Common Legal Citation Mistakes

Common legal citation mistakes Based on exercises handed in by first year legal research methodology students. • • • • • • • • • •

Forgetting a period at the end of each citation Problems with citing electronic sources: articles from subscription databases, websites (URL should not be underlined although this is done automatically in most word processors) Not italicizing party names For statutes: R.S.C. vs. S.C. Knowing when to include the database case identifier (if it’s the only citation available) Not knowing how often to cite (are the party names repeatedly cited each time they are mentioned) – this is more of a legal writing issue, will need to consult those guides How to refer to a judge’s name in-text (e.g. Justice X) When citing the course, need to consult the appendices in the McGill Citation Guide Abbreviations of journals appear in the appendices of the McGill Guide as well as online in various places (Cardiff Index is usually best) Recognizing the neutral citation and when to cite to it (according to the McGill Guide, if there is one available, it should be cited first)