CaseSharp

AGLC4 guide for law students

How to cite a case in AGLC4.

The rules for case footnotes in the Australian Guide to Legal Citation, 4th edition. Each one has its rule number, the right form and the mistake it stops.

Anatomy of a case citation

Example: Kartinyeri v Commonwealth (1998) 195 CLR 337, 383 (Gummow and Hayne JJ).

Case name

In italics. First-named party on each side, v with no full stop.

A case in a report series, pinpointed to one page and two judges. Choose any part to see its rule.

Covers
Australian and English cases, reported and unreported, first and later footnotes
Rules from
Three university library guides to AGLC4, read on 13 October 2026. We give rule numbers, not page numbers: look each one up by number in AGLC4's contents.
Our formatter
Fixes 10 of the 26 rules here. See which
On this page12 sections
  1. Which version to cite
  2. Case names
  3. Year and volume
  4. Pinpoints
  5. Judges
  6. Unreported judgments
  7. English cases
  8. Citing a case again
  9. Footnote basics
  10. Spot the mistakes
  11. What our formatter gets right
  12. Where these rules come from

Start here: six rules every reported case footnote uses

  1. Use the authorised reportRule 2.2.2
  2. One citation, no parallel citationsRule 2.2.7
  3. Italicise the case name, v includedRule 1.8, 2.1.11
  4. First-named party on each side onlyRule 2.1.1
  5. Round brackets for a volume-numbered seriesRule 2.2
  6. A report pinpoint: the page, after a commaRule 2.2.5

The rest of the page covers the cases that need more: unreported judgments, the Crown, English cases and later footnotes.

01Rules 2.2.2, 2.2.7, 2.3

Cite one version: the best one there is

A judgment can appear in several places: an official report, other report series and the court's own numbered copy. AGLC4 asks for one citation, the highest on this list that exists.

  1. Authorised reportThe court's official seriesCLR, FCR, NSWLR, VR
  2. Other general reportUnauthorised, covering all areasALR, ALJR, FLR
  3. Subject reportUnauthorised, one area of lawA Crim R, ACSR, IR, IPR
  4. Neutral citationThe court's own number for an unreported judgment[2009] TASSC 80
  5. Court, judge and dateAn unreported judgment with no neutral citationRule 2.3.2

The authorised report series

High Court of Australia
CLR
Federal Court of Australia
FCR
New South Wales
NSWLR
Victoria
VR
Queensland
Qd R
South Australia
SASR
Western Australia
WAR
Tasmania
Tas R

Before you settle for a neutral citation, search for the case in Lexis+ or Westlaw through your library to see whether it was reported.

  1. Use the authorised report when there is one

    Start hereRule 2.2.2Do this by hand

    If the case is in its court's authorised report series, cite that, even when the neutral citation is easier to find.

    WriteRogers v Whitaker (1992) 175 CLR 479.

    NotRogers v Whitaker [1992] HCA 58.

    CaseSharp's formatter: It can't look up a report you haven't given it, so find the authorised report yourself.

  2. One citation, no parallel citations

    Start hereRule 2.2.7Formatter fixes this

    Don't add a second citation for the same case, such as the neutral citation beside the report. Keep the most authoritative one.

    WritePerre v Apand Pty Ltd (1999) 198 CLR 180.

    NotPerre v Apand Pty Ltd [1999] HCA 36; (1999) 198 CLR 180.

    CaseSharp's formatter: Given both citations, it keeps the authorised report and drops the other.

CaseSharp's formatter fixes the rule marked ‘Formatter fixes this’. Give it ‘Perre v Apand Pty Ltd [1999] HCA 36; (1999) 198 CLR 180’ and it returns Perre v Apand Pty Ltd (1999) 198 CLR 180.

Try it with a free account
02Rule 2.1

Write the case name the AGLC4 way

The case name is the parties' names either side of a v, in italics. The name on the judgment is often longer than the name you cite.

  1. Italicise the case name, v included

    Start hereRule 1.8, 2.1.11Formatter fixes this

    Only the case name. The year, report and page stay in roman type.

    WriteRogers v Whitaker (1992) 175 CLR 479.

