Subject guides: Vancouver 2022: Legal sources

Legal sources

Legislation

Acts, Ordinances, Regulations, and other forms of delegated legislation should be cited exactly. Spelling or capitalisation should not be altered to suit the referencing style
Legislation is only included in a reference list if it is important to the understanding of the work
The year of enactment is part of the title.

Format

Title of the act Year (abbreviation of jurisdiction) pinpoint if applicable.

Example

44. Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Act 1981 (Vic).

45. Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 (Cth).

Legal cases

Required details include the name/title of the case and citation details - year or volume number or both, abbreviated name of the report series, the abbreviated name of the report, and the country name. For Australian cases name the court where the case was held
A decision at law may appear in more than one report series, so more than one citation may exist. Preference is given to the authorised reports. See Cases: Authorised law reports for more details.

Format

Title of Case Abbreviated name of report series Volume (Name of the Court Abbreviated State, Country Year).

Example

46. Donoghue v Stevenson [1932] AC 562

47. PP Consultants Pty Limited v Finance Sector Union (2000) 201 CLR 648

Referencing of legal resources can vary according to country. Chapter 3.17 of the AMA Manual of Style focuses on non-US (United States) legal references but is limited to legal cases. The Legislation section below is based on AGLC4 (Australian Guide to Legal Citation). Download the view-only pdf version from the publisher's website on the AGLC4 guide. Note chapter 7.1.3 for citing and referencing Royal Commission reports.