2007. http://www.bangaloremonkey.com/2007/12/will-this-demon-fit-in-my-carry-on.html.

Numbered reference citations (Vancouver)

Numbered reference citations (also known as author–number or Vancouver references) are used in scientific and medical texts. In this system, each reference used is assigned a number. When that reference is cited in the text, its number appears, either in parentheses or brackets or as a superscript. All cited references appear in a numbered reference list at the end of the chapter or book.

An advantage of numbered references over the author–date style is that less space in the main text is required for in-text citations. The system also avoids ambiguity in the case of two works by the same author published the same year, an occasional issue in author–date citations. A disadvantage is that late addition or removal of references usually requires renumbering of both the reference list and the citations. Numbered reference citations cannot be used to provide commentary or other explanatory material to the text.

References are cited within the text by using a number in a superscript, in parentheses, or in square brackets. Although each of these variants is acceptable, only one can be used in a single text. The examples in this guide will enclose citation numbers in parentheses. Note that although citations are numbered in the order of their first appearance in the text, non-consecutive note numbers are possible, to allow references to be cited more than once. Citations can take the form of a range: for example (4–7) would cite references 4, 5, 6, and 7 simultaneously. If it is necessary to cite specific page numbers that are not present in the reference list, page numbers can be inserted into the citation: for example (4p6, 5pp1–11).

Please note the following:

• Author first names are usually given as initials only, with no full stops (e.g. “AN” not “A.N.”) between initials. In the case of multiple authors, you can list up to six full names; for more than six authors, list the first three plus ‘et al’. All author names are inverted (i.e. last name, first name).
• Names of journals can be abbreviated, as in the examples in this section, but must follow the standard abbreviations used by PubMed. Journal article titles are given without quotation marks and in sentence-style capitalization.
• Do not use long dashes (e.g. “—") to substitute for the name of an author whose name is repeated in the bibliography. Repeat the name in full because linking in a digital publication may not immediately follow the entry with the full name.
• Citations are numbered in the order in which they first appear in the text.

Required bibliographic elements are given below for the most common types of reference citations, along with optional elements (if used, be consistent). Other elements below are required if applicable (for example, you need a page number or other locator if you are quoting a precise part of a large work, but you can skip it if the reference is to the work as a whole).

Numbered reference citations in British style

Lastname FI, Title of Work , Year of Publication.

Lastname FI, Lastname FI, Lastname FI. Title of Work , 2nd ed. City of Publication: Publisher; Year of Publication: startpage–endpage [or alternative locator info].

Unauthored book (books published by committee, agency, or group)

Title of Work . Year of Publication.

Title of Work . 16th ed. City of Publication: Publisher; Year of Publication: startpage–endpage [or alternative locator info].

Lastname FI. Title of chapter in sentence case. In: Lastname FI, eds. Title of Work. Year of Publication.

Lastname FI, Lastname FI, Lastname FI. Title of chapter in sentence case. In: Lastname FI, Lastname FI, Lastname FI, eds. Title of Work . 2nd ed. City of Publication: Publisher; Year of Publication: startpage–endpage [or alternative locator info].

Lastname FI, Title of article in sentence case. Abbreviated Journal Title . Year of Publication; Volume No.

Lastname FI, Lastname FI, Lastname FI, et al. Title of article in sentence case. Abbreviated Journal Title . Year of Publication; Volume No. (Issue No.) (Supplement No.): startpage–endpage [or alternative locator info]. doi: DOI [or stable URL].

Magazine or newspaper article

Lastname FI. Title of article in sentence case. Magazine or Newspaper Title . Month and Year of Publication.

Lastname FI. Title of article in sentence case. Magazine or Newspaper Title . Day Month and Year of Publication: startpage–endpage. doi: DOI [or stable URL].

If the article has no stated author:

Title of article in sentence case. Magazine or Newspaper Title . Month and Year of Publication.

Title of article in sentence case. Magazine or Newspaper Title . Day Month and Year of Publication: startpage–endpage. doi: DOI [or stable URL].

Include of the following (in this order) in your bibliographic entry: author; title or description of the content; owner/publisher; date of publication or most recent revision (or, failing that, date accessed); and URL. Some flexibility is acceptable to accommodate the wide variety of content available online and in non-traditional formats. Follow the capitalization and italicization patterns of the examples here as much as possible.

If the nature of the material you are citing is not clear from the bibliographic information, you can provide a descriptor in brackets after the first element of the reference.

Example: Numbered reference citations and reference list—British style

Colorectal cancer (cRc) is one of the most common malignancies and the second leading cause of death from cancer in Europe and North America (1). While early stage cRc is associated with an excellent 5-year survival rate (90% for localized disease), approximately 20% of patients present with metastatic disease, and many patients diagnosed with stage ii or iii cancer will experience a recurrence and develop distant metastases (2). At present, established clinico-pathological criteria are used to estimate risks of recurrence in stage ii and iii disease, and this is routinely used in the selection of patients or adjuvant systemic therapy following surgical resection. The clinical outcome of patients who receive such adjuvant treatment can, however, vary widely, when additional molecular factors are taken into consideration. Identification of novel prognostic markers is, therefore, vital in improving the prognosis of this disease (3). One of the recently described substances important for angiogenesis is endoglin. Endoglin, also known as cD105, is a receptor for transforming growth factor-ß1 molecule, which binds preferentially to the activated endothelial cells that participate in tumour angiogenesis, with weak or negative expression in vascular endothelium of normal tissues. Endoglin is induced by hypoxia. Therefore, it is very useful for assessment of neo-angiogenesis of malignant neoplasms (4–6). Many reports indicate that endoglin assessed immunohistochemically in colorectal cancer correlates not only with tumour microvessel density, but also with survival. It has also been reported as a valuable parameter predicting patients having an increased risk of developing metastatic disease. Endoglin is expressed not only on cell surfaces since its soluble form (sol-end) can be detected also in blood (4–7). A few studies evaluated the clinical significance of elevated sol-end levels in colorectal cancer patients (7).

1. Ferlay J, Autier P, Boniol M, Heanue M, Colombet M, Boyle P. Estimates of the cancer incidence and mortality in Europe in 2006. Ann Oncol . 2007; 18: pp. 581–592.

2. Meyerhardt JA, Mayer RJ. Systemic therapy for colorectal cancer. In: Boniol M, Smith J, eds. Oncological Research Reviews . 16th ed. New York, NY: Dekker; 2005; pp. 476–487.

3. Allegra CJ, Paik S, Colangelo LH, et al. Prognostic value of thymidylate synthase, Ki-67, and p53 in patients with Dukes’ B and C colon cancer: a National Cancer Institute-National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project collaborative study. J Clin Oncol. 2003; 21: pp. 241–250.

4. Drug Topics Red Book . Montvale, NJ: Thomson Healthcare, 2009: p. 232.

5. FDA approves new treatment for advanced colorectal cancer. 2012. US Food and Drug Administration website. 27 September. http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm321271.htm.

6. Stivarga [package insert]. Wayne, NJ: Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals, 2012.

7. Mysliwiec P, Pawlak K, Kuklinski A, Kedra B. Combined perioperative plasma endoglin and vegF-a assessment in colorectal cancer patients. Folia Histochem Cytobiol . 2008; 46(2)(suppl. 1): pp. 487–49.

Numbered reference citations and reference list in US style

Lastname FI, Lastname FI, Lastname FI. Title of Work , 2nd ed. City of Publication: Publisher; Year of Publication.

Title of Work. Year of Publication.

Title of Work. 16th ed. City of Publication: Publisher; Year of Publication: startpage–endpage [or alternative locator info].

Lastname FI, Title of chapter in sentence case. In: Lastname FI, ed. Title of Work. Year of Publication.

