If you are submitting a law or social-science paper internationally, picking the right citation style — and using it consistently — matters more than most authors expect.
OSCOLA
The Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities is widely used in the UK, Ireland, and across the Commonwealth. It uses footnotes rather than in-text citations, with a separate table of cases and legislation.
Bluebook
The Bluebook is the dominant citation system in the United States and is also widely taught and used in Indian law schools. It likewise relies on footnotes, with its own conventions for case names, reporters, and pinpoint citations.
APA
The American Psychological Association style is standard across most social sciences outside law — sociology, political science, criminology, public policy. It uses in-text author-date citations with a reference list, not footnotes.
What LJLPS accepts
Law papers submitted to the Lexfolio Journal of Law, Policy and Social Sciences may use either Bluebook or OSCOLA — your choice, but kept consistent throughout the paper. Papers in other social sciences should use APA. Quote statutory or judicial wording directly in quotation marks with a pinpoint citation rather than paraphrasing closely.
See the author guidelines for full formatting requirements, or go to the submission page.
Useful books for this topic
- Bare acts of the new criminal laws (BNS, BNSS, BSA)
- Code of Civil Procedure bare act
- Legal drafting and conveyancing books
- Constitution of India (coat pocket edition)
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