AGLC-referencing-printable-guide-UniSkills.pdf
AGLC referencing
Table of Contents
Introduction
AGLC 4 is a footnotes referencing style used in law. AGLC 4 is based on the Australian Guide to Legal Citation, 4th edition, produced by the Melbourne University Law Review Association in collaboration with the Melbourne Journal of International Law.
This guide is intended for students completing assignments at Curtin University. If you are publishing (for example, journal article, PhD), please consult the above publication as the examples provided here may differ from the requirements in the official style guide.
An online version of the complete AGLC manual is available at:
Print copies are also available in the Library collection.
Note: Whenever you see instruction to ‘see rules …’ in this guide, this means the rules within the AGLC4 manual.
Printable referencing guide
A printable AGLC referencing guide is available on the UniSkills downloads page.
Footnotes
General rules for footnotes
Footnotes are used to:
The footnote number should appear directly after the full stop in the text of your assessment (a footnote number may appear directly after the relevant text if it is necessary for the sake of clarity, see rule 1.1.2).
Any direct quotes in your assessment must be directly followed by a footnote (unless their source has been provided in full in the text, see rule 1.1.1). You must also always include a footnote when you have paraphrased from a source.
You must put a full stop at the end of each footnote.
To cite a second reference in the same footnote, use a semicolon and space (see rule 1.1.3 for exceptions to this rule). For example:
1 Wong v Commonwealth (2000) 236 CLR 573, 200; Crimes Act 1958 (Vic) s 3.
Repeated footnotes
If a source directly following a footnote is the same then you can use ‘ibid’ (meaning ‘the same’). If the pinpoint reference is different then you can use ‘ibid’ and the new pinpoint with no comma between, for example, Ibid 65-67.
If a source has been referred to in an earlier footnote but is different to the one directly above it, you can use the author’s surname and a cross-reference in brackets to refer to that previous citation, for example, Jones (n 3). For cases and legislation you can use the short title or popular name rather than the author’s name, for example, Tasmanian Dam Case (n 12). The short title should follow rule 1.4.4.
Examples of using ibid and (n):
1 Eric Berendt, Freedom of Speech (Oxford University Press, 2nd ed, 2005) 163.
2 Ibid.
3 Ibid 174-5.
4 Catherine Macmillan, Mistakes in Contract Law (Hart Publishing, 2010) 38.
5 Administrative Decisions (Judicial Review) Act 1977 (Cth) s 37 (‘ADJR Act’).
6 MacMillan (n 4).
7 ADJR Act (n 5).
Discursive text in footnotes
Footnotes can contain more text than just the citation. This other text is called discursive text. When using discursive text in a footnote, the citation should appear after a colon at the end of that text, unless the citation appears in the discursive text, including relevant pinpoints. For example:
8 The scope of this legislation is confined to children as users of the internet: Enhancing Online Safety Act 2015 (Cth) s 5.
Inserting footnotes in Word
To add footnotes to your Word document:

Pinpoint citations
A pinpoint is a reference to a specific page or paragraph. A pinpoint to a page should appear as a number, while a pinpoint to a paragraph should appear as a number in square brackets. The pinpoint is placed at the end of the reference and for most resource types it should come after a space. For example:
HLA Hart, The concept of Law (Clarendon Press, 1970) 15.
For some resource types such as journal articles and cases you are need to place a comma before the pinpoint. For example:
Gordon Goldberg, ‘Confusions Concerning Common Count’ [2000] Restitution Law Review 189, 67.
Common resource types which need a comma before the pinpoint:
Always check the examples provided for your resource type to see if a comma is needed or not.