Lastname FI, Lastname FI, Lastname FI. Title of chapter in sentence case. In: Lastname FI, Lastname FI, Lastname FI, eds. Title of Work. 2nd ed. City of Publication: Publisher; Year of Publication: startpage–endpage [or alternative locator info].

Lastname FI, Title of article in sentence case. Abbreviated Journal Title. Year of Publication; Volume No. (Issue No.)

Lastname FI, Lastname FI, Lastname FI, et al. Title of article in sentence case. Abbreviated Journal Title. Year of Publication; Volume No. (Issue No.)(SupplementNo): startpage–endpage [or alternative locator info]. doi: DOI [or stable URL].

Lastname FI. Title of article in sentence case. Magazine or Newspaper Title. Month, Day, and Year of Publication.

Lastname FI. Title of article in sentence case. Magazine or Newspaper Title. Month, Day, and Year of Publication: startpage–endpage. doi: DOI [or stable URL].

Title of article in sentence case. Magazine or Newspaper Title. Month, Day, and Year of Publication.

Title of article in sentence case. Magazine or Newspaper Title. Month, Day, and Year of Publication: startpage–endpage. doi: DOI [or stable URL].

Include as much of the following as possible in your bibliographic entry (in this order): author; title or description of the content; owner/publisher; date of publication or most recent revision, or, failing that, date accessed; and URL if available. Some flexibility is acceptable to accommodate the wide variety of content available online and in non-traditional formats. Follow the capitalization and italicization patterns of these examples.

Example: Numbered reference citations and reference list—US style

Colorectal cancer (cRc) is one of the most common malignancies and the second leading cause of death from cancer in Europe and North America (1). While early stage cRc is associated with an excellent 5-year survival rate (90% for localized disease), approximately 20% of patients present with metastatic disease, and many patients diagnosed with stage ii or iii cancer will experience a recurrence and develop distant metastases (2). At present, established clinico-pathological criteria are used to estimate risks of recurrence in stage ii and iii disease, and this is routinely used in the selection of patients or adjuvant systemic therapy following surgical resection. The clinical outcome of patients who receive such adjuvant treatment can, however, vary widely, when additional molecular factors are taken into consideration. Identification of novel prognostic markers is, therefore, vital in improving the prognosis of this disease (3). One of the recently described substances important for angiogenesis is endoglin. Endoglin, also known as cD105, is a receptor for transforming growth factor-ß1 molecule, which binds preferentially to the activated endothelial cells that participate in tumor angiogenesis, with weak or negative expression in vascular endothelium of normal tissues. Endoglin is induced by hypoxia. Therefore it is very useful for assessment of neo-angiogenesis of malignant neoplasms (4–6). Many reports indicate that endoglin assessed immunohistochemically in colorectal cancer correlates not only with tumor microvessel density, but also with survival. It has also been reported as a valuable parameter predicting patients having an increased risk of developing metastatic disease. Endoglin is expressed not only on cell surfaces, since its soluble form (sol-end) can be detected also in blood (4–7). A few studies evaluated the clinical significance of elevated sol-end levels in colorectal cancer patients (7).

1. Ferlay J, Autier P, Boniol M, Heanue M, Colombet M, Boyle P. Estimates of the cancer incidence and mortality in Europe in 2006. Ann Oncol. 2007; 18: pp. 581–592.

2. Meyerhardt JA, Mayer RJ. Systemic therapy for colorectal cancer. In: Boniol M, Smith J, eds. Oncological Research Reviews. 16th ed. New York, NY: Dekker; 2005; pp. 476–487.

3. Allegra CJ, Paik S, Colangelo LH, et al. Prognostic value of thymidylate synthase, Ki-67, and p. 53 in patients with Dukes’ B and C colon cancer: a National Cancer Institute-National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project collaborative study. J Clin Oncol. 2003; 21: pp. 241–250.

4. Drug Topics Red Book. Montvale, NJ: Thomson Healthcare, 2009: p. 232.

5. FDA approves new treatment for advanced colorectal cancer. US Food and Drug Administration website. September 27, 2012. http://www.fda. gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm321271.htm.

7. Mysliwiec P, Pawlak K, Kuklinski A, Kedra B. Combined perioperative plasma endoglin and vegF-a assessment in colorectal cancer patients. Folia Histochem Cytobiol. 2008; 46(2)(suppl. 1): pp. 487–492.

For legal works, we recommend that you follow The Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities (OSCOLA). The fourth edition (published in 2012) covers International Law. The full set of guidance can be found at https://www.law.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/migrated/oscola_4th_edn_hart_2012.pdf

Information on how to apply OSCOLA style in EndNote, Latex, Refworks and Zotero can be found at https://www.law.ox.ac.uk/research-subject-groups/publications/oscola-styles-endnote-latek-refworks-and-zotero

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Oxford - references in text

The Oxford style is a referencing system in which a text's citations are written in footnotes. Here are explanations and examples of using footnotes and structuring references according to the Oxford style.

The examples on this page are based on Umeå University Library's version of the Oxford style.

References with footnotes

When you mention other people's texts or theories in an academic text, you need to make a clear reference to the sources you used. According to the Oxford style, references in the body of the text work like this:

• Put a note (a raised number) immediately after the sentence or paragraph in which you refer to a source. Use the footnote function in Word or another word processing program. In some cases, you can also place the note elsewhere in the sentence.
• At the bottom of the same page, the corresponding number appears in a footnote. This is where you write the information about the source you have used.
• The first citation gets the number 1, and the next gets the number 2, and so on. Each citation receives a new number, regardless of whether you have already cited the same source.

At the end of your document, you collect all the sources you have used in an alphabetical reference list.

Full information the first time

The information about the source is written in a specific way in the footnote. The first time you refer to a source, you must include full information about the source's author, title and publication. You must also include the page number(s).

According to the Oxford style, the citations in the footnotes look almost the same as in the reference list. However, there are two differences:

• The author's first name initial(s) is placed before the surname, but in the reference list, the surname should come first.
• The page number(s) where you found the information should be included.

Examples of different types of sources

Author’s first name initial(s) and surname. Title . Edition (if not 1st). (Publisher, year of publication), page number(s).

S. Rushdie.  The ground beneath her feet . (Henry Holt, 1999), p. 168.

Book chapter

Author’s first name initial(s) and surname. Title of the book chapter. In Editor(s) first name initial(s) and surname. (eds.). Title of book . Edition (if not 1:st). (Publisher, year of publication), page number(s).

A. Malmberg. Beyond the cluster: local milieus and global connections. In J. Peck & H. Wai-chung Yeung. (eds.). Remaking the Global Economy . (Sage Publications, 2003), p. 145.

More information

Do not include the chapter page numbers in the reference; instead, enter this information in the reference list.

Author’s first name initial(s) and surname. Title of article. Journal name . Volume: Issue (Year of publication): Page number(s). Complete permanent link or URL (Access date).

L. Lundmark. Economic Restructuring into Tourism in the Swedish Mountain Range.  Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism . 5: 1 (2005): p. 24. https://doi.org/10.1080/15022250510014273

Do not include the article's page numbers in the reference; instead, enter this information in the reference list.

More examples of different types of sources

All different types of sources must be cited in specific ways. On the page "Oxford - writing reference list", you can see more examples of how to write the full information for different sources. Just remember to place the first name initial(s) first in the footnotes.

Oxford – writing reference list

Shortened footnote the second time

You only need to make a full citation the first time you use a source. If you refer to the same source again, you can instead make a shortened footnote and only include

• the author's surname
• the title of the source
• page number(s).

Rushdie, The ground beneath her feet , p. 169.

Only the main title needs to be included for a shortened footnote.

Oxford - writing reference list

See examples of how to write references for different types of sources in an Oxford-style reference list.

Writing references

Are you up to speed on references? Find tips on guides and features that simplify your reference management.