    NotRogers v Whitaker (1992) 175 CLR 479.

    CaseSharp's formatter: It italicises the case name only, on screen and when you copy it into Word.

  2. First-named party on each side only

    Start hereRule 2.1.1Formatter fixes this

    Leave out the other parties. Never write & Ors, & Anor, and Others or et al.

    WriteMabo v Queensland [No 2] (1992) 175 CLR 1.

    NotMabo and Others v Queensland [No 2] (1992) 175 CLR 1.

    CaseSharp's formatter: It drops and Others, & Ors, & Anor and et al.

  3. Surnames only for people

    Rule 2.1.1Do this by hand

    Leave out given names and initials.

    WriteLange v Australian Broadcasting Corporation (1997) 189 CLR 520.

    NotDavid Russell Lange v Australian Broadcasting Corporation (1997) 189 CLR 520.

    CaseSharp's formatter: It keeps given names, so take them out yourself.

  4. Shorten company words

    Rule 2.1.2Formatter fixes this

    Proprietary becomes Pty, Limited becomes Ltd and Company becomes Co, with no full stops.

    WriteCommercial Bank of Australia Ltd v Amadio (1983) 151 CLR 447.

    NotCommercial Bank of Australia Limited v Amadio (1983) 151 CLR 447.

    CaseSharp's formatter: It shortens Proprietary, Limited and Company.

  5. The Commonwealth and the states by name

    Rule 2.1.3Formatter fixes this

    Write Commonwealth, New South Wales, Queensland and so on, not the full formal name.

    WriteCommonwealth v Tasmania (1983) 158 CLR 1.

    NotCommonwealth of Australia v State of Tasmania (1983) 158 CLR 1.

    CaseSharp's formatter: It shortens Commonwealth of Australia and State of.

  6. The Crown as first party is R

    Rule 2.1.4Formatter fixes this

    When the Crown is the first-named party, usually in a criminal case, write R.

    WriteR v Tang (2008) 237 CLR 1.

    NotThe Queen v Tang (2008) 237 CLR 1.

    CaseSharp's formatter: It turns The Queen, The King, Regina or Rex as first party into R.

  7. The Crown as respondent is The Queen or The King

    Rule 2.1.4Do this by hand

    When the Crown is the respondent, write The Queen or The King, for whoever was the monarch at the time.

    WriteHoneysett v The Queen (2014) 253 CLR 122.

    NotHoneysett v R (2014) 253 CLR 122.

    CaseSharp's formatter: It leaves v R as it is, so change it yourself.

  8. Attorneys-General and Directors of Public Prosecutions

    Rule 2.1.7Do this by hand

    In a footnote, shorten them and add the jurisdiction in brackets. In the text of your essay, write the title out in full.

    • Not Attorney-General (Qld)but A-G (Qld)
    • Not Director of Public Prosecutions (NSW)but DPP (NSW)

    CaseSharp's formatter: It doesn't shorten these titles.

  9. A v with no full stop

    Rule 2.1.11Formatter fixes this

    Lower case, no full stop, and never vs or versus. Say it as 'and' in a civil case and 'against' in a criminal one.

    WriteRogers v Whitaker (1992) 175 CLR 479.

    NotRogers v. Whitaker (1992) 175 CLR 479.

    CaseSharp's formatter: It turns v. and vs into v.

  10. Later decisions between the same parties: [No 2]

    Rule 2.1.13Formatter fixes this

    Square brackets, No, a space and the number, as part of the italic name.

    WriteBahr v Nicolay [No 2] (1988) 164 CLR 604.

    NotBahr v Nicolay (No 2) (1988) 164 CLR 604.

    CaseSharp's formatter: It turns (No 2) and (No. 2) into [No 2].

  11. Re and Ex parte stay in the name

    Rule 2.1.8 to 2.1.10Do this by hand

    Write Re, not In re, and keep Ex parte in italics with the rest of the name.

    WriteRe Wakim; Ex parte McNally (1999) 198 CLR 511.

    NotIn re Wakim; Ex parte McNally (1999) 198 CLR 511.

    CaseSharp's formatter: It keeps In re, so shorten it yourself.

