The Supreme Court Reports only publishes cases from the Supreme Court of Canada. Do not add the jurisdiction because it is implied by the name of the reporter.No neutral citation is available (use two print reporters):įrame v Smith, 2 SCR 99, 42 DLR (4th) 81. Once courts began using neutral citations, they also numbered paragraphs which are used consistently, regardless of whether the case is found online or in a print reporter. To refer the reader to particular paragraphs in the judgment, use references to the neutral citation.Neutral citation and print reporter are available: To refer the reader to particular paragraphs in the judgment, add a pinpoint reference:.Baldini is the 206th judgment from the British Columbia Court of Appeal in 2012. Do not add the jurisdiction because all neutral citations include this information.See below for further details on specific citation elements, including pinpoint references, judges, and jurisdiction.Įxamples (applying the general guidelines from the General section above): Judicial district, docket number, and court (for unreported and unpublished cases)Ĭase Name, neutral citation, reporter, parallel citation + jurisdiction and other citation elements if relevant.Readily available reporters (e.g., Canadian Criminal Cases) before others (e.g., Newfoundland & PEI Reports).Broad geographic areas (e.g., Western Weekly Reports) before smaller areas (e.g., British Columbia Law Reports).General reporters (e.g., Dominion Law Reports) before subject reporters (e.g., Reports of Family Law).
To provide the greatest accessibility to readers, select the broadest to the most specific coverage: These are published by or for a Law Society (e.g., AR, BCR, OR).
The Exchequer Court reports (Ex CR) are no longer published. Prior to 2004, the Federal Court Reports were abbreviated as FC. There are two currently being published (FCR and SCR). After the neutral citation, if there is one, choose sources that your readers will be able to find as readily as possible, and that suit your intended audience. For example, if writing a paper related to family law, you may wish to use citations from the Reports of Family Law (RFL) rather than a mixture of other reporters simply to adhere to a set of guidelines. However, consider your audience, including potential future audiences.
To determine which sources to use, use the following guidelines, in the priority given. Provide references to just one source, or more than two sources, if you have been instructed to do so. Generally, when citing cases, provide references to two sources, if there are two.