Avoiding plagiarism

Make sure that it is clear which words and ideas are your own.

Software for writing references

A reference management program helps you to manage your references throughout the whole research process.

Questions about writing references?

Do you have questions about how to write a reference list or cite sources? Visit our drop-in sessions or schedule a tutoring appointment if you need help from a librarian. You can also submit short questions via chat and the contact form or ask the staff at the information desk.

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Visit our drop-in sessions and ask your questions about references and citations.

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Schedule a tutoring appointment with a librarian if you need more help with referencing.

Contact the library

Submit short questions about referencing via chat or the contact form.

UniSQ Oxford Referencing Guide

• About UniSQ Oxford
• Bibliography
• Short references, ibid, opcit
• How to use quotes
• Abbreviations
• Sample bibliography
• Inclusive language
• Translated book
• Edited book, chapter in edited book
• Online books
• Journal articles, newspapers
• Websites, webpages
• Audiovisual
• Images, Artwork
• Royal Commissions, legislation
• Personal communications
• Archival manuscript
• UniSQ teaching materials

Basic principles of Oxford style

Basic principles.

Oxford referencing style consists of:

• A superscript (raised) number in the body of the text that refers to a footnote at the bottom of the page.
• Footnotes provide the bibliographic details of a source and are numbered consecutively throughout a paper or chapter.  
• A bibliography which consists of bibliographic citations and lists all of the sources referenced in footnotes. The list is ordered alphabetically.

When to cite

Sources need to be cited in a footnote wherever ideas, words, statistics or images from those sources are discussed, summarised, paraphrased or quoted. Repeat mentions of a source can be cited using ibid or op. cit. See the section on Footnotes for examples.

Differences between footnotes and bibliographic citations

Referencing sources within an assignment requires both footnotes (at the base of each page) and a bibliography (at the end of the assignment).The order of elements and punctuation differs between the two.  

Use the full author name, first and last, in footnotes. Use the full author name, last and first, in the bibliography.

The author's name should be cited as it appears on the resource or the copyright page (inside page of books). Where only author initials are provided use those instead.

Multiple works by the same author(s)

If you use more than one reference by the same author (or the same group of authors listed in the same order) published in the same year, list them in the bibliography first by the author’s surname, then alphabetically by the title of the book, article, etc.

For works by the same author with a different year, list by the author’s name and then by year of publication with the earliest year first. Only write the author’s name on the first entry; for subsequent items use an em-dash to indicate that it is the same author as the book above.

For example, two works by Richard Broome in a bibliography would look like this:

Broome, Richard, Aboriginal Victorians: A History Since 1800.  Crows Nest: NSW,  Allen & Unwin, 2005. — Aboriginal Australians: A History Since 1788.  4th edn., Crows Nest, NSW: Allen & Unwin, 2010.

To create an em-dash in Microsoft Word hold down <Ctrl> <Alt> <minus key on numeric pad> or for Mac users <Shift> <Option> <minus key>.

Corporate author

An author can be also be an organisation. In those cases, use the name of the organisation or government department as author. List alphabetically in the bibliography using the first word including occasions when the first word is 'The'.

Use Anonymous  where the author is unknown.

Footnotes and bibliographic citations italicise the titles of books, journals, works of art, websites and films/documentaries. All other details are non-italicised. 

All words in the title have capital letters (title case) with the exception of articles such as 'a', 'the', 'and'.

Place of publication

Cite the first city listed in the publication details. If not a capital city, add the state details using an acronym (abbreviated version). For example, Crows Nest, NSW.

No place of publication

Place of publication can be found in the copyright page of most books and ebooks. On the rare occasion the resource has no place noted use use n.p. (for no place of publication). 

For all book publications there is a difference between publishing houses (which are referenced) and what can be called umbrella or parent publishing companies. 

The publisher’s name is usually found on the book cover but also in the copyright pages (between the book cover and the preface or table of contents), which also provides the city and year of publication. This includes eBooks.

Please note this information is not always correct in Library catalogue records or citation tools.

Many publishing houses are no longer independent and therefore the publishing company’s name will also be mentioned. Typical examples are:

Dates are formatted depending on what they refer to. For example year of publication (2024) or date of access [Accessed March 14 2024].

If no date can be found use n.d. (for no date).

Footnotes require a page number that corresponds to where the information cited was retrieved from. For example:

Craig Lockard,  Societies, Networks and Transitions, Volume 1: To 1500: A Global History , 4th edn, Boston, MA, Wadsworth/Cengage, 2020, p. 20.

The bibliographic citation entries for journal articles and book chapters require a page range. For example:

Bennison, Amira K. ‘Universalism and Western Globalization’, in A. G. Hopkins (ed.),  Globalization in World History . London: Pimlico, 2002, pp. 74–97.

Footnotes for information from webpages where no PDF is available should use para. (for paragraph) instead of page. For example:

Christine Drewe, 45 Years on: Mervyn Moriarty and the Flying Arts School in Queensland,  State Library Queensland, 2016, para. 5,  <https://www.slq.qld.gov.au/blog/45-years-mervyn-moriarty-and-flying-arts-school-queensland> [Accessed 24 March 2024].

URLs and DOIs

URLs are web addresses, for example,  https://www.unisq.edu.au/library.

The Oxford referencing style does not use URLs for books or journal articles from library databases, library catalogues or online sites where items otherwise available in print are stored.

Where URLs are appropriate include an access date within square brackets, for example, [14 March 2024].

DOIs (digital object identifiers) are not used as part of Oxford referencing style.

Figures and Tables

Images reproduced in your work should be accompanied by a figure number and footnote number, corresponding to a footnote that outlines the source, for example, the book or website the image where the image is located. A full list of figures should be placed at the end of your work including figure number, artist name, artwork title, year, and medium.

Tables reproduced in your work or created by you should be accompanied by a table number and footnote number, corresponding to a footnote that outlines the source or sources of the information in the table.

Generative AI

T he use of artificial intelligence tools is strictly limited to circumstances that have been approved by your course coordinator. Unapproved use of AI tools in your assessment can result in a penalty for serious academic misconduct.  Please check with your course coordinator for course specific guidelines regarding generative AI.

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Oxford Referencing

How to Cite in Oxford Referencing Style - Complete Guide

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We all know that citing our sources is important, but it's not always clear how to do it properly. 

After all, there's so many types of citation styles !

Not citing your sources can lead to all sorts of problems, from getting marked down in essays and research papers to getting accused of plagiarism. This could even make your work illegal in some cases!

Fret not, our blog on oxford referencing style guide will take you through the basics of how to cite for books, articles, and more. Plus, we've got templates and examples so you can get started quickly and easily.

What’re you waiting for? Jump to the type of source you want to create an oxford style citation for. 

Paper Due? Why Suffer? That's our Job!

• 1. What Is Oxford Referencing?
• 2. How to do Oxford Referencing Style?
• 3. Oxford Citation Style Rules and Guidelines
• 4. Oxford In-Text Referencing
• 5. Oxford Referencing Website
• 6. Oxford Style Referencing Bibliography 
• 7. Oxford Referencing Book
• 8. Oxford Style Footnotes
• 9. Oxford Referencing Example

What Is Oxford Referencing?

The Oxford referencing style, initially designed for law students, includes specific rules that shape how you format your paper. It's sometimes called the documentary-note style. 

It's composed of two parts: footnotes at the bottom of the page and a reference list at the end of the paper.

While it shares similarities with the Chicago style due to the use of footnotes, it has its unique style and format for various source types.

In the sections below, we'll delve into the key aspects of Oxford referencing.

How to do Oxford Referencing Style?

Oxford referencing style provides a structured and organized way to give proper credit to the sources you use in your research and academic papers. 

If you're new to Oxford referencing, don't worry. We'll walk you through the key components and steps to follow:

• Understanding the Two Parts 

Oxford referencing comprises two main components: footnotes and a reference list.

