Research guide
How to cite an Australian case in AGLC4
AGLC4 is the Australian Guide to Legal Citation (4th edition), published by the Melbourne University Law Review in conjunction with the Melbourne Journal of International Law. Every Australian law school teaches it, and most assignments, submissions, and court documents are expected to use it. This guide walks you through the five-step method for citing an Australian case in AGLC4 without having to flick through the rulebook.
Last updated 12 April 2026. Written by the CaseSharp team in Sydney. This is research guidance, not legal advice.
Short answer
Case name in italics, then the report or neutral citation in the right bracket style, then the pinpoint. The full form the first time you cite a case, a short-title version every time after. Example, reported: Mabo v Queensland (No 2) (1992) 175 CLR 1, 42. Example, neutral: Sullivan v Moody [2001] HCA 59, [32].
Reported or unreported: which do I use?
AGLC4 prefers the authorised report series if the case has been published in one. For High Court decisions, that is the Commonwealth Law Reports (CLR). For Federal Court decisions, the Federal Court Reports (FCR). For NSW Supreme Court decisions, the NSW Law Reports (NSWLR). If an authorised report is not available, use the neutral citation: the unique citation a court assigns to its own decisions, independent of any publisher. If neither exists, use an unauthorised report such as the Australian Law Reports (ALR).
The five steps
Write the case name in italics
The case name uses italics throughout. Party names on either side of a lowercase v, with no full stop. Write "Mabo v Queensland" not "Mabo v. Queensland". For second-in-time cases or re-hearings, include the descriptor in round brackets after the title, for example (No 2).
Pick the year bracket style
Square brackets around the year when the report series is organised by year, for example [2001] HCA 59. Round brackets around the year when the report series is organised by volume, for example (1992) 175 CLR 1. This is the rule that trips students up most often, so pay attention to which style the specific report series uses.
Add the report series and starting page
After the year bracket, write the volume number (if any), then the AGLC4-approved abbreviation for the report series, then the starting page of the report. Do not put a comma between the volume and the series. Example: (1992) 175 CLR 1 means volume 175 of the Commonwealth Law Reports, starting at page 1.
Handle neutral citations correctly
For neutral citations, the year goes in square brackets, followed by the court abbreviation, followed by the sequential judgment number. HCA, FCA, FCAFC, NSWSC, VSC, and every other Australian court has its own abbreviation. Do not add a report series or a starting page. Example: Sullivan v Moody [2001] HCA 59.
Add the pinpoint citation
The pinpoint is the specific page or paragraph you are relying on. For reported citations, use a page number after a comma: (1992) 175 CLR 1, 42. For neutral citations, use the paragraph number in square brackets after a comma: [2001] HCA 59, [32]. Multiple pinpoints are separated by commas within the same bracket set. Paragraph-range pinpoints use an en dash, for example [32]-[35].
Worked examples
- High Court reported, Mabo (No 2)
- Mabo v Queensland (No 2) (1992) 175 CLR 1, 42.
- High Court neutral, Sullivan v Moody
- Sullivan v Moody [2001] HCA 59, [32].
- Federal Court reported, Dranichnikov
- Dranichnikov v Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs [2000] FCA 63, [12].
- English foundation, Donoghue v Stevenson
- Donoghue v Stevenson [1932] AC 562, 580.
- Short title on subsequent citations
- After the first full citation, Mabo (No 2) alone is enough. Use the short title that is least ambiguous in context.
Common mistakes that lose marks
- Writing the case name in roman rather than italics.
- Putting a full stop after “v”. AGLC4 uses lowercase v with no punctuation.
- Using square brackets for the CLR year, when CLR is a volume series and takes round brackets.
- Using a page number as a pinpoint for a neutral citation, when the neutral form only carries paragraph numbers.
- Forgetting the comma between the starting page and the pinpoint.
- Mixing authorised and unauthorised reports when an authorised report exists.
Frequently asked questions
- When do I use a short title?
- Use the full citation on the first mention of a case. Use a short title on every mention after that, as long as the short title is unambiguous in context. For a case called Mabo v Queensland (No 2), the usual short title is Mabo (No 2).
- How do I cite a dissent or a specific judge?
- Add the judge’s surname and title after the pinpoint in round brackets, for example Mabo v Queensland (No 2) (1992) 175 CLR 1, 42 (Brennan J). For Chief Justice use CJ, Justices of Appeal use JA, Justices use J.
- What about cases from before neutral citations existed?
- Use the reported citation. Neutral citations started in Australia around 1998, so older cases only have reported forms.
- Can CaseSharp generate the citation for me?
- Yes. Every authority page on CaseSharp shows the AGLC4 citation with a one-click copy button. Pro users get a Word export that produces the citation in the same style. The citation generator is a pure function and works without an account.
Generate AGLC4 citations without hand-formatting
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