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Referencing

Need help with referencing styles? Start with this helpful guide.

International law materials

Treaties (Rule 8)

  • Treaty title should be italicized.
  • Treaties in force include 'Date of Entry into Force'.
  • Treaties Not Yet in Force 'not yet in force' should replace date of entry into force.
  • Include citation to treaty series.
  • Pinpoint reference should not be to a page, but to articles, paragraphs, sections etc.

Treaties in Force

Treaty Title Parties' Names, Date Opened for Signature or Signed, Treaty Series Date of Entry into Force in brackets Pinpoint.
Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, opened for signature 9 December 1948, 78 UNTS 277 (entered into force 12 January 1951) art 4.

United Nations materials

United Nations documents (Rule 9)

  • United Nations' Documents should include the elements listed in table 9.2 (page 142-143.)
  • If the document can be easily located online you only need the following sections:
Author, Title, Resolution or decision number, UN Document number (Full Date) [pinpoint].

United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, GA Res 61/295, UN Doc A/RES/61/295 (2 October 2007, adopted 13 September 2007).

Human Rights Council, Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review: Central African Republic, UN Doc A/HRC/12/2 (4 June 2009).

 

See (Rule 9.6) for a table of Commonly Cited Documents.

International Court of Justice

International Court of Justice decisions (Rule 10)

  • Case name - include the case name in italics as it appears on the first page of the report.
  • Leave out 'The' 'Case concerning' and 'Case concerning the'.
  • Also leave out 'Question of the' and 'The Question of the'.
Case Name Parties, Names or Advisory Opinion Phase [Year] Report Series and Series Letter Starting Page and case Number, Pinpoint.
Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Bosnia and Herzegovina v Serbia and Montenegro (Judgment) [2007] ICJ Rep 43.

Unreported Judgments

  • Include general list number as it appears on the page on which the judgment commences.
  • Full date is the judgment date.
Case Name Parties, Names or Advisory Opinion Phase (International Court of Justice, General list No, Full Date) Pinpoint.
Certain Questions of Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters (Djibouti v France) (Judgment) (International Court of Justice, General List No 136, 4 June 2008).

Foreign domestic materials

Foreign domestic materials (Part IV)

Translations

  • Published translations - a citation to the source should be included in English, followed by a citation to the published translation in square brackets. (Rule 26.1.2)
  • Non-English primary materials translated by an author this should be indicated at the end of the citation by including '[tr author]'. (Rule 26.1)
  • Where another person has translated materials on behalf of the author indicate as '[Translator's Name]'.
Code Civil [Civil Code] (France) art 147 [author / translator]
Consult Part V p 211 for guidance on citing individual foreign jurisdictions