Quotations within the text
Short quotations (of three lines or less) should be written inside single quotation marks. For example:
Priestley JA stated that ‘there is a close association of ideas between the terms unreasonableness, lack of good faith and unconscionability.’12
Long quotations (of four lines or more) should appear indented from the left margin, in a smaller font size and without quotation marks. Legislative and treaty extracts, regardless of length may also appear this way. For example:
The Judge stated:
Thus elaborating, the first question is whether a financial benefit is given within the meaning of s 229 of the Corporations Act (in relation to the prohibition on related party benefits without member approval). The second question is whether the exception for arm’s length terms in s 210 of the Corporations Act is made out…23
Omissions, alterations and significant errors in quotes:
Citing quoted material
AGLC prefers you to cite the original text if it is available. If this is impossible, then give as full a reference to the original text as you can and use the words ‘quoted in,’ ‘cited in,’ or ‘discussed in’ and give a full reference to the secondary text. For example:
Mason v Freedman [1958] SCR 483, quoted in Shelanu Inc v Print Three Franchising Corporation (2003) 64 OR (3d) 533, 556. Bibliographies
The first step is to check with your lecturer whether they require you to produce a bibliography. It may be the case that footnotes are enough. A bibliography includes not only all the sources you have cited in your assessment (which is the role of footnotes) but also the sources you have consulted and relied on while researching your assignment.
If you are required to include a bibliography, you must list all sources you used to complete your assignment alphabetically under the following headings. These headings are centered on the page and printed in italics:
A Articles / Books / Reports
B Cases
C Legislation
D Treaties
E Other
References in your bibliography should be set out as in your footnotes with the following four exceptions:
Case law
Footnote components:
Case Name in Italics (Year) Volume Law Report Series Starting Page, Pinpoint.
--- **Footnote examples:** **_Law report organised by volume number_** _Johnson v Staskos_ (2015) 48 WAR 349, 13. **_Law report organised by year_** Bakker v Stewart [1980] VR 17, 22.Extra tips
Footnote components:
Case Name in Italics [Year] Court identifier Judgment number, [Pinpoint].
--- **Footnote example:** _R v Landmeter_ [2015] SASFC 3, [16].Extra tips
</div>
Footnote components:
Case Name in Italics (Court, Judge(s), Full judgment date) Pinpoint.
--- **Footnote example:** _Barton v Chibber_ (Supreme Court of Victoria, Hampel J, 29 June 1989) 3.</div>
Footnote components:
Parties’ Names in Italics, Volume Report Series and Series Number Starting Page, Pinpoint (Jurisdiction and Court Name, Year).
--- **Footnote example:** _Bush v Schiavo_, 885 So 2d 321, 336 (Fla, 2004).Extra tips
</div>
</div>
Legislation
Footnote components:
Title Year in Italics (Abbreviated Jurisdiction) Pinpoint.
--- **Footnote examples:** _**Act of Parliament**_ _National Health Act 1953_ (Cth) s 87. _**Delegated legislation**_ _Radiation Safety (General) Regulations 1983_ (WA) reg 22.Extra tips
Footnote components:
Title of Bill Year (Abbreviated Jurisdiction) Pinpoint.
--- **Footnote example:** Australian Border Force Bill 2015 (Cth) cl 26.Extra tip
</div>
The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia may be cited as the Australian Constitution, the Commonwealth Constitution, or simply as the Constitution as long as there is no chance that your reader will mistake it for a different constitution:
Australian Constitution s 51(ii).
It may also be referred to within its enacting legislation:
Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 (Imp) 63 & 64 Vict, c 12, s 9.
Constitutions of the Australian states should be cited as normal statutes:
Constitution Act 1889 (WA) s 2(1).
Footnote components:
Explanatory Memoranda, Title of Bill Year (Abbreviated Jurisdiction) Pinpoint.
--- **Footnote example:** Explanatory Memoranda, Health Legislation Amendment Bill (No 1) 2003 (Cth).Extra tip
</div>
Footnote components:
Jurisdiction not abbreviated, Parliamentary Debates in Italics, Chamber of the House, Full date of Debate, Pinpoint (Name of Speaker, Position of Speaker).
--- **Footnote example:** Commonwealth, _Parliamentary Debates_, Senate, 3 May 2016, 3322 (Penny Wong).Extra tips
</div>
Footnote components:
Jurisdiction not abbreviated, Gazette Title in Italics, No Gazette Number, Full Date, Pinpoint.