• Footnotes: In the text of your paper, use superscript numbers (like this^1) to indicate when you've used information from a source. These superscript numbers correspond to footnotes placed at the bottom of the same page or at the end of each chapter. In the footnote, you provide full details of the source, including the author's name, title, publication details, and page numbers.
• Reference List: At the end of your document or paper, compile a list of all the sources you've cited. This list should follow a specific format and include all the necessary details for each source.
• Citing Books

When citing a book using Oxford referencing, note the following format:

• Author's First Name 
• Title (Publication Place: Publisher, Year)
• page number.
• Citing Journal Articles

When citing a journal article, use the following format:

• Author's First Name
• Last Name, 
• "Title of the Article," 
• Journal Name volume,
• no. (Year): page number.
• Citing Websites

Citing websites is slightly different. You need to include the author (if available), the title of the web page, the full URL, and the access date. The format is:

• "Title of the Web Page," 
• Website Name, 
• publication date or access date,
• Consistency is Key

Maintain consistency throughout your paper. Make sure your footnotes and reference list entries follow the same format and style.

• Use Citation Software

To simplify the process, consider using citation management software such as EndNote or Zotero . These tools can help you automatically format your citations in the Oxford style.

Oxford Citation Style Rules and Guidelines

The Oxford citation style, developed by the University of Oxford, is precise and structured. Here are the essential rules:

• Use superscript numbers in the text for footnotes, indicating sources.
• Footnotes contain full details, including author, title, publication info, and page numbers.
• Compile a reference list at the document's end, following a specific format.
• For website citations, include author, web page title, website name, publication date or access date, and URL.
• Maintain a uniform citation style throughout your work.
• Verify all details for accuracy, including authors' names and publication years.
• Utilize oxford referencing generators like EndNote or Zotero for automated, error-free citations.

Oxford In-Text Referencing

Instead of in-text citations, footnotes are used in an Oxford-style paper. While typing, a superscript number is added with the word or phrase you are picking from any other source. This number is added in a footnote at the bottom of the page the phrase is mentioned on. 

The sentence "In recent years, there has been a growing concern about the impact of climate change on global agriculture^3" showcases the Oxford in-text citation style, where the superscript number "3" is appropriately positioned after the statement. This in-text citation is typically followed by a corresponding entry in the footnote or endnote section of the paper, providing more detailed source information.

Oxford Referencing Website

The Oxford referencing style is not limited to books and articles; it also extends to citing online sources, including websites. 

Here's how to correctly cite websites in the Oxford referencing style:

• Author's Name: If available, provide the author's first name and last name.
• Title of the Web Page: Enclose the title in single quotation marks or apostrophes.
• Website Name: Mention the name of the website where the web page is located.
• Publication Date or Access Date: If there's a publication date on the web page, include it. If not, use the date you accessed the website.
• URL: Include the full web address (URL) of the page.

Check out the footnote oxford referencing style example website pattern:

After adding the footnote, you will need to add its bibliographic reference in the bibliography list. However, the pattern is different from the footnote.

In Case of Two to Three Writers

These works usually include research works and research articles. When citing works from two or three writers, the last name is separated with an ampersand. In case of adding a footnote, follow the below pattern:

In Case of More than Three Authors

In the case of multiple writers, add the last name of the first writer and add ‘et al’ after it. In such a case, format the footnote in the following style:

Organizations or Group Authors

Besides independent and individual writers, various organizations and government agencies also publish their various publications. The elements added in the footnotes and bibliography are the same. The difference is that the footnote includes the page number of the book or the journal and the superscripted number.

For example:

For the bibliography:

When there is No Writer

The footnote starts with the title of the work and moves forward with the publisher. It also includes the date on which the source is accessed and whether it is printed or online.

When making the footnote, follow the below style:

When making the bibliography entry of such an in-text, mention the writer as ‘Anon’ or ‘Anonymous’.

Source without the Date of Publication

Is no date available with the source? Citing sources without publication dates becomes troublesome, but there is a way of doing it.

If the source is without a publication date, then use the copyright date. If no date is available, then add n.d. instead of it.

When preparing the footnote of such a source, follow the below method:

To prepare the bibliography of the source, use the following format:

Citing the Secondary Sources

Secondary sources are those sources that the student has not read himself but are rather cited by another author. It is like the student is referring to someone who has been referred by another author.

To make the footnote of this kind of source, please follow the below format:

When making the footnote, mention both the writers. Mention the writer of the secondary source first, followed by the primary author, whose work has been cited.

When creating the full bibliographic entry of the footnote, mention the secondary work that you have read-only, for example:

Citing Multiple Works by the Same Author

It is not uncommon for students to find multiple works by the same author while working on a research paper. However, this does not mean that these sources cannot be cited.

When trying to cite these types of sources, simply add ‘ibid’, ‘op. Cit.,’ or ‘loc. cit.,’ followed by the author's name in the footnotes when citing multiple works by one writer. This shows that the source being cited is from the same author as the previously cited source.

However, if you are citing multiple works by the same author that were published in different years, then you will need to include the year of publication for each work being cited. For example:

Oxford Style Referencing Bibliography 

In Oxford referencing, the bibliography is a list of all sources consulted, whether directly cited or not. It covers books, articles, reports, and more. 

A reference list, on the other hand, includes only the sources explicitly cited in your work. 

Entries are alphabetically arranged by the author's last name, followed by initials, and indented for clarity.

Usually, a bibliography is not divided into subsections. But sometimes, teachers may ask you to do it and divide it into primary and secondary sources.

Like the APA and MLA style, all the bibliography entries are arranged alphabetically. 

Oxford Referencing Book

Besides online sources, students and teachers prefer using print books as they are considered more credible than online sources. When adding or citing a print book, remember the below points:

• All the editions numbers will be added in the footnotes and bibliography, except the first edition
• If possible and relevant to the work, you will need to add the names of the editors and translators also

When making the oxford referencing footnotes for a print book:

When creating the bibliography, follow the following format or pattern:

For eBooks 

These eBooks are used by students of all academic levels when they are working on their research papers. 

While on making the footnotes and bibliography of the eBooks, take care of the following things:

• Add the information like the source of the book, online eBook in this case, after the title of the book
• Rather than adding lengthy URLs, add the URL of the homepage
• Avoid adding the URL of the source if it is accessed through an online electronic database
• Add the name of the online database along with the medium
• In case the book does not have the page numbers, add other reference material like the paragraph or the title.

When preparing footnotes for ebooks, follow this format:

When making the bibliography for an ebook, make it like this:

Citing a Chapter in an Edited Book:

Citing a chapter in an edited book is different from citing a chapter in the first edition book. When making the citation, the number of the edition is also added after the main title of the book and its author. This is followed by the date of publication.

When making the footnote of such a source, follow the following format:

When making the bibliography of the footnote, make sure that you have added all the details as per the following pattern:

A rticle in a Print Journal 

Citing print journals is different from citing the ones that are available online.  Follow a pattern like the one below when you’re adding a footnote using oxford referencing - journal article:

The page range is added in the citation so that the reader knows which pages were used in the research work.

Article Available Online or on an Online Database 

When citing an article that is available online or on an online database, you must consider the following things:

• Mention the journal’s volume and issue number, and the date of publication
• Add the medium of the article in brackets like so (online)
• Citing the main homepage URL instead of any lengthy URLs

When making the footnote for an online article source in oxford referencing system, follow the below pattern:

When creating the bibliography of the online source, follow the below pattern:

Besides online articles from websites, articles from official databases are also used in professional and academic research work. When citing an article available on a database, remember the following things:

• Place the online database in brackets in front of the name of the database
• Including the URL of even a well-known site is necessary

To make the footnote for an online source in oxford referencing style, use this pattern:

To make the bibliography for an online source in oxford referencing style, check out this pattern:

For an Online Newspaper Article 

Online databases contain hundreds of newspapers that you can skim through and use in your academic work. These newspaper articles are credible sources that can be used for multiple purposes, including studies and research.

