How to read legal citations in Scotland
Scotland is a mixed system with its own courts and reports. Older cases are cited to the Session Cases with the year first and no brackets; modern judgments carry a neutral citation naming the Court of Session or the High Court of Justiciary.
Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Style guide: OSCOLA, with Scottish court conventions. Scottish law schools mostly use OSCOLA. The Scottish courts add their own court names and report series, and the Scottish Parliament's Acts have their own numbering.
Real citations, decoded
Click or hover over any underlined piece to see what it means.
A case in the Session Cases Case
- Case name Donoghue v Stevenson
The parties. This is the famous snail-in-the-bottle case, decided on appeal from Scotland. - Year 1932
In the Scottish reports the year comes first and is not put in brackets. The volumes are arranged by year. - Report series SC
Session Cases, the main series of Scottish civil reports, named after the Court of Session. - Court (HL)
Because this report is of a House of Lords appeal from Scotland, the court is shown in brackets. HL means House of Lords. - First page 31
The page where the report begins.
The English report of the same case is [1932] AC 562 (HL).
Full citation: Donoghue v Stevenson 1932 SC (HL) 31A modern Court of Session judgment Case
- Case name Cherry v Advocate General for Scotland
The parties. In Scotland the Crown's law officer is the Advocate General for Scotland (UK Government) or the Lord Advocate (Scottish prosecutions and civil cases for the Scottish Government). - Year [2019]
The year of the judgment, in square brackets because it is part of the neutral citation. - Court CSIH
Court of Session, Inner House, the appeal court of the Court of Session. CSOH is the Outer House (first instance). - Number 49
The running number of the judgment in that court for that year.
An Act of the Scottish Parliament Statute
,
- Short title and year Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003
Acts are named by short title and year, as at Westminster. '(Scotland)' in the title shows it is Scottish. - Act number (asp 2)
'asp' stands for Act of the Scottish Parliament, and 2 means the second Act of that year. - Section s 1
's' means section.
Acts of the UK Parliament that apply to Scotland are cited as in the rest of the United Kingdom, for example Human Rights Act 1998, s 6.
Full citation: Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 (asp 2), s 1Things to remember
- Scottish civil cases go to the Court of Session, and its two parts are the Outer House (CSOH) and the Inner House (CSIH). Criminal appeals go to the High Court of Justiciary (HCJAC).
- Civil appeals from Scotland can go to the UK Supreme Court, and those cases carry a UKSC neutral citation. Criminal appeals do not.
- Common Scottish reports are SC, SLT (Scots Law Times) and SCLR. Older cases may use reports named after the reporter, such as 'Fraser' or 'Dunlop'.
- Scots law uses some different terms: 'pursuer' for claimant, 'defender' for defendant, and 'sheriff court' for local courts.
Where to find the text, free
- Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service: judgments
- legislation.gov.uk: Acts of the Scottish Parliament
- BAILII: Scottish case law
Other legal systems
United StatesEngland and WalesIrelandCanadaAustraliaNew ZealandIndiaSouth AfricaGermanyFranceItalySpainNetherlandsJapanBrazilEuropean UnionEuropean Court of Human RightsInternational lawSingaporeHong KongChinaRussiaMexicoArgentinaTurkeySouth KoreaIsraelEgyptNigeriaMalaysiaPakistanInter-American Court of Human RightsWorld Trade OrganizationInternational Criminal CourtCaribbean
TheLawToKnow Tools’s citation guide is an educational overview of standard conventions. Courts and journals sometimes vary, so check the style guide before submitting or publishing. It is not legal advice. Report a mistake.
