The Oxford citation style (also known as the Oxford referencing style or footnote citation style) is commonly used in humanities subjects such as history and philosophy. It relies heavily on footnotes or endnotes rather than in-text citations. Each citation is given a unique footnote number, and full references are provided in the corresponding footnotes at the bottom of the page or in the endnotes section at the end of the document. Additionally, there is often a bibliography at the end of the document that lists all the sources cited.

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1. Footnote Citations

In Oxford style, citations are provided in footnotes at the bottom of the page, marked by superscript numbers in the text. These numbers correspond to full citations or shortened references at the bottom of the page.

Format for First Citation:

• Author(s), Title (Place of Publication: Publisher, Year), page number(s).

Examples:

For a book citation:

1. John Smith, The Evolution of Technology (New York: HarperCollins, 2020), 45.

For a journal article: 2. Emily Brown, 'The Influence of Social Media on Mental Health', Journal of Psychology, 12, no. 3 (2019): 34–45.

For a website: 3. Patricia Johnson, 'The Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture', The Environmental Blog, 10 April 2020, www.environmentalblog.com/climate-change-agriculture (accessed 15 July 2022).

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2. Subsequent Citations

After the first full citation of a source, Oxford style uses shortened citations in subsequent footnotes, typically just including the author's last name, a shortened title, and the page number.

Format for Subsequent Citations:

• Author's Last Name, Shortened Title, page number(s).

Examples:

For a book:

1. Smith, The Evolution of Technology, 50.

For a journal article: 2. Brown, 'The Influence of Social Media', 36.

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3. Ibid. for Repeated Citations

If you cite the same source consecutively without intervening citations, you can use "Ibid." (short for ibidem, meaning "in the same place"). "Ibid." is followed by the page number if it differs from the previous citation.

Example:

1. John Smith, The Evolution of Technology (New York: HarperCollins, 2020), 45.
2. Ibid., 47.
3. Ibid.

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4. Bibliography

At the end of your document, you should include a bibliography that lists all the sources you've cited. The bibliography is alphabetized by the authors’ last names and provides full publication details, similar to the first footnote entry but without page numbers (except for journal articles).

Format for Bibliography Entries:

• Books:
  Author's Last Name, First Name, Title of the Book (Place of Publication: Publisher, Year).

• Journal Articles:
  Author's Last Name, First Name, 'Title of the Article', Title of the Journal, Volume, no. Issue (Year): Page range.

• Websites:
  Author's Last Name, First Name, 'Title of the Webpage', Website Name, Publication Date, URL (accessed Date).

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Examples for Different Sources:

Books:

Footnote:

1. John Smith, The Evolution of Technology (New York: HarperCollins, 2020), 45.

Subsequent citation: 2. Smith, The Evolution of Technology, 50.

Bibliography entry:

• Smith, John, The Evolution of Technology (New York: HarperCollins, 2020).

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Journal Articles:

Footnote:

1. Emily Brown, 'The Influence of Social Media on Mental Health', Journal of Psychology, 12, no. 3 (2019): 34–45.

Subsequent citation: 2. Brown, 'The Influence of Social Media', 36.

Bibliography entry:

• Brown, Emily, 'The Influence of Social Media on Mental Health', Journal of Psychology, 12, no. 3 (2019): 34–45.

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Websites:

Footnote:

1. Patricia Johnson, 'The Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture', The Environmental Blog, