Reference these as books but remember to include the edition and the year of issue. If an author is credited for a particular section, cite both the author and the title of the entry.
If citing an online encyclopedia give the web address and date of access.
Example below:
Leslie Green, ‘Legal Positivism’, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall edn, 2009) <https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2009/entries/legal-positivism/> accessed 20 November 2009.
Encyclopedia example in book format - shows pinpoint:
CJ Friedrich, ‘Constitutions and Constitutionalism’, International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences III (1968) 319
Halsbury’s Laws of England
Always include the volume and paragraph number. For the electronic 5th edition version, include <LexisLibrary> and the accessed date.
Examples Footnote with pinpoints:
Halsbury’s Laws (5th edn, 2016) 21, para 311.
Halsbury’s Laws (5th edn, 2023) vol 2, para 317 <LexisLibrary> accessed 14 December 2023.
Bibliography
In the Bibliography do not include specific location information, so the volume and paragraph numbers are not included. Do not include a full stop at the end of the Bibliography reference.
Bibliography examples:
Halsbury’s Laws (5th edn, 2016)
Leslie Green, ‘Legal Positivism’, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall edn, 2009) <https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2009/entries/legal-positivism/> accessed 20 November 2009
Westlaw Topic Overviews or Legal Concepts
When referring to Topic Overviews or Legal Concepts, follow the guidelines for referencing a website but put the name of the database in place of the URL:
Topic Overview
Michelle Heeley, ‘Double jeopardy’, (Overview of Topic, 16 July 2016) <Westlaw> accessed 9 December 2023.
Key Legal Concept
Daniel Greenberg, 'Cabinet' (Key Legal Concept, 16 August 2020) <Westlaw> accessed 14 December 2020.
Practical Guidance This content was previously available via the Lexis PSL Platform
Practical Guidance is now fully integrated with Legal Research on Lexis+, so you can see guidance and the underlying law it supports all in one place. If you are using a case, article or piece of legislation from Practical Guidance, then use the guidance in the previous sections above.
For a topic overview use the appropriate topic area as the name of the encyclopaedia and reference as below.
'Unfair contract terms', LexisPSL Financial <LexisPSL> accessed 14 March 2023.
Legal Dictionaries For legal dictionaries on Westlaw, use the format below:
‘Jury’, Stroud’s Judicial Dictionary (11th edn, Westlaw edn, Sweet & Maxwell 2023)
For more authoritative references, use the Halsbury's Laws of England encyclopedia.