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Referencing style - AGLC4: Introduction

This guide provides basic information on formatting references according to the Australian Guide to Legal Citation (4th ed.)

The Australian Guide to Legal Citation

 

The Australian Guide to Legal Citation is a referencing style for legal citations that consists of:

  1. Citations in the body of the page, using a superscript (raised) number

  2. A list of footnotes at the bottom (foot) of each page, for all citations on that page

  3. Possibly a bibliography (ask your instructor or publisher). If a bibliography is required it should be provided at the end of the paper and give details of each source mentioned in the text, as well as details of other sources consulted in preparing the paper

 

 

 Access the official AGLC Guide (4th edition) 

 Caution! 

This UWA guide is NOT exhaustive. It simply lists examples for a few common reference types, focusing on Australian materials. Need more? Consult the full AGLC (4th edition) manual online

 

 Important!  What to do if your source doesn’t match any the available templates:

See page xi of the manual: “It may be helpful to analogise with existing rules, However, there is often no single correct way to cite a source and it will be a matter of judgment as to which rule to adhere to. As long as you are clear and consistent, you cannot go wrong.” In other words, find the reference type that most closely matches your source and adapt it according to the general AGLC rules. 

The importance of citing legal sources

Referencing or citing your sources is an important part of academic writing. It lets you:

  • acknowledge the ideas or words of others if you use them in your work

  • demonstrate that you've read relevant literature

  • provide authority for your arguments

  • avoid plagiarism

The UWA Law School requires students to use the Australian Guide to Legal Citation for formatting references.

Contact for support

Email your questions to our friendly library staff.

Students

web.uwa.edu.au/askuwa

HDR Students

hdrsupport-lib@uwa.edu.au

UWA Staff

staffsupport-lib@uwa.edu.au

More contact options are available on the Library Contact us page.

What's changed in AGLC4?

Need to use a different style?

Need to use another style? Visit our other Referencing Guides.

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