AGLC4 Referencing Guide: How to Cite Cases, Legislation and Articles in Australian Law

If you study law in Australia, almost every written task you submit — problem questions, research essays, case notes and theses — will be marked partly on whether your citations follow the Australian Guide to Legal Citation. This guide walks through AGLC4 referencing with worked examples you can copy the pattern of, so you lose fewer marks on form and can spend your word count on analysis.

How AGLC4 works

• Footnotes, not in-text citations. Place the footnote number in the text after the punctuation it relates to.
• Every footnote ends with a full stop, and multiple sources in one footnote are separated by semicolons.
• No full stops in abbreviations — write Cth, NSW, ed, pt.
• Pinpoints go after a comma: a page number (15) or a paragraph number in square brackets ([45]).
• Italics for case names, legislation titles, book titles and journal names; single quotation marks for article and chapter titles.

AGLC4 quick-reference table

Rows using generic names (First Author, Title of the Article) show the pattern only — replace every element with your real source details.

Citing cases

A case citation has three parts: the case name in italics, the year, and the report or medium neutral citation, followed by a pinpoint if you refer to a particular page or paragraph.

Round brackets or square brackets?

This is the most common AGLC mistake. Use round brackets when the report series numbers its volumes independently of the year — the Commonwealth Law Reports are an example, so Mabo is cited as (1992) 175 CLR 1. Use square brackets when the year is needed to find the case because the series is organised by year, such as the English Appeal Cases: [1932] AC 562.

Mabo v Queensland (No 2) (1992) 175 CLR 1, 15.
Donoghue v Stevenson [1932] AC 562, 580.

Reported versus unreported judgments

If a case has been reported, cite the report — and prefer the authorised report series where one exists (for the High Court, the CLR). For judgments that are not reported, use the medium neutral citation the court assigned, with paragraph pinpoints in square brackets.

Citing legislation

Write the short title and year in italics, then the jurisdiction in round brackets in roman type. Pinpoint with the abbreviation for the provision: s (section), ss (sections), pt (part), div (division), sch (schedule).

Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) s 18.
Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) ss 18–19.

Jurisdiction abbreviations: Cth, NSW, Vic, Qld, WA, SA, Tas, ACT, NT.

Citing journal articles and books

Journal articles take the author's name as it appears on the article, the title in single quotation marks, the year, volume and issue, the journal name in italics, the first page and a pinpoint. Books put the publisher, edition (if not the first) and year in round brackets after the italicised title.

First Author, 'Title of the Article' (Year) 43(2) Journal Name 512, 520.
First Author, Title of the Book (Publisher, 3rd ed, Year) 77.

Repeat and short references: Ibid and (n 3)

1. Ibid — use it when you cite the same source as the immediately preceding footnote and that footnote contains only one source. Add a new pinpoint if the page changes: Ibid 17.
2. Subsequent references — after the first full citation, use a short title (for cases and legislation) or the author's surname (for secondary sources), then (n X) pointing to the footnote with the full citation: Mabo (n 3) 20.
3. AGLC4 replaced the old 'above n 3' form with (n 3) — a quick way to spot outdated examples online.

Laying out an AGLC bibliography

Where a bibliography is required, AGLC4 divides it into headed sections — typically A Articles/Books/Reports, B Cases, C Legislation, D Treaties, E Other — listing sources alphabetically within each. Authors are reversed (Surname, First Name), and pinpoints are dropped because you are citing the whole source.

Common AGLC mistakes that cost marks

For UK law modules see our OSCOLA referencing guide, and for how Australian markers weight citation accuracy against analysis, read Australian university marking criteria explained.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does AGLC use footnotes or in-text citations?

AGLC is a footnote style. Each citation goes in a numbered footnote, and the footnote reference number sits in the text after the relevant punctuation. AGLC does not use author-date citations in the body.

What does (n 3) mean in AGLC4?

It is the AGLC4 short-form cross-reference. After a source has been cited in full, later footnotes give a short title or the author's surname followed by (n 3), meaning it was first cited in footnote 3, plus any pinpoint. It replaced 'above n 3' from the third edition.

Do I need a bibliography with AGLC?

Many longer law assignments and theses require one, but some short tasks do not. AGLC4 bibliographies are split into sections such as articles, books and reports; cases; legislation; treaties; and other sources. Check your unit outline or task sheet.

When do I use square brackets instead of round brackets for the year?

Use square brackets when the year is essential to finding the case, because the report series is organised by year, as in [1932] AC 562. Use round brackets when volumes are numbered independently of the year, as in (1992) 175 CLR 1.