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This library guide is intended to be a quick reference for citing mainly Singapore, and some UK, legal publications. It is not meant to be exhaustive - only the more common scenarios are featured here. Citations for Singapore primary sources of law are based on the 8th ed. of the McGill Guide. Note: This is the last edition of the McGill Guide that contains guidelines for Singapore legal materials.
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Canadian guide to uniform legal citation (10th ed)Citations for secondary sources of law and UK primary sources are based on the 10th ed.
For more help on using this edition, see: Legal Citation with the 10th edition of the McGill Guide (Queen's University Library)
Purposes of Citation
1. Helps the reader trace the source of the information you provide.
"The central function of a legal citation is to allow the reader to efficiently locate the cited source."
The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation, 21st ed. (Cambridge, MA: Harvard Law Review Association, 2020).
2. Lends credibility to your work. Providing authoritative and relevant sources shows that your work is well researched.
3. Avoids plagiarism. You must not present the ideas of others without attribution.
Purposes of Legal Citation
The following article may provide an understanding and appreciation of the values / norms that inform legal citation:
Paul Axel-Lute, "Legal Citation Form: Theory and Practice" (1982) 75 Law Libr. J. 148.
Access via HeinOnline or NexisUni)
Abstract: "Citations are the cornerstone upon which judicial opinions and law review articles stand. Citations provide both authorial verification of the original source material at the moment they are used and the needed information for readers to later find the cited source."
Lim Siu Chen, Research Librarian (HASS), was the original creator and editor of this guide (2017 to 2018).
Special thanks to Zhang Yizhen '24 (LL.B. (Hon.) NUS) for revisions based on the 10th edition of the McGill Guide, including infographics (2024)