--- **Footnote examples:** Commonwealth, _Gazette: Special_, No s 489, 1 December 2004. Minister for Lands (WA), 'Land Acquisition and Public Works Act 1902- Native Title Act 1993 (Commonwealth) - Notice of Intention to Take Land for a Public Work' in Western Australia, _Western Australian Government Gazette_, No 27, 18 February 1997, 1142, 1143.Extra tips
</div>
Footnote components:
Instrumentality/Officer, Instrument Title in Italics, (Document Number, Full Date) Pinpoint.
--- **Footnote example:** Australian Taxation Office, _Income Tax: Business Related Capital Expenditure -Section 40-880 of the Income Tax Act 1997 Core Issues_, (TR 2011/6, 30 November 2011).Extra tips
</div>
Footnote components:
Treaty Title in Italics, Parties’ Names (where applicable), Date Opened for Signature or Signed, Treaty Series (date of entry into force) Pinpoint.
--- **Footnote example:** _The Antarctic Treaty_, signed 1 December 1959, 402 UNTS 71 (entered into force 23 June 1961) art 1.</div>
Footnote components:
Statute Title in Italics, Title Chapter or Volume Number Abbreviated Code Name Pinpoint (Publisher’s Name, Year of Code, Supplement).
--- **Footnote example:** _Trade Act of 2002_, 19 USC § § 3803-5 42 (2006).Extra tips
</div>
</div>
Secondary sources
Author variations
Author variations apply to all secondary source reference types (books, journal articles, reports etc.).
Examples
Scott Grattan, ‘Revisiting Restraints on Alienation: Public and Private Dimensions’ (2015) 41(3) Monash University Law Review 67, 84.
Paul Latimer, Australian Business Law (Oxford University Press, 35th ed, 2016) 36.
Examples
Ronald Dworkin and Ross Redford, Law’s Empire (Harvard University Press, 1968) 18.
Jacob Greber and Andrew Tillett, ‘Donald Trump Nominates Australian Ambassador’, Financial Review (online at 6 November 2018) <https://www.afr.com/news/politics/donald-trump-nominates-australian-ambassador-20181106-h17kx5>.
Examples
Sarah Joseph, Jenny Schultz and Melissa Castan, The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights: Cases, Materials and Commentary (Oxford University Press, 2nd ed, 2004).
Bronwyn Naylor, Julie Debeljak and Anita Mackay, ‘Introduction: Implementing Human Rights in Closed Environments’ (2015) 31(1) Law in Context 1, 6.
Examples
Paul Rishworth et al, The New Zealand Bill of Rights (Oxford University Press, 2003).
Martin Dockray et al, ‘Why Do We Need Adverse Possession?’ [1985] (Spring) Conveyancer and Property Lawyer 272, 275.
Examples
Qantas Airways, Qantas Annual Report 2017: Positioning for Sustainability and Growth (Report, 2017) 12.
Department of Education (Cth), Department of Education 2018-19 Annual Report: Opportunity Through Learning (Report, 2019) 56.
Journal and news articles
Footnote components:
Author First Name or Initial(s) Author Surname, ‘Title of Article’ (Year) Volume number(Issue number) Full Journal Title in Italics First Page of Article, Pinpoint .
--- **Footnote examples:** Scott Grattan, 'Revisiting Restraints on Alienation: Public and Private Dimensions' (2015) 41(3) _Monash University Law Review_ 67, 84 \<https://heinonline.org/HOL/P?h=hein.journals/monash41&i=75\>. Bronwyn Naylor, Julie Debeljak and Anita Mackay, 'Introduction: Implementing Human Rights in Closed Environments' (2015) 31(1) _Law in Context_ 1, 6 \<https://heinonline.org/HOL/P?h=hein.journals/lwincntx31&i=9\>. Martin Dockray et al, 'Why Do We Need Adverse Possession?' [1985] (Spring) _Conveyancer and Property Lawyer_ 272, 275. Anusha Pirani, 'Cryptocurrency: A Magical Bubble or the Future of Currency' (2018) 5(8) _Court Uncourt_ 29: 29-31, 30 \<https://heinonline.org/HOL/P?h=hein.journals/counco5&i=325\>. Andrew Sherrill et al, 'Understanding How Grammatical Aspect Influences Legal Judgment' (2015) 10(10) _PLOS One_ e0141181: 1-19, 15 \<https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0141181\>.Extra tips
Year, volume number, issue number:
Journal title
Pinpoint references
URL
Footnote components:
Author First Name or Initial(s) Author Surname, ‘Title of Article’ (Year) Volume number(Issue number) Full Journal Title in Italics (advance).
