OSCOLA (Law) Referencing Guide

ibid: The first time a source is mentioned, you must give the citation in full. If a subsequent citation IMMEDIATELY follows the full citation, you can use ibid. 

Using n# means the writer doesn’t have to repeat all the bibliographic information, but instead refers the reader to n# (footnote #) for all the bibliographic information. If on the first page of your work 

Please note: if on page 1 of your work you have footnotes 1-7 you can use ibid and n within that set of footnotes. If on page 3 of your work you want to use a source you referred to on page 1 of your work, you will need to provide a full citation to it. You can then use ibid and n (as appropriate) for that source within page 3 of your work.

Full citation for a case:

¹ Phelps v Hillington LBC [2001] 2 AC 619 (HL).

Subsequent citation immediately after the full citation:

² ibid.

Subsequent citation using shortened form of case name and a cross-citation to footnote 1 where the full citation can be found

¹⁰ Phelps (n 1).  

Full citation for a book:

¹ Robert Stevens, Torts and Rights (OUP 2007).

Subsequent citation using shortened form and a cross-citation to footnote 1 where the full citation can be found and subsequent citation immediately after cross-citation to footnote with different pinpoints.

⁶ Stevens (n 1) 110.

⁷ ibid 271–78.

The writer 'pinpoints' page 110 and 271-78 showing the reader the information for those footnotes was taken from those specific pages. 

Subsequent citation for legislation:

Full citation with name of statute and shortened version in brackets:

³² Nuclear Installations Act 1965 (NIA 1965) s 7(1). 

Subsequent citation using shortened version of the statute 

⁴⁰ NIA 1965, s 12.