Making the footnotes of the an online newspaper source follows this oxford footnote style:

After making the footnote, use the format shown below to create a bibliography entry for an online newspaper article in oxford referencing style:

Other than the newspaper articles available on websites, news articles are available in online databases as well. When trying to cite an article from an online database, make its footnote as per the below pattern:

To make its bibliography entry, format the details in the following way:

Oxford Style Footnotes

In Oxford style, footnotes are essential for acknowledging sources and elaborating on content without disrupting the flow of the main text. 

Here's how to create Oxford-style footnotes:

Format for Footnotes 

• Placement: Place footnotes at the bottom of the page where the citation or additional information is needed or at the end of each chapter.
• Numbering: Use sequential numbers in superscript format (e.g., ¹, ², ³) within your text to signal the presence of a corresponding footnote.
• Content: In the footnote, include the following information, generally in this order:
• Author's first name and last name (if available).
• Title of the source in single quotation marks or italics.
• Place of publication.
• Publication year.
• Page number(s) where the information is found.

Example: A typical Oxford-style footnote might look like this:

Use Cases for Footnotes

Footnotes serve various purposes in academic writing:

• Citing sources to give proper credit.
• Providing additional context, explanations, or elaborations.
• Clarifying points that might confuse readers.
• Offering translations or citing foreign terms.
• Noting copyright permissions or acknowledgments.

How to do Oxford Referencing on Microsoft Word 

If you want to know how to use Oxford style citations in microsoft word follow these simple steps:

• Open Microsoft Word.
• In the top menu, select "Tools" and then "References."
• A new window will open with a list of available referencing styles.
• Scroll down to the "Oxford" style and double-click on it.
• A new window will open with instructions on how to use Oxford referencing in word. Follow the instructions to add citations and a reference list to your document.

Oxford Referencing Example

The Oxford citation style sample added below will help and guide you to write your respective style paper in less time.

Oxford Citaion Example

Oxford Referencing Format

Oxford Referencing Guide Pdf

Oxford Referencing Example Essay

Oscola Oxford Referencing Example

Deakin Oxford Referencing Example

In summary, learning Oxford Referencing is important for students and researchers. This guide has given you the guidelines and examples to make accurate citations. 

Even though we have tried our best to explain everything in this blog, we understand that sometimes students need additional help. 

MyPerfectWords.com is your go-to online essay writing service . 

If you're in need of an expertly written essay or accurate citations, you've landed in the perfect spot. 

We cater to students at every academic level, from high school to college and university.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between harvard and oxford referencing.

The main difference between these two methods is the placement of references. The Oxford referencing method uses footnotes, while Harvard referencing includes certain information within the text as parenthetical citations or endnotes.

Where Is Oxford Referencing Used?

Oxford referencing is most commonly used in the humanities, particularly in history and philosophy. It is also used in some sciences, such as psychology. Oxford referencing may also be required for certain legal documents.

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• Writing Tips

Oxford Referencing – Citing a Journal Article

5-minute read

• 24th July 2019

At some point, you may need to reference a journal article when writing a dissertation or essay . And when using Oxford referencing, you’ll need two things for this: footnote citations and an entry in the bibliography.

The format of Oxford citations can differ depending on the version of the system used, so make sure to check your style guide if you have one. However, the general rules for referencing a journal article are as follows.

Citing a Print Journal Article in Footnotes

Footnote citations are indicated with superscript numbers in the text:

This is how it should appear in your document. 1

Source details are then given in a footnote at the bottom of the page. The first time you reference a journal article, use the following format:

n. Initial(s). Surname, “Article Title,” Journal Title, volume, number, year, page number(s).

The “page number(s)” bit here should point to the specific part of the article cited. Using this format, you should end up with something like this:

1. T. Walker, “Beating the System,” Economics 101 , vol. 10, no. 4, 2007, p. 167.

If the article you’re citing has two or three authors, meanwhile, you can use “and” to separate the last two names:

2. O. Duffy, S. Taylor and J. Tokunago, “Using Mulch to Improve Your Crops,” Ecology Reports, vol. 6, no. 8, 2009, pp. 34-35.

And if it has more than three authors, use “et al.” after the first name:

3. M. Larkin et al., “Determining Time,” Space and Beyond, vol. 12, no.4, 2015, p. 16.

This will provide all the information your reader needs to find the article in question. But you will also need a bibliography entry (see below).

Citing an Online Journal Article in Footnotes

The format for citing an electronic journal article is similar, but most versions of Oxford referencing also require a URL and date of access in these cases:

n. Initial(s). Surname, “Article Title,” Journal Title, volume, number, year, page number(s), <URL>, accessed day month year.

For instance, we would cite an online journal article as follows:

1. T. Walker, “Beating the System,” Economics 101 , vol. 10, no. 4, 2007, p. 167, < https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3998/mpub.14486 >, accessed April 6, 2019.

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Alternatively, you could give the name of a database instead of a URL. The key in both cases is to clearly show how you accessed the article.

Subsequent Footnotes

After the first citation, you can use a shortened format if you end up citing the same journal article again. Depending on the style guide you’re using, there are two ways to do this: Latin abbreviations or a shortened footnote format.

Repeat Citations: Latin Abbreviations

Many versions of Oxford referencing use three Latin abbreviations:

• Ibid. (meaning “in the same place”) – Used to cite the same source twice in a row. These are known as consecutive citations. Make sure to include a new page number if you’re citing a different part of the same text.
• Op. cit. (meaning “in the work cited”) – Used when citing a different part of the text in a non-consecutive citation (i.e., when you have cited at least one other source since the initial footnote). Use this after the author’s surname. If you have cited more than one source by the author in question, include a shortened source title for clarity, too.
• Loc. cit. (meaning “in the place cited”) – As above, but used when citing the same page as in the initial footnote citation.

In practice, then, repeat citations would look something like this:

4. L. Stephenson, “Replacing BMW Tires,” Practical Help for Aspiring Mechanics, vol. 76, no. 7, 2010, p. 22. 5. Ibid. p. 27. 6. R. Rose, “Carburetors and Me,” Automotive Anonymous, vol. 34, no. 6, 2011, p. 16. 7. Stephenson, op. cit., pp. 29-31. 8. Rose, loc. cit.

Here, footnotes 4, 5 and 7 all cite different parts of the Stephenson source. Footnotes 6 and 8, meanwhile, both cite page 16 of the Rose source.

Repeat Citations: Shortened Format

Alternatively, some versions of Oxford referencing abbreviate repeat citations by giving the author’s surname and a page number. If you have cited more than one source by a single author, moreover, make sure to include a shortened title to indicate which source you are citing:

4. L. Stephenson, “Replacing BMW Tires,” Practical Help for Aspiring Mechanics, vol. 76, no. 7, 2010, p. 22. 5. R. Rose, “Carburetors and Me,” Automotive Anonymous , vol. 34, no. 6, 2011, p. 16. 6. L. Stephenson, “Driving through Spain,” The European Road Trip , vol. 12, no. 6, 2003, p. 87. 7. Stephenson, “Replacing BMW Tires,” pp. 29-31. 8. Rose, p. 16.

Here, for instance, footnotes 4 and 7 are both for one of the Stephenson articles, while footnotes 5 and 8 are for the Rose article called “Carburetors and Me.” We include a title in the repeat Stephenson citation to distinguish it from the source in footnote 6, which is also by Stephenson.

Journal Articles in an Oxford Bibliography

At the end of your document, you will need to list all sources in a bibliography . The format to use here for a journal article is:

Surname, Initial(s), “Article Title,” Journal Title, volume, number, year, page number(s).

