Australian Guide to Legal Citation 4th Edition

Research papers, theses and similar documents

Documents that fall within this Australian Guide to Legal Citation ('AGLC') rule, but that are also published by a body as a book, should be cited in line with chapter 6 books.

Conference papers that have been published in journals or books are cited in line with those source types.
 

Elements

• Use the document type noted on the source, eg Working Paper, Discussion Paper, Research Paper, Conference Paper, Seminar Paper etc
• Omit the document number if it's not part of a numbered series
• Format the institution in line with AGLC rule 4.1.4
• If there is no full date on the source, include as much as is provided, eg the year
• Use the format in AGLC rules 1.1.6-1.1.7 for pinpoint references
• URLs may be included in the initial citation in line with AGLC rules 4.4–4.5
• For adjustments for Conference Papers and Theses and Dissertations, see AGLC rules 7.2.4 and 7.2.5.

Examples

¹ Tanja EA Czelusniak, ‘Forced Marriage as a Crime against Humanity’ (Research Paper No 17-02, PluriCourts, University of Oslo, 25 November 2016) 7 <https://ssrn.com/abstract=2962222>.

² Peter Ramsay, 'Imprisonment and Political Equality' (Working Paper No 8/2015, Law Department, London School of Economics and Political Science, 25 March 2015) 6 <https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2576437>.

³ Tim Hwang, ‘Computational Power and the Social Impact of Artificial Intelligence’ (Research Paper, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 23 March 2018) <https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3147971>.

⁴ Terri Janke, 'True Tracks: Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property Principles for Putting Self-Determination into Practice' (PhD Thesis, Australian National University, 2019) 328.

Speeches

Speeches published in journals or books are cited in line with those source types.
 

Elements

• Replace 'Speech' with the lecture name if the speech is a named lecture
• Format the institution in line with AGLC rule 4.1.4
• If the forum is not specified, use the location (city or town) instead
• URLs may be included in the initial citation in line with AGLC rules 4.4–4.5.

Examples

⁵ Chief Justice Susan Kiefel, 'Judicial Independence - From What and to What End?' (Austin Asche Oration in Law and Governance, Australian Academy of Law and Charles Darwin University, 27 March 2021) <https://www.hcourt.gov.au/publications/speeches/current/speeches-by-chief-justice-kiefel-ac>.

Film, television and other media

Cite videos from YouTube and other social media platforms that don't fall within this rule in line with AGLC rule 7.16.
 

Elements

• For consecutively numbered episodes that do not have a title, include the episode number instead
• Omit the episode title for films etc
• Only cite the first named/displayed studio or company if more than one is involved
• Pinpoint references are to a point/s in time
• URLs may be included in the initial citation in line with AGLC rules 4.4–4.5.
   

Examples

⁶ 'Open for Business', Court Justice: Sydney (Foxtel Management, 2017) 0:14:50.

⁷ Michael Kirby: Don't Forget the Justice Bit (Film Art Doco, 2010) 0:27:25–0:28:10.

Benchbooks

There is no specific AGLC rule for benchbooks / bench books. As the features of these sources vary, either rule 6 Books, 7.1 Reports and Similar Documents or 7.15 Internet Materials could apply. Advice from the AGLC editors states to use rule 6 Books if the benchbook has been published as an electronic or physical book, eg as shown in footnote example 8 below.

However, if the benchbook does not have page numbering, an edition number or ISBN (international standard book number) and it's frequently amended during the year, then rule 7.1 or  7.15 may be appropriate.

Given this ambiguity, examples 9 and 10 below are suggestions only and differ due to the varying features of each source. Alternative formats may also be appropriate. Whichever format you select, ensure it is clear and consistent.
 

Examples

⁸ Supreme Court of Queensland, Equal Treatment Benchbook (Supreme Court Library Queensland, 2^nd ed, 2016) 178 <https://www.courts.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/94054/s-etbb.pdf>.

⁹ ‘Supreme and District Courts Criminal Directions Benchbook’, Queensland Courts (Benchbook, December 2024) 139.2 <https://www.courts.qld.gov.au/court-users/practitioners/benchbooks/supreme-and-district-courts-benchbook>.

¹⁰ Australasian Institute of Judicial Administration, 'Parenting Orders', National Domestic and Family Violence Bench Book (Bench Book, July 2024) 7.8 <https://dfvbenchbook.aija.org.au/article/1080331>.

Images

Unlike other referencing styles, the AGLC does not contain a specific rule for referencing images. Consider applying the AGLC rule for the source that the image appears in. For example:

• if the image appears in a book — use the chapter 6 Books format with a pinpoint reference to the exact page that the image appears on
• if the image is from a website — use the 7.15 Internet Materials format with 'Image' as the Document Type.