--- **Footnote examples:** Shiri Krebs, Ingrid Nielsen and Russell Smyth, 'What Determines the Institutional Legitimacy of the High Court of Australia?' (2019) 43(2) _Melbourne University Law Review_ (advance). Virginia Mantouvalou, 'Welfare-to-Work, Structural Injustice and Human Rights' (2020) _Modern Law Review_ (advance).</div>
Footnote components:
Reporter First Name or Initial(s) Reporter Surname, ‘Title of Article’, Italicised Newspaper Title (Place of Publication, Full Date) Pinpoint.
--- **Footnote examples:** Tomio Geron, 'As Market Softens, Startups Work Harder to Compete for Talent', _Wall Street Journal_ (New York, 20 June 2016), 12. Jacob Greber and Andrew Tillett, 'Donald Trump Nominates Australian Ambassador', _Financial Review_ (online, 6 November 2018) \<https://www.afr.com/news/politics/donald-trump-nominates-australian-ambassador-20181106-h17kx5\>.Extra tips
</div>
</div>
Books
Footnote components:
Author First Name or Initial(s) Author Surname, Title of Book in Italics (Publisher, edition ed, Year) Pinpoint.
--- **Footnote examples:** Paul Latimer, _Australian Business Law_ (Oxford University Press, 35th ed, 2016) 36. Sarah Joseph, Jenny Schultz and Melissa Castan, _The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights: Cases, Materials and Commentary_ (Oxford University Press, 2nd ed, 2004). Paul Rishworth et al, _The New Zealand Bill of Rights_ (Oxford University Press, 2003). Justin Healey (ed), _Drug Law Reform Debate_ (Spinney Press, 2014) 123.Extra tips
Footnote components:
Chapter Author First Name or Initial(s) Chapter Author Surname, ‘Chapter Title’ in Editor First Name or Initial(s) Editor Surname, Title of Book in Italics (Publisher, edition ed, Year) Starting page of chapter, Pinpoint.
--- **Footnote examples:** Frederick Hendrik Kistenkas, 'Sustainable Development: New Thoughts' in Volker Mauerhofer (ed), _Legal Aspects of Sustainable Development_ (Springer International Publishing, 2016) 535, 540. Paul James Cardwell and Tamara Hervey, 'Bringing the Technical into the Socio-Legal: The Metaphors of Law and Legal Scholarship of a Twenty-First Century European Union' in David Cowan and Daniel Wincott (eds), _Exploring the 'Legal' in Socio-Legal Studies_ (Palgrave Macmillan, 2016) 157.</div>
Footnote components:
Dictionary Title in Italics (Edition Number ed, Publication Year) ‘Title of Entry’ (def Definition Number).
--- **Footnote examples:** **Print dictionary** _Macquarie Dictionary_ (5th ed, 2009) 'demise' (def 4). **Online dictionary** _Encyclopaedic Australian Legal Dictionary_ (online at 20 February 2018) 'default judgment' (def 1).Extra tip
</div>
Footnote components:
Publisher, Title of Encyclopedia in Italics, vol Volume Number (at Full date) Title Number Name of Title, ‘Chapter Number Name of Chapter’ [Paragraph].
--- **Footnote examples:** _**Print encyclopedia**_ LexisNexis, _Halsbury's Laws of Australia_, vol 15 (at 25 May 2009) 235 Insurance, '2 General Principles' [235-270]. **Online encyclopedia** WestLaw AU, _The Laws of Australia_ (online at 15 February 2018) 2 Administrative Law, '2.3 Access to Information' [2.3.10].Extra tip
</div>
Footnote components:
Publisher, Title in Italics, vol Volume Number (at most recent service number for pinpoint or Date of last update) [Pinpoint].
