Legal Citations – Secondary Source Citations

When writing legal research papers you will need to cite many different types of legal commentary, including journal articles, textbooks, newspapers and government documents. Knowing the citation formats associated with the most commonly cited secondary sources will be to your advantage!

For more information on secondary source citations, become familiar with Chapter 6 of the McGill Guide which governs the format for secondary source citations.

Textbook Citations (McGill Guide, 6.2)

A textbook citation should include the following:

Author,
  • Include the author's name as it is listed on the cover or title pages of the book, followed by a comma. Do not abbreviate names.
Title,
  • Italicize the title of the textbook.
Volume
  • If the textbook has a volume number, place a comma after the title and then write the volume number, abbreviating "volume” to "vol”.
Edition
  • If the textbook has been published in several editions, indicate which edition you are using, abbreviating "edition” to "ed”. Avoid using superscript (e.g. 6th, not 6th), and note the McGill Guide's use of "2d” and "3d”, rather than "2nd” and "3rd”.
(Place of Publication:
  • In parentheses, indicate the city of publication as it is printed on the title page. Only indicate the province, state or country after a comma if necessary. Then put a colon.
Publisher,
  • Include the publisher's name as it appears on the title page (no abbreviations), then put a comma.
Year of Publication)
  • List the year of publication of the particular edition being cited, and close your parentheses.
Pinpoint.
  • If you are referring to a specific passage, then indicate the chapter (c.), paragraph (¶ or para), footnote (n), or page number which is being quoted, preceded by "at” and followed by a period.

EXAMPLE:

Author, Title, Volume Edition (Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication) Pinpoint.
Robert J Sharpe & Kent Roach, The Charter of Rights and Freedoms,   3d ed (Toronto: Irwin Law, 2005) at 47.

Robert J Sharpe & Kent Roach, The Charter of Rights and Freedoms, 3d ed (Toronto: Irwin Law, 2005) at 47.

As a footnote, this citation would appear as follows:

EXAMPLE: At its enactment, the Charter largely expressed a liberal political vision for the country. First order rights-speech, freedom of religion, language, mobility, legal rights-were seen as protecting individual autonomy against state intrusion. The Charter did not create positive obligations upon the state to ensure equality or further individual dignity.49 ...

49 Robert J Sharpe & Kent Roach, The Charter of Rights and Freedoms, 3d ed (Toronto: Irwin Law, 2005) at 47.
(Example taken from Jeff Berryman, "Accommodating ethnic and cultural factors in damages for personal injury” (2007) 40 UBC L Rev 1.)