Legal sources in Harvard referencing can be tricky because law has its own specialist citation system — OSCOLA (Oxford University Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities) — which many UK law schools and journals require. If you're writing for a law module, check whether your department expects OSCOLA. If you're writing for a non-law subject and need to reference a piece of legislation, a court case, or a government legal document, Harvard format is usually fine. This guide covers the Harvard approach to common legal sources.
When Harvard Applies vs. When OSCOLA Is Preferred
The key question is: who is your audience?
| Scenario | Citation System |
|---|---|
| Law module at a UK university | Almost certainly OSCOLA |
| Law journal submission (UK) | OSCOLA (check the journal's guide) |
| Non-law essay referencing a statute or case | Harvard |
| Interdisciplinary essay (e.g., politics, health policy, social work) | Harvard |
| Australian or South African university | Usually Harvard (with local legal citation conventions) |
If your institution requires OSCOLA, this guide is not the right resource — OSCOLA has its own rules for footnotes, case citations, and legislation. If you're using Harvard for a non-law essay that happens to reference legal material, read on.
Acts of Parliament / Statutes
UK Acts of Parliament are cited by their short title and the year of enactment. There is no "author" in the conventional sense — the title and year serve as the identifier.
Reference list:
Equality Act 2010 (c. 15). London: HMSO. Available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/contents (Accessed: 14 March 2025).
The "(c. 15)" is the chapter number — it identifies the Act's position in the session's legislation. Including it is good practice but not always required by Harvard guides.
In-text citations:
Legal sources often sit outside the normal author-date flow. You can integrate them naturally into your sentence:
The Equality Act 2010 protects individuals from discrimination based on nine protected characteristics.
Or, if a parenthetical style is needed:
Employers have a legal duty to make reasonable adjustments (Equality Act 2010).
Scottish Parliament Acts
Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 (asp 12). Edinburgh: Queen's Printer for Scotland. Available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2009/12/contents (Accessed: 10 January 2025).
Northern Ireland Acts
Mental Capacity Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 (c. 18). Belfast: HMSO. Available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nia/2016/18/contents (Accessed: 22 February 2025).
US Federal Statutes
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Pub. L. 101-336, 42 U.S.C. § 12101. Available at: https://www.ada.gov (Accessed: 5 March 2025).
Australian Acts
Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth). Available at: https://www.legislation.gov.au/Series/C2009A00028 (Accessed: 15 April 2025).
Statutory Instruments and Regulations
Statutory instruments (SIs) are secondary legislation made under powers delegated by an Act. Include the SI number:
Reference list:
The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016, SI 2016/1154. Available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2016/1154/contents (Accessed: 20 January 2025).
In-text:
The Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016 require operators to obtain a permit before…
Or:
(Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016)
Case Law
Citing case law in Harvard is a simplification of the full legal citation. Use the case name in italics, the year, and the law report reference:
Reference list:
Donoghue v Stevenson [1932] AC 562. Available at: https://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKHL/1932/100.html (Accessed: 14 March 2025).
In-text:
In Donoghue v Stevenson [1932], the House of Lords established the modern concept of negligence in tort law.
Understanding the Citation Elements
| Element | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Donoghue v Stevenson | Case name (in italics) — claimant v. defendant |
| [1932] | Year of the decision (square brackets when the year is part of the reference) |
| AC | Abbreviation for the law report series (Appeal Cases) |
| 562 | Page number where the case report begins |
Neutral Citations (Modern UK Cases)
Recent UK cases have a neutral citation assigned by the court — this is preferred when available:
R v Smith [2023] UKSC 15. Available at: https://www.supremecourt.uk/cases/uksc-2023-0015.html (Accessed: 22 March 2025).
| Abbreviation | Court |
|---|---|
| UKSC | UK Supreme Court |
| EWCA Civ / EWCA Crim | Court of Appeal (Civil / Criminal) |
| EWHC | High Court of England and Wales |
Bills and Hansard (Parliamentary Debates)
Bills
Bills (proposed legislation not yet enacted) are referenced by their title and the parliamentary session:
Reference list:
Online Safety Bill 2021–22, HC Bill 4. Available at: https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3137 (Accessed: 10 February 2025).
In-text:
The Online Safety Bill 2021–22 proposed new duties for social media platforms…
Hansard (Parliamentary Debates)
For guidance on referencing Hansard, see How to Reference a Government Report in Harvard Style, which covers parliamentary debate citations in detail.
EU and International Legislation
EU Regulations and Directives
EU legislation is referenced by its official title, document number, and the Official Journal reference:
Reference list:
Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data (General Data Protection Regulation). Official Journal of the European Union, L 119, pp. 1–88. Available at: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/679/oj (Accessed: 14 March 2025).
In-text:
The General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679) requires organisations to…
International Treaties
United Nations (1989) Convention on the Rights of the Child. Treaty Series, vol. 1577. Available at: https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/convention-rights-child (Accessed: 5 January 2025).
(United Nations, 1989)
Legal Commentary and Textbooks
Legal commentary — textbooks, journal articles, and encyclopaedias about law — follows the standard Harvard format for the type of source. The content is about law, but the source format is a regular book or article:
Book:
Elliott, C. and Quinn, F. (2022) English legal system. 23rd edn. Harlow: Pearson.
(Elliott and Quinn, 2022)
Journal article:
Williams, K. (2023) 'The evolution of duty of care since Donoghue v Stevenson', Modern Law Review, 86(4), pp. 789–812. doi:10.1111/1468-2230.12345.
(Williams, 2023)
These are referenced exactly as you would any other book or journal article — see How to Reference a Book in Harvard Style and How to Reference a Journal Article in Harvard Style.
Summary: Legal Source Reference Formats at a Glance
| Source Type | Reference List Format |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | Short Title Year (c. X). Place: Publisher. Available at: URL (Accessed: Date). |
| Statutory instrument | Title Year, SI Year/Number. Available at: URL (Accessed: Date). |
| Case law | Case Name [Year] Report Abbreviation Page. Available at: URL (Accessed: Date). |
| Bill | Title Session, HC/HL Bill Number. Available at: URL (Accessed: Date). |
| EU regulation | Regulation (EU) Number. Official Journal, L Issue, pp. X–Y. Available at: URL (Accessed: Date). |
| Treaty | Organisation (Year) Title. Series details. Available at: URL (Accessed: Date). |
| Legal textbook | Standard Harvard book format. |
Common Mistakes With Legal Source Citations
| Mistake | Why It's Wrong | Correct Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Using OSCOLA formatting in a Harvard reference list | OSCOLA uses footnotes and a different citation structure | Use Harvard author-date format (unless your department requires OSCOLA) |
| Putting the case name in quotation marks instead of italics | Case names are italicised in Harvard (and in OSCOLA) | Use italics: Donoghue v Stevenson |
| Omitting the year of an Act | The year is part of the Act's official title and is essential for identification | Always include the year: Equality Act 2010 |
| Confusing an Act with a Bill | An Act is enacted law; a Bill is proposed legislation | Check Parliament's website to confirm the status |
| Omitting the access date for online legal sources | Legislation databases update frequently | Always include (Accessed: Day Month Year) |
| Using informal abbreviations | "GDPR" is fine in the text but the reference list needs the full official title | Use the full title in the reference list; abbreviate in text after first use |
What's Next?
Now that you know how to reference legal sources, explore these related guides:
- How to Reference a Government Report in Harvard Style — government publications, Hansard, and white papers
- How to Cite a Source With No Author in Harvard — handling sources with no identifiable author
- Harvard Reference List — the complete guide to formatting your reference list