CaseSharp's formatter fixes the 7 rules marked ‘Formatter fixes this’. Give it ‘Mabo and Others v. Queensland (No. 2) (1992) 175 CLR 1’ and it returns Mabo v Queensland [No 2] (1992) 175 CLR 1.

Try it with a free account
03Rule 2.2

Round brackets or square brackets

The brackets around the year tell your reader how the report series is organised. Get them from the series, not from habit.

  1. Round brackets when volumes are numbered on their own

    Start hereRule 2.2Do this by hand

    Series such as the CLR and FCR number their volumes straight through, so the year goes in round brackets. It is the year of the decision.

    WriteKartinyeri v Commonwealth (1998) 195 CLR 337.

    NotKartinyeri v Commonwealth [1998] 195 CLR 337.

    CaseSharp's formatter: It keeps brackets you have right but doesn't fix wrong ones.

  2. Square brackets when you need the year to find the volume

    Rule 2.2Do this by hand

    Series such as the Queensland Reports, the Victorian Reports and the English Law Reports are organised by year, so the year goes in square brackets. It is the year of the volume.

    WriteR v Reid [2007] 1 Qd R 64.

    NotR v Reid (2007) 1 Qd R 64.

    CaseSharp's formatter: It keeps brackets you have right but doesn't fix wrong ones.

04Rules 1.1.6, 1.1.7, 2.2.5

Pinpoints: the exact page or paragraph

A pinpoint takes your reader to the part of the judgment you rely on. It follows the starting page or judgment number, after a comma and a space.

  1. A report: pinpoint the page

    Start hereRule 2.2.5Do this by hand

    Write the page number alone. No p, no at.

    WriteKartinyeri v Commonwealth (1998) 195 CLR 337, 383.

    NotKartinyeri v Commonwealth (1998) 195 CLR 337 at 383.

    CaseSharp's formatter: It keeps a pinpoint written this way but doesn't convert at, p or para.

  2. A report with numbered paragraphs: the page, then the paragraph

    Rule 2.2.5Do this by hand

    Always give the page. You may add the paragraph number after it, in square brackets.

    WriteAndrew Shelton & Co Pty Ltd v Alpha Healthcare Ltd (2002) 5 VR 577, 609 [134].

    NotAndrew Shelton & Co Pty Ltd v Alpha Healthcare Ltd (2002) 5 VR 577, [134].

    CaseSharp's formatter: It can't know the page, so add it yourself.

  3. A neutral citation: the paragraph in square brackets

    Rule 1.1.6, 2.3.1Do this by hand

    Unreported judgments have no pages to cite, so pinpoint the paragraph number, in square brackets, after a comma.

    WriteQuarmby v Keating [2009] TASSC 80, [11].

    NotQuarmby v Keating [2009] TASSC 80 para 11.

    CaseSharp's formatter: It keeps a pinpoint written this way but doesn't convert para or a missing comma.

  4. A run of paragraphs: each number in its own brackets

    Rule 1.1.7Do this by hand

    Join them with an en dash and no spaces, and write both numbers in full.

    • Not [56–9]but [56]–[59]

    CaseSharp's formatter: It doesn't split a shortened span, so write both numbers.

05Rule 2.4.1

Name the judge when you pinpoint their reasons

If your pinpoint is to one judge's reasons, or to a joint judgment, name the judges in round brackets at the end. Leave them out if your sentence already names them.

  1. In round brackets after the pinpoint, with their title

    Rule 2.4.1Do this by hand

    J is a Justice, JJ two or more Justices, CJ the Chief Justice, JA a Justice of Appeal and P the President of a Court of Appeal. Never write per.

    WriteKartinyeri v Commonwealth (1998) 195 CLR 337, 383 (Gummow and Hayne JJ).

    NotKartinyeri v Commonwealth (1998) 195 CLR 337, 383 per Gummow and Hayne JJ.

    CaseSharp's formatter: It keeps judges written this way but doesn't convert per.

06Rules 2.3.1, 2.3.2

Unreported judgments

Cite an unreported judgment only when no report of it exists. Courts began giving judgments neutral citations in the 1990s and 2000s, so older ones may not have one.

