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HOW TO REFERENCE LAW REPORTS/CASES

 

In-text citation

 

In the body of a text, all case names should be italicised. When referring to a case for the first time give its full name and year, e.g. Bolam v Friern Hospital Management Committee (1957), but in subsequent references the case may be referred to by the first party name only, e.g. this case may be referred to as the Bolam case. If you give a direct quote, also include the specific page number:

 

Example

This provision is illustrated by the Bolam v Friern Hospital Management Committee (1957: 584).

 

Reference

 

Give the names of parties in italics, followed by the year, usually in square brackets but could also be in round brackets—check the law report itself for whether [] or () brackets are used—the volume number (that is the ‘accepted’ abbreviation for the law report) and the first page of the report.

 

Examples

Bolam v Friern Hospital Management Committee [1957] 1 W.L.R. 582

Gillick v West Norfolk and Wisbech AHA (1985) 82 L.S.G. 3531

© 2016 by Centre for Academic Writing and Coventry University

Based on Deane, M. (2006) Coventry University Harvard Reference Style Guide. Unpublished booklet. Coventry: Coventry University. Version 3.0.4. September 2016. Produced in collaboration with Ray Summers (Illustrations), edited by Catalina Neculai with the assistance of Lisa Ganobcsik- Williams and Erik Borg, and with input from the Coventry University Harvard Reference Style Working Party.

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License and cannot be reproduced, edited, or distributed without the prior permission of CAW, Coventry University.

 

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