LAW Legal Citation (McGill Guide) Quick Reference

Intended to be a quick reference for footnoting some common types of citations for Canadian legal publications.

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Introduction

The Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation, 10th edition (Toronto: Thomson Carswell, 2023) or the "McGill Guide" was developed to standardize Canadian legal citation. The information contained in this guide is intended to be a quick reference for footnoting some common types of citations based on the McGill Guide and, to the best of our ability, is accurate and current. The McGill Guide is the authoritative source for legal citation in Canada.

For complete information or for information on other aspects of citation, please consult the McGill Guide which is available on Reference in the Special Collections Room and in the Reserve Kiosk (KF245 .C36 2023) at the Bennett Jones Law Library.

If you don’t see an example of what you are looking to cite in the McGill Guide, please consult the Chicago Manual of Style from which the McGill Guide is based.

The Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation (McGill Guide) from Westlaw Canada allows users to quickly search for information, easily link between information in the chapters and the corresponding information in the appendices, and annotate and highlight your electronic copy. The 9th edition provides an enhanced focus on citing online resources, including instruction on: archiving internet sources; parallel citations to online resources; digital object identifiers; citing materials from online databases; citing other types of online materials, such as PDF documents, podcasts, blog posts, online video; and citing social media posts. This edition also elaborates on citation of various parliamentary papers, including debates, order papers, sessional papers, and reports, and expands the coverage on how to cite international materials including regulations, directives and decisions of the European Union, as well as Talmudic Law.

The Chicago Manual of Style Online is completely searchable and easy to use, providing quick answers to your style and editing questions. The Q & A content is fully searchable along with the content of The Chicago Manual of Style. The Chicago Manual of Style Online also provides convenient Tools, such as sample forms, letters, and style sheets.

Many other Canadian law libraries have citation guides you may also wish to consult.