--- **Footnote examples:** _**Print looseleaf**_ Niel J Williams, LexisNexis Butterworths, _Civil Procedure: Victoria_, vol 1 (at service 231) [21.01.1]. _**Online looseleaf**_ CCH Australia, _Australian Intellectual Property Commentary_ (online at 20 February 2018) ¶7-000.Extra tips
</div>
Footnote components:
Author First Name or Initial(s) Author Surname, ‘Title’ (Type of Thesis, Institution, Year) Pinpoint.
--- **Footnote example:** Michelle Evans, 'The Use of the Principle of Subsidiarity in the Reformation of Australia's Federal System of Government' (PhD Thesis, Curtin University, 2012) 17.Extra tip
</div>
Footnote components:
Author First Name or Initial(s) Author Surname, ‘Title’ (Conference Paper, Name of Conference, Full Date) Pinpoint.
--- **Footnote example:** Jessica Almqvist, 'Global Judicial Governance of Cultural Diversity: The Role of the European Judge' (Conference Paper, European Society of International Law Annual Conference, 31 December 2015).Extra tips
</div> </div>
Reports
Footnote components:
Author, Title of Report in Italics (Document Type/Series No Document Number, Full Date) Pinpoint.
--- **Footnote examples:** Community Law Australia, _Unaffordable and Out of Reach: The Problem of Access to the Australian Legal System_ (Report, July 2012). Qantas Airways, _Qantas Annual Report 2017: Positioning for Sustainability and Growth_ (Report, 2017) 12.Extra tips
Footnote components:
Author, Title of Report in Italics (Document Type/Series No Document Number, Full Date) Pinpoint.
--- **Footnote examples:** _Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption_ (Final Report, December 2015) vol 2. Australian Law Reform Commission, _Elder Abuse_ (Discussion Paper No 83, December 2016). Victorian Law Reform Commission, _Civil Justice Review_ (Report No 14, March 2008) 4.Extra tips
</div>
Footnote components:
Australian Bureau of Statistics, Title of Report in Italics (Catalogue Number, Full Date) Pinpoint.
--- **Footnote examples:** Australian Bureau of Statistics, _Prisoners in Australia, 2019_ (Catalogue No 4517.0, 5 December 2019).Extra tips
</div>
Footnote components:
Committee, Legislature, Title in Italics (Document Type/Series No Document Number, Full Date) Pinpoint.
--- **Footnote examples:** Environment and Natural Resources Committee, Parliament of Victoria, _Inquiry into the Environment Effects Statement Process in Victoria_ (Parliamentary Paper No 59, September 2011). Senate Legal Constitutional References Committee, Parliament of Australia, _Inquiry into Alternative Dispute Resolution and Restorative Justice_ (Final Report, May 2009) 26. Department of Parliamentary Services (Cth), _Bills Digest_ (Digest No 75 of 2008-09, 27 January 2009) 8.</div>
</div>
Websites & social media
Footnote components:
Author, ‘Document Title’, Webpage Title in Italics (Document Type, Full Date) Pinpoint .
--- **Footnote examples:** Peter Ryan, 'Global Bank HSBC Owns Up to Potential Anti-Money Laundering Law Breaches, _ABCNews_ (Web Page, 8 April 2020) \<https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-08/banking-giant-hsbc-flags-potential-money-laundering-breaches/12132454\>. Jeremy Gans, 'News: Five New Special Leave Grants Bring the Yearly Total to 35', _Opinions on High_ (Blog Post, 15 December 2018) \<http://blogs.unimelb.edu.au/opinionsonhigh/2018/12/15/news-five-special-leave-grants-bring-the-yearly-total-to-35\>.Extra tips
Footnote components:
Username, ‘Title’ (Social Media Platform, Full Date, Time) .
--- **Footnote examples:** @AustLii, (Twitter, 10 December 2018, 8.26pm) \<https://twitter.com/austlii/status/1072333780755591169\>. VictoriaLegalAid, 'Australia's Legal System - What's the Law? Australian Law for New Arrivals' (YouTube, 24 October 2011) 00:00:10-00:01:50 \<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RO5bBEulP68\>.Extra tips
</div>
</div>
Other sources
Footnote components:
Film Title in Italics (Version details, Studio/Production Company/Producer, Year) Pinpoint.
