OSCOLA 4th Edition - legislation.gov.uk

Cite legislation.gov.uk in OSCOLA

UK legislation from legislation.gov.uk is usually cited by legal authority, not as a website. Use the Act or statutory instrument title, year, and pinpoint reference such as section, regulation, schedule, or paragraph.

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How to cite a legislation.gov.uk in OSCOLA

Search for the legislation.gov.uk

Paste a DOI, URL, ISBN, title, or author name to find the exact source record.

Check the OSCOLA formatting fields

Verify author, year, title, container, and publication details before copying the final citation.

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Get the complete OSCOLA citation plus the matching in-text citation or footnote format.

OSCOLA UK Legislation Formats

Act:

Short Title Year, s X(Y)

Statutory Instrument:

Title Year, SI Year/Number, reg X

Schedule:

Short Title Year, Sch X para Y

OSCOLA legislation.gov.uk Examples

UK Act Section

Human Rights Act 1998, s 3(1).

Use s for a single section and include subsections in parentheses.

Act with Schedule

Data Protection Act 2018, Sch 2 para 5.

Use Sch for schedule and para for paragraph.

Statutory Instrument

The Public Contracts Regulations 2015, SI 2015/102, reg 57.

Use reg for regulation and keep the SI year/number.

Multiple Sections

Equality Act 2010, ss 6-7.

Use ss for multiple sections.

Examples formatted in OSCOLA style

When the URL Matters

OSCOLA treats legislation as primary law. If you are citing the Act or statutory instrument itself, the pinpoint citation is normally enough. Add the legislation.gov.uk URL only when your module handbook explicitly asks for online source details.

Human Rights Act 1998, s 3(1) <https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/42/section/3> accessed 8 May 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I cite legislation.gov.uk in OSCOLA?

For Acts and statutory instruments, cite the legislation itself rather than treating legislation.gov.uk as the author. Use the short title, year, and pinpoint such as section, regulation, schedule, or paragraph.

Do I include the legislation.gov.uk URL in OSCOLA?

Usually no for primary legislation. OSCOLA normally cites the legal authority directly. Add a URL only if your module asks for online source details or you are citing a specific web page rather than the Act or instrument.