Subsequent Citations and Short Forms
OSCOLA has no ibid. How to cite a source the second time: short names, (n 5) cross-citations, and defined short forms.
The 5th edition of OSCOLA says it plainly: ibid should not be used, and neither should supra, op cit, or any of the other Latin gadgets (rr 1.2.1, 1.2.3). Only eg, ie and cf survive.
What replaces them is one simple pattern: a short identification of the source, then a bracketed cross-citation to the footnote holding the full citation.
Cases the second time
Give a short form of the case name, then (n X) pointing at the footnote with the full citation, then any pinpoint (r 1.2.1).
Legislation the second time
Legislation needs no cross-citation. Define a short form in the first citation, in quotation marks and brackets, and use it alone afterwards (r 1.2.1).
Books and articles the second time
The author’s surname, then (n X), then the pinpoint. If you cite two works by the same author, add the title (or a short form of it) after the surname so the reader knows which one.
Cross-references to your own text
A good cross-reference lands the reader in one jump: ‘See n 109’ or ‘See text to n 20’ (r 1.2.2). Never write a bare ‘See above’.
Last reviewed 7 August 2026