  1. With a neutral citation

    Rule 2.3.1Do this by hand

    The year in square brackets, the court's identifier and the judgment number. A paragraph pinpoint follows a comma; the judge goes last.

    WriteTropac Timbers Pty Ltd v A-One Asphalt Pty Ltd [2005] QSC 378, [19] (Muir J).

    NotTropac Timbers Pty Ltd v A-One Asphalt Pty Ltd [2005] QSC 378 [19] (Muir J).

    CaseSharp's formatter: It keeps this form but doesn't add a missing comma.

  2. Without a neutral citation

    Rule 2.3.2Do this by hand

    In round brackets: the full name of the court, the judge or judges and the full date. Then the page you rely on.

    WriteBarton v Chibber (Supreme Court of Victoria, Hampel J, 29 June 1989) 3.

    NotBarton v Chibber (Vic SC, 29/6/89) 3.

    CaseSharp's formatter: It doesn't recognise this form as a case, so the name isn't italicised. Write it by hand.

07Rule 24.1

English cases

English cases take the same form as Australian ones. Cite The Law Reports (AC, QB, KB, Ch) where the case is in them, not a neutral citation given to an old case later.

  1. Cite The Law Reports

    Rule 24.1Do this by hand

    Square brackets, because The Law Reports are organised by year.

    WriteDonoghue v Stevenson [1932] AC 562.

    NotDonoghue v Stevenson [1932] UKHL 100.

    CaseSharp's formatter: It keeps a Law Reports citation but can't swap a neutral citation for one.

  2. The same name rules apply

    Rule 2.1.2, 24.1Formatter fixes this

    Company becomes Co here too.

    WriteCarlill v Carbolic Smoke Ball Co [1893] 1 QB 256.

    NotCarlill v Carbolic Smoke Ball Company [1893] 1 QB 256.

    CaseSharp's formatter: It shortens Company and italicises the name.

CaseSharp's formatter fixes the rule marked ‘Formatter fixes this’. Give it ‘Carlill v Carbolic Smoke Ball Company [1893] 1 QB 256’ and it returns Carlill v Carbolic Smoke Ball Co [1893] 1 QB 256.

Try it with a free account
08Rules 1.4.1, 1.4.3, 1.4.4

Citing a case again: Ibid, short titles and (n 7)

Cite a case in full the first time. After that, use Ibid for the footnote straight after, or the case's short title and the number of the footnote with the full citation.

  1. 7Carlill v Carbolic Smoke Ball Co [1893] 1 QB 256, 265 ('Carlill').First citation in full. The short title goes last, in round brackets and single quotes, in italics for a case.
  2. 8Ibid.Same source as the footnote just before, and the same pinpoint. Add a pinpoint only if it changes: Ibid 260.
  3. 9Kartinyeri v Commonwealth (1998) 195 CLR 337, 383 (Gummow and Hayne JJ).A different source comes in between.
  4. 10Carlill (n 7) 260.Back to Carlill: the short title, the footnote with the full citation, then the new pinpoint.

Do this by hand It formats one citation at a time, so it can't know your footnote numbers. It doesn't write Ibid or (n 7); it keeps a short title you add.

09Rules 1.1.2 to 1.1.4, 2.1.15

Footnote basics

  • Rule 1.1.4

    End every footnote with a full stop.R v Tang (2008) 237 CLR 1.

  • Rule 1.1.3

    Separate two cases in one footnote with a semicolon, not and.Rogers v Whitaker (1992) 175 CLR 479; Perre v Apand Pty Ltd (1999) 198 CLR 180.

  • Rule 1.1.2

    Put the footnote number in your text after the punctuation, usually at the end of the sentence.

  • Rule 2.1.15

    If your sentence already names the case in full, leave the name out of the footnote.

Formatter fixes this It adds the closing full stop.

106 footnotes

Spot the mistakes

Footnotes as students often first write them. Find what's wrong in each, then open the answer.