Note that, in the bibliography, you should include the full page range for a journal article, not just a pinpoint citation for the page(s) cited. In addition, as with footnote citations, you will need to include a URL/database name and a date of access for online journal articles.

In practice, then, a journal article in the bibliography would look like this:

Stephenson, L., “Driving through Spain,” The European Road Trip , vol. 12, no. 6, 2003, pp. 74-87.

Walker, T., “Beating the System,” Economics 101 , vol. 10, no. 4, 2007, pp. 160-167, < https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3998/mpub.14486 >, accessed April 6, 2019.

And if you’d like someone to check your document, including footnotes and the bibliography, get in touch with our academic proofreaders today.

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• Oxford Referencing
• Posted:  October 04, 2023
• To:  Essay Writing

The Oxford referencing style is a style that slightly different to the others on this list . Rather than putting the citation in the text itself, instead it uses a note citation system. You may also see it referred to as a documentary note system.

As such if you are looking to make a citation in text, you will need to add a superscript number at the end of the sentence you are referencing. That number will then relate to a note at the bottom of the page, which then holds the citation. All the notes you use to cite sources in your essay will be numbered sequentially which begin with one, throughout each article, chapter, or throughout your entire paper.

In Text Citations

When using the Oxford referencing style, to cite a source in text you will add a super script number to the text that you want to add your source to. At the bottom of the page, you will then add the details of the source that you have used.

So, if you are referencing a source in your work it would look like this:

At the bottom of your page, the citation would look like this:

In this example, the reference would look like this:

Reference List Citations

When you come to write your full reference list at the end of your essay, referencing your sources will look a lot like the footnotes in your text. This is how a reference for a book would be laid out:

So with the above example your reference for this book would look like this:

Journal articles

You may also use journal articles when creating essays . If you want to reference them using the Oxford system you would do so like so:

So when you use a journal you will reference it like the below example:

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Free Oxford (OSCOLA) referencing generator

• Book Chapter
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Generate Oxford reference for a Book

For one author, use the author's full name, like "John Smith". For 2-3 authors, use the authors' initials and separate them using "and", like "J Smith and FM Brown". For more authors, use the first author followed by "and others".

Use the page or page range fields only, not both.

Generate Oxford reference for a Book Chapter

Generate oxford reference for a journal article, generate oxford reference for a website.

Use the "Year-Month-Day" format, like "22-09-19".

Use the "Year-Month-Day" format, like "2022-09-19".

Plus, a handy guide on how to do Oxford style referencing…

Always remember to check your references and citations before submitting them with your work. Always get your tutor or a university staff member to check your references before you submit your work.

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Oxford Referencing Guide

When is oxford referencing used.

OSCOLA stands for The Oxford Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities. This referencing style was developed at Oxford University and is therefore also widely known as the Oxford referencing style. It’s used mainly by law schools and publishers for sources relating to legal cases and legislation in general.

You will need to reference the materials and resources you have used for your own writing in three places:

• In text citations: A small number is added (in superscript) onto the end of the information you need to reference (following any punctuation), which links the info to the full details of the reference found in a footnote at the bottom of the page. These superscript numbers increase in sequence throughout your text –¹ , ², ³ etc. For example: The Tabletop theory¹ is challenged by the studio-based movement.² Farthing argues that ‘the movement was clearly drawing a line under…’.³
• Footnotes : The full details of these materials need to be noted as a footnote at the bottom of the same page you refer to them on. Here, the author’s forename goes first. Note that place of publication is not included. For example: ¹Stephen Farthing, ART The Legal Story ( Thames & Hudson Ltd 2010).
• Reference List: Directly after your essay, you then list the sources you’ve used in full. The list is organised by type of source, and then alphabetically by the author’s surname.

Additionally, if you’ve done other reading around the subject, but aren’t referring to those texts specifically, you can choose to list those sources in a Bibliography at the end of your essay. Any bibliography will not be included in your word count.  

Exactly what to include depends on the type of source the information comes from. Our referencing tool will ask you for what’s needed for each material type , but if you don’t have everything you need, this guide takes you through what you need to do. As well as this, we explain how in-text citations and footnotes are formatted in the Oxford referencing style.

How to use our free Chicago referencing generator

Don’t forget that doing your referencing incorrectly could impact your marks. Always take some time before you submit your assignment to manually check your reference list once you’ve assembled it.

To use our free referencing tool, simply select which kind of resource you need to reference and fill in all the information that’s needed for that specific source material type. Then click ‘Generate reference’ and your Oxford style reference will be ready for you to paste into your Reference List. It’s as easy as that. 

If you don’t have all the information you need, that’s when things get a little more complicated. See the next section if you’re missing some of the essential info. 

What to do if you don't have all the information

You don’t know an author’s name.

If you’re looking at a source that doesn’t state who it’s been written by, you should firstly question its credibility. There may be times it does need to be included, so if that’s the case, you’ll just need to make do with the information you can find. Use any listed contributors instead – if it’s an online resource, you should be able to find a name on the ‘About’ section of their website. 

For a printed resource, you could use the firm or the publication company as the author as the last resort. You’ll find this just inside the cover of the publication. Never use ‘Anonymous’. The publisher, organisation or particular law firm is always better eg Marriott Harrison. 

You don’t know the publication date

Again, you should question a resource if it can’t be dated. Sometimes however, you will need to reference historical references that won’t have a precise date. If there are simply no dates to be found, you can use ‘[no date]’.

If it’s an online resource you’re using, you could use the date a page was last updated.

Oxford Referencing - Your questions answered

How do you format judges’ names.

If ever you need to refer to a judge, you should use the judge’s surname followed by their initial.  For example, Bloggs J. But, if the judge you are referring to happens to have a special title, this is notes with their initial. For example, Lord Joe Bloggs will be Bloggs LJ.

Can you abbreviate legal terms?

OSCOLA abbreviates a range of legal institutions and sources and you can view this list at legalabbrevs.cardiff.ac.uk . For example, a Supreme Court judge should be referred to as Lord Bloggs BCJ and the Lord Chief Justice can be abbreviated to Lord Bloggs CJ. 

Whenever you’re using abbreviations generally within your text, just remember to spell the term out in full the first time you mention it (in parenthesis) after its first use. Then thereafter, you can just use the abbreviation.

How do you reference your own writing?

There may be occasions when you need to refer back to something you’ve already discussed within your writing. To do this, you use cross-citation. It’s best practice to be as specific as you can by using a footnote number.

For example, ‘ see n 112 for footnote’.

How do you cite multiple sources within one footnote?

To do this, you simply use semi-colons to distinguish between the sources within your footnote. Unlike with other referencing styles, you should order them in chronological order (by date), rather than the order they appear in the text. But, if you have two or more sources in your footnote and one of these is particularly relevant, you should include it first and use ‘see also’ for the others.

How do you refer to a specific location in a text?

The Oxford referencing style allows you to use pinpoints to direct the reader to a particular part of a report or other document. This works through including numbered paragraphs or page numbers. You simply add your number onto the end of your footnote in brackets. If there are multiple locations within the text that need to be referred to, you just list them all, separated by a comma. For example,

6 Dadswell v Carroll [2002] PLTC Civ 4443, [2002] 4 WTG 412 [19], [23], [26].

What is secondary referencing and can you use it?

There may be occasions where you need to refer to a text that you haven’t actually read but that is written about in a source that you are using. It’s best practice to use first hand references where you can, but if you find yourself needing to use a secondary one, this is ok to do. To do this, you simply use the footnote for the source you have read (that refers to the secondary source) and add ‘citing…’ For example,

21  Stephen Farthing,  ART The Legal Story ( Thames & Hudson Ltd 2010) citing Strong v Carroll (1996) 21 PWRR (29).

How do you cite the same source multiple times?