--- **Footnote examples:** _Legally Blonde_ (Metro Goldwyn Mayer, 2001) 1:12:00. _To Kill a Mockingbird_ (Brentwood Productions, 1962) 0:30:05.Extra tips
Footnote components:
‘Episode Title’, Series Title in Italics (Studio/Production Company/Producer, Year) Pinpoint.
--- **Footnote examples:** 'Episode Three', _When They See Us_ (Netflix, 2019). 'Accounts Payable', _Suits_ (Open 4 Business Productions, 2016) 0:29:03.Extra tips
</div>
Footnote components:
‘Episode Title’, Series Title in Italics (Version details, Studio/Production Company/Producer, Full Date of Broadcast) Pinpoint.
--- **Footnote example:** 'Family Violence Killing Found to be a Workplace Death', _The Law Report_ (ABC National Radio, 21 July 2020) \<https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/lawreport/family-violence-killing-found-to-be-aworkplace-death/12448338\>.Extra tips
</div>
Footnote components:
Type of Correspondence from Author to Recipient, Full Date, Pinpoint.
--- **Footnote examples:** Email from Vanessa Li to Samantha Jones, 4 November 2015. Letter from Sir Peter Cosgrove to Malcolm Turnbull, 3 July 2016 \<http://gg.gov.au/sites/default/files/files/gg/2016/Election%20Letters%20PM%20GG.pdf\>, archived at \<https://perm.cc/59PC-V4YW\>.Extra tips
</div>
Footnote components:
Author, ‘Title’ (Speech, Institution/Forum, Full Date) Pinpoint.
--- **Footnote examples:** Chief Justice Robert French, 'Legal Change - the Role of Advocates' (JD Lecture Series, Melbourne Law School, 22 June 2016). Justice Dyson Heydon, 'Threats to Judicial Independence: The Enemy Within' (Speech, Inner Temple, 23 January 2012).Extra tips
</div>
Footnote components:
Interview with Name of Interviewee (Name of Interviewer, Forum or Form of Interview, Full Date).
--- **Footnote examples:** Conversation with Chief Justice John G Roberts Jr, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (Carolyn Evans, Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne, 20 July 2017).Extra tips
</div>
Before using GenAI tools in your assessment, check the unit outline or assessment guidelines, or speak with your unit coordinator to confirm whether GenAI use is permitted.
If you use a GenAI tool, such as ChatGPT, Claude, or Copilot, when completing an assessment, it is recommended to declare your use. Additionally, if you have used GenAI to create content that you include in your work, you must reference this use as a source of information. Referencing is a standardised way of acknowledging sources such as books, articles, and websites to show that your work is based on credible evidence. **GenAI must be cited** if used as an information source. This is required in the same way as any other information you include in your work that comes from an external source. It is important to understand that AI-generated content is considered a **non-recoverable source**. This means that the content produced is usually not accessible to anyone other than the person who generated it. Unless the GenAI tool provides a shareable link to the chat, other people cannot be directed to the exact location where the content was created. This makes it difficult to verify claims in the same way as traditional sources. GenAI tools are also **not considered scholarly sources** at this time. Their responses are created from large training datasets, and the original source of the information is often unknown. For this reason, GenAI outputs should be used with care in academic work. If the GenAI text discusses theories or specific ideas, you should include additional sources to support them with scholarly research. If you are allowed to use GenAI in your work, it is good practice to include: * **A written declaration** You should follow your Unit Coordinator’s instructions or use the [Library’s declaration template](https://uniskills.library.curtin.edu.au/study/gen-ai/reference/#how-to-declare-and-reference-gen-ai-use) to clearly explain how GenAI supported your work. You may also wish to include the prompts you used as a list or by sharing a link to the chat. * **A footnote** This is required if the generated text has been quoted, paraphrased or summarised in your written work. ---Footnote
AGLC has provided interim advice that content generated from an AI tool should be referenced as Written Correspondence (Rule 7.12).
Footnote components:
Output from Software, Creator to Recipient, Day Month Year.
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