  1. Mabo and Others v. Queensland (No. 2) (1992) 175 CLR 1Show the answer (5 fixes)Hide the answer
    Mabo v Queensland [No 2] (1992) 175 CLR 1.
    • Rule 2.1.1Drop and Others.
    • Rule 2.1.11v has no full stop.
    • Rule 2.1.13(No. 2) becomes [No 2].
    • Rule 1.8Italicise the case name.
    • Rule 1.1.4End with a full stop.
  2. Kartinyeri v Commonwealth [1998] 195 CLR 337 at 383 per Gummow and Hayne JJ.Show the answer (3 fixes)Hide the answer
    Kartinyeri v Commonwealth (1998) 195 CLR 337, 383 (Gummow and Hayne JJ).
    • Rule 2.2The CLR takes round brackets.
    • Rule 2.2.5A comma before the pinpoint, not at.
    • Rule 2.4.1Judges in round brackets, not per.
  3. Perre v Apand Pty. Ltd. [1999] HCA 36; (1999) 198 CLR 180.Show the answer (2 fixes)Hide the answer
    Perre v Apand Pty Ltd (1999) 198 CLR 180.
    • Rule 2.1.2No full stops in Pty and Ltd.
    • Rule 2.2.7One citation: keep the authorised report.
  4. R v Reid (2007) 1 Qd R 64.Show the answer (1 fix)Hide the answer
    R v Reid [2007] 1 Qd R 64.
    • Rule 2.2The Queensland Reports are organised by year, so square brackets.
  5. Quarmby v Keating [2009] TASSC 80 at para 11 (Slicer J).Show the answer (1 fix)Hide the answer
    Quarmby v Keating [2009] TASSC 80, [11] (Slicer J).
    • Rule 2.3.1A comma, then the paragraph in square brackets. No at, no para.
  6. Donoghue v Stevenson [1932] UKHL 100.Show the answer (1 fix)Hide the answer
    Donoghue v Stevenson [1932] AC 562.
    • Rule 24.1Cite The Law Reports, not a neutral citation added later.
11Tested 13 October 2026

What CaseSharp's formatter gets right

CaseSharp has an AGLC4 formatter for free accounts. On 13 October 2026 we ran it on every example on this page. It tidies case names and drops parallel citations. It doesn't fix brackets, pinpoints, judges or later references, so do those by hand.

10 of 26rules on this page fixed by the formatter, tested 13 October 2026

It fixes

Do these by hand

Every footnote the formatter drafts is a draft for you to check against these rules and the original source. It runs inside a free account, with no generative AI.

Open the formatter
12AGLC4, 2018

Where these rules come from

The Australian Guide to Legal Citation, 4th edition (2018), is published by the Melbourne University Law Review Association and the Melbourne Journal of International Law. We took every rule and rule number here from these university library guides, read on 13 October 2026. Examples with a pinpoint or a judge are the guides' own.

  • AGLC4: CasesUniversity of Queensland LibraryReported and unreported cases, rules 2.2.2 and 2.3
  • Case namesUniversity of Southern Queensland LibraryRules 2.1.1 to 2.1.15
  • Reported casesUniversity of Southern Queensland LibraryBrackets, pinpoints and judges, rules 2.2 and 2.4.1
  • Unreported casesUniversity of Southern Queensland LibraryRules 2.3.1 and 2.3.2
  • Subsequent references: Ibid and nUniversity of Southern Queensland LibraryRules 1.4.1, 1.4.3 and 1.4.4
  • United Kingdom casesUniversity of Southern Queensland LibraryRule 24.1
  • AGLC4: CasesUniversity of Newcastle LibraryOrder of preference, pinpoints and parallel citations, rules 2.2.2, 2.2.5 and 2.2.7
  • AGLC4: FootnotesUniversity of Newcastle LibraryFootnote rules 1.1 to 1.4

If your unit outline, your marker or a journal's style guide asks for something different, follow them. If you think a rule here is wrong, tell us at hello@casesharp.ai.

After the form, the facts

Is each case the one you meant?

A footnote can follow every rule here and still cite the wrong year, volume or case. CaseSharp checks that each case citation in your draft agrees with our record of that case, and links you to read the judgment on the court's site, AustLII or JADE. It doesn't check AGLC4 form, pinpoints or judges.

Try a check, no account

Up to 10 footnotes. Nothing stored. No generative AI.