When it comes to citing a legal case, you should cite it in full the first time it’s mentioned. After that, you can use a shorter form of the name of the case and a cross-citation [in brackets] to the original footnote. Just remember that you don’t need to include the name of the case in the footnote if it is included in the main body of your text.

If any subsequent citation comes directly after the first citation, you can just use ‘ibid’ (which means ‘in the same place’) and put the superscript number in brackets [like this].

How should you format direct quotes?

If it’s useful to include word-for-word text from a source, make sure it sits between single quotation marks to distinguish it from your own ideas. 

If your quote is 1 or 2 lines long, you should integrate the quote within your text. For example:

As Dadswell states, ‘the studio-based moment didn’t…’.¹

But, if you are including a longer quote that is made up of 3 lines or more, you should drop the quotation marks and it should be separated out from the text a little. To do this, you simply move the quote to a new line and indent it. 

What’s included in your word count?

Any in-text citations you use are usually included in your word count. Your footnotes, reference list and any additional bibliography are not included in your word count.

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Oxford Referencing

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Oxford Referencing: Books & e-books

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On this page

Basic format to reference a book.

• Referencing a book: Examples

Format for footnotes for a book: 

1 A. Author, Title of Book in Italics : Subtitle in Italics , edition number, Place of Publication, Publisher, year, page number.

1  L. Hunt, History: Why it Matters , Newark, Polity Press., 2018, p. 56.

In your Reference List the author's initials come after the surname.

• Use single quotation marks to enclose direct quotations. Quotes of 30 or more words are indented 1 cm from left hand margin, started as a new paragraph and don’t need quotation marks. More information about how to include quotes in your essay is available on the Getting Started with Oxford Referencing page .
• For all direct quotations, page numbers must be given.

• << Previous: Reference formats & examples
• Next: Journal articles >>
• Last Updated: Jun 12, 2024 10:31 AM
• URL: https://libraryguides.vu.edu.au/oxford-referencing

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What is Oxford referencing?

The Oxford referencing style is a note citation system developed by the prestigious University of Oxford. It is also sometimes referred to as the documentary-note style. It consists of two elements; footnote citations and a reference list at the end of the document.

If you’ve been asked to make citations in the Oxford referencing style then make sure you follow the guidelines exactly as it can directly impact on the grades you get. Good referencing is a basis for good marks.

How to Oxford reference

To create the footnotes, you need to indicate a reference by putting a superscript number directly following the source material – this number is called the note identifier. You follow this up with a footnote citation at the bottom of the page. The note identifier – often known as an in-text citation – and the footnote should have the same number, thus ensuring the reader knows which source the note identifier is referring to. The footnotes and note identifiers should be in numerical and chronological order. The same number should be attached to the beginning of the citation and should be listed in chronological order.

For the reference list, you need to include the names of the authors, title and date of publication, the name of the publisher and place of publication. Remember to list all the sources you’ve referenced in the footnotes, as well as any other sources that informed your work which you didn’t necessarily quote or paraphrase.

Alternatively, let Cite This For Me do the whole lot for you simply and accurately using our mobile app or free web tool. Zero hassle, zero mistakes.

Oxford referencing example

In-text example:

The sky is blue. 1

Footnote example:

1  Stella Cottrell, The Study Skills Handbook (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013).

Reference list example:

Cottrell, Stella, The Study Skills Handbook (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013)

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How to correctly use Oxford or Harvard referencing

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Footnotes and referencing are some of the most common problems students struggle with when preparing an essay or dissertation. You’ve written a fantastic piece of work, all your ideas are in order and you’ve referred to a great variety of relevant sources. Yet you face the frustration of losing vital marks if you fail to accurately and correctly reference your work , whether using the Oxford or Harvard referencing system. This simple guide helps to explain how to reference an essay or dissertation in either style.

What is referencing?

Referencing is the practice of ensuring that every time you cite a book or study (or indeed any piece of work) by another writer, you accurately inform your reader of your source. This prevents plagiarism or the idea that you might try to pass off other peoples’ theories as your own. It also shows a reader or examiner the extent of the research that exists to support your work and allows them to consult it themselves.

Different referencing methods

The first thing to be aware of is that there are several different accepted referencing methods , all of which have slight variations in format. This often causes a great deal of confusion, but the most important thing is to be consistent. You may well find that a specific referencing system is prescribed for a piece of work, but if not just make sure that whichever form you choose, you are consistent in using it throughout and keeping all your references uniform in format. Once you have decided how to reference, stick with that system throughout your essay.

Oxford and Harvard referencing – what's the difference ?

Two of the most well-known and commonly used referencing methods are Oxford and Harvard referencing. These are the systems you are most likely to be asked to use for an essay or thesis and also the most widely recognised, so it is advisable to use one of these if you are choosing your own reference system.

The main difference between these two systems is that the Oxford method uses footnotes to place references at the end of each page, whilst the Harvard method includes certain information within the text.

There are many complex details involved in using these styles of referencing, which would be too numerous to list here, so it is highly advisable to consult an in-depth guide to how to reference correctly. The information below is intended to give an overview of the main points and some helpful advice to bear in mind when using them.

The Oxford referencing system

This form of referencing uses footnotes to present referencing information unobtrusively at the bottom of each page of text. A small number called a note identifier (usually formatted in superscript ) follows any quote you use and refers to the number at the bottom of the page beside which the citation for that reference may be found.

Most computers have helpful functions to enable you to do this automatically without having to enter the numbers yourself, so if you go back to add an extra reference, the numbering will automatically adjust to take this into account. On any Microsoft Word document, simply click on the ‘Insert’ menu and select ‘Footnote’ (or ‘Reference’ and then choose ‘Footnote’ from the drop-down list).

Tip: Make sure you use a ‘footnote’ to place the reference at the bottom of the page, rather than an ‘endnote’, which will place it at the end of your essay.

What information should a footnote include?

A footnote should contain the following information, with the title of the book or work in italics and all other text in normal font: author initial and surname, title, publisher name, place of publication, date, page number. For example:

J.M. Coetzee, Life and Times of Michael K , Vintage, London, 1998, p.47

Tip: You can usually find the publication date and place on the reverse of the title page inside the book.

If you use further references to the same text later on you can abbreviate subsequent footnotes to simply: author, page number.

The Harvard referencing system

The Harvard referencing system includes the author, the date of the work and the page number in brackets in the body of the text, immediately following the quote or reference. For example:

Depending on a company's goals, there are a variety of reasons top management may decide to undertake cost controls; it could be for proven cost reduction (Corbridge, 1998, p.27) or to "improve corporate image in the environmental area" (Bozena, et al, 2003, p.45).

In the Harvard style, a bibliography of the all references is included as a separate section at the end of the piece of work to give full details of each text, including its title, publisher and place of publication.

Tip: If you have already used the author’s name as part of your reference, it is not necessary to repeat it in the brackets. For example:

As Corbridge (1998, p.27) suggests…

A final note...

This is by no means a complete guide to the intricacies of how to reference, but it is hopefully a helpful introduction to clear up the common confusion between the two main referencing styles. There are myriad possible tiny variants – for example in instances when a book has more than one author – so it is advisable to consult a guide or your editor or supervisor for clarification. Using the Oxford referencing system does not necessarily mean you will not also be required to include a bibliography. But there is always a bibliography in the Harvard referencing system.

Remember, the most important thing is to make sure that whatever stylistic decisions you make about your footnotes and references, they remain completely uniform and consistent throughout your essay or dissertation writing .

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Essay and dissertation writing skills

Planning your essay

Writing your introduction

Structuring your essay

• Writing essays in science subjects
• Brief video guides to support essay planning and writing
• Writing extended essays and dissertations
• Planning your dissertation writing time

Structuring your dissertation

• Top tips for writing longer pieces of work

Advice on planning and writing essays and dissertations

University essays differ from school essays in that they are less concerned with what you know and more concerned with how you construct an argument to answer the question. This means that the starting point for writing a strong essay is to first unpick the question and to then use this to plan your essay before you start putting pen to paper (or finger to keyboard).

A really good starting point for you are these short, downloadable Tips for Successful Essay Writing and Answering the Question resources. Both resources will help you to plan your essay, as well as giving you guidance on how to distinguish between different sorts of essay questions. 

You may find it helpful to watch this seven-minute video on six tips for essay writing which outlines how to interpret essay questions, as well as giving advice on planning and structuring your writing:

Different disciplines will have different expectations for essay structure and you should always refer to your Faculty or Department student handbook or course Canvas site for more specific guidance.

However, broadly speaking, all essays share the following features:

Essays need an introduction to establish and focus the parameters of the discussion that will follow. You may find it helpful to divide the introduction into areas to demonstrate your breadth and engagement with the essay question. You might define specific terms in the introduction to show your engagement with the essay question; for example, ‘This is a large topic which has been variously discussed by many scientists and commentators. The principal tension is between the views of X and Y who define the main issues as…’ Breadth might be demonstrated by showing the range of viewpoints from which the essay question could be considered; for example, ‘A variety of factors including economic, social and political, influence A and B. This essay will focus on the social and economic aspects, with particular emphasis on…..’

Watch this two-minute video to learn more about how to plan and structure an introduction:

The main body of the essay should elaborate on the issues raised in the introduction and develop an argument(s) that answers the question. It should consist of a number of self-contained paragraphs each of which makes a specific point and provides some form of evidence to support the argument being made. Remember that a clear argument requires that each paragraph explicitly relates back to the essay question or the developing argument.

• Conclusion: An essay should end with a conclusion that reiterates the argument in light of the evidence you have provided; you shouldn’t use the conclusion to introduce new information.
• References: You need to include references to the materials you’ve used to write your essay. These might be in the form of footnotes, in-text citations, or a bibliography at the end. Different systems exist for citing references and different disciplines will use various approaches to citation. Ask your tutor which method(s) you should be using for your essay and also consult your Department or Faculty webpages for specific guidance in your discipline. 

Essay writing in science subjects

If you are writing an essay for a science subject you may need to consider additional areas, such as how to present data or diagrams. This five-minute video gives you some advice on how to approach your reading list, planning which information to include in your answer and how to write for your scientific audience – the video is available here:

A PDF providing further guidance on writing science essays for tutorials is available to download.

Short videos to support your essay writing skills

There are many other resources at Oxford that can help support your essay writing skills and if you are short on time, the Oxford Study Skills Centre has produced a number of short (2-minute) videos covering different aspects of essay writing, including:

• Approaching different types of essay questions  
• Structuring your essay  
• Writing an introduction  
• Making use of evidence in your essay writing  
• Writing your conclusion

Extended essays and dissertations

Longer pieces of writing like extended essays and dissertations may seem like quite a challenge from your regular essay writing. The important point is to start with a plan and to focus on what the question is asking. A PDF providing further guidance on planning Humanities and Social Science dissertations is available to download.

Planning your time effectively

Try not to leave the writing until close to your deadline, instead start as soon as you have some ideas to put down onto paper. Your early drafts may never end up in the final work, but the work of committing your ideas to paper helps to formulate not only your ideas, but the method of structuring your writing to read well and conclude firmly.

Although many students and tutors will say that the introduction is often written last, it is a good idea to begin to think about what will go into it early on. For example, the first draft of your introduction should set out your argument, the information you have, and your methods, and it should give a structure to the chapters and sections you will write. Your introduction will probably change as time goes on but it will stand as a guide to your entire extended essay or dissertation and it will help you to keep focused.

The structure of  extended essays or dissertations will vary depending on the question and discipline, but may include some or all of the following:

• The background information to - and context for - your research. This often takes the form of a literature review.
• Explanation of the focus of your work.
• Explanation of the value of this work to scholarship on the topic.
• List of the aims and objectives of the work and also the issues which will not be covered because they are outside its scope.

The main body of your extended essay or dissertation will probably include your methodology, the results of research, and your argument(s) based on your findings.

The conclusion is to summarise the value your research has added to the topic, and any further lines of research you would undertake given more time or resources. 

Tips on writing longer pieces of work

Approaching each chapter of a dissertation as a shorter essay can make the task of writing a dissertation seem less overwhelming. Each chapter will have an introduction, a main body where the argument is developed and substantiated with evidence, and a conclusion to tie things together. Unlike in a regular essay, chapter conclusions may also introduce the chapter that will follow, indicating how the chapters are connected to one another and how the argument will develop through your dissertation.

For further guidance, watch this two-minute video on writing longer pieces of work . 

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What Is Oxford Referencing?

• 3-minute read
• 30th April 2019

Many universities recommend using Oxford referencing to cite sources in essays . But what exactly is Oxford referencing? And how does it work? In today’s blog post, we look at the basics of this system.

Q1: What Is Oxford Referencing?

Oxford referencing is a footnote and bibliography system. This means  you should give citations in footnotes , indicated with superscript numbers:

Usually at the end of a sentence, like this. 1

The first footnote for each source should include full publication information, as well as a pinpoint reference (i.e. the specific page or section cited). And although you provide the source information here, you will also need to list it in the bibliography at the end of your document.

Q2: Where Can I Find the Rules for Oxford Referencing?

Technically, ‘Oxford referencing’ is not a system so much as a group of related citation styles (otherwise known as the footnote–bibliography style).

Consequently, there aren’t any ‘official’ rules for Oxford referencing. Your best bet is thus to check your university’s style guide, which should specify the rules they use. There are plenty of online sources, but these might differ from the version preferred by your university.

Ultimately, if your referencing is clear and consistent, slight variations shouldn’t matter too much. But it never hurts to check whether your university has a style guide available.

Q3: What Goes in Footnotes?

As above, this depends slightly on the version of the system you’re using. It also depends on the source type (e.g. book, website, video). But in general, the key details to include are:

• Author’s name
• Title of the book, article or web page
• Title of the journal, website or edited book
• Place of publication
• Date of publication
• Page or section numbers

For online sources, you should also give a URL and a date of access.

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Repeat citations of the same source, meanwhile, will typically use either Latin abbreviations (e.g. ibid., op. cit., loc. cit.) or a shortened citation format. For example, we could use the following shortened citation style:

1. C. Alexander, Mrs Chippy’s Last Expedition: The Remarkable Journey of Shackleton’s Polar-Bound Cat , London, Bloomsbury, 1991, p. 24. 2. A. Moretti, Cats of the Internet [website], 2014, <www.felinesonline.com/gallery>, accessed 6 June 2017. 3. Alexander, p. 30.

Here, for example, we’ve shortened the third citation to just the author’s surname and a page number. And as long as we only cite one source by ‘Alexander’ in our essay, this will be enough for the reader to know which source we’re citing each time.

Q4: How About the Bibliography?

Bibliography entries in Oxford referencing are usually similar to the first footnote citation for the same source. The main differences are that:

• You do not need to give a pinpoint reference.
• Give the first named author’s names surname first (e.g. ‘Smith, S.’ instead of ‘S. Smith’) so that you can list sources by author surname.

For example, we would list the entry for the book in the example above as:

Alexander, C., Mrs Chippy’s Last Expedition: The Remarkable Journey of Shackleton’s Polar-Bound Cat , London, Bloomsbury, 1997.

Q5: What Does Any of This Have to Do with Oxford?

Very little. It is sometimes associated with the University of Oxford, but it’s not the only referencing system used there. However, most versions of Oxford referencing are variations of the footnote and bibliography system set out in the OUP’s New Oxford Style Manual .

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