# AGLC4

**Source**: https://www.library.sydney.edu.au/support/referencing/aglc4
**Parent**: https://www.library.sydney.edu.au/support/referencing/apa

## About AGLC4 referencing

The Australian Guide to Legal Citation 4th edition (AGLC4) is a comprehensive guide to citing Australian primary and secondary legal materials.

It includes rules for footnotes and bibliographies, and can be used to cite most Australian and many international legal sources.

## Manuals and resources

- [Australian Guide to Legal Citation (Melbourne University Law Review Association Inc, 4th ed, 2021)](https://law.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/3181325/AGLC4-with-Bookmarks-1.pdf)
- The basics of referencing with AGLC4 are explained in this [3 minute video from UTS](https://youtu.be/Aj2JYAqhpRM) Library.
- If you are a confident EndNote user you can find instructions on how to import a specific AGLC4 Output Style on our [EndNote guide](https://library.sydney.edu.au/support/referencing/endnote.html).
- For general information on academic referencing, including why it is essential see [here](https://library.sydney.edu.au/support/referencing/introduction-to-referencing.html).

## Getting started

Read through Chapter 1 (General Rules) of the AGLC4 manual. This covers citations, footnotes and bibliographies.  Pay particular attention to:

- 1.1.6 Pinpoint References, to understand how to refer to a specific page, paragraph, footnote or other specific section of a source.
- 1.13 Bibliographies, to understand different rules for footnoting when including references in bibliographies

You should also familiarise yourself with:

- Chapter 2 (Cases)
- Chapter 3 (Legislative Materials)

The contents and index can then be used to find appropriate rules for other sources as you need them.

### What to do if something is not covered in the manual

AGLC4 is a substantial guide, but it is not comprehensive.

Where you cannot find a citation rule to exactly match the source you want to reference, locate a similar source in AGLC4 with similar citation elements and adapt it.

As AGLC4 suggests, you should first reflect on the cardinal principles: clarity and consistency... As long as you are clear and consistent, you cannot go wrong. (AGLC4 pg. xi) If you adapt a rule for a particular source, use that same rule adaptation for all future references to the source.

AGLC4 provides examples for most citation rules at the end of each sub-chapter. Adapting examples of similar sources can be easier than adapting a rule to match your source.

- ## Related information

  [Understanding legal sources](https://library.sydney.edu.au/support/searching/understanding-legal-sources.html)
  [Legal research modules in Canvas](https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/enroll/GW7BRB)
  [Referencing](https://library.sydney.edu.au/support/referencing.html)
  [EndNote](https://library.sydney.edu.au/support/referencing/endnote.html)

- ## Contact

  We're here to help, online or in person.

  [Contact us](https://library.sydney.edu.au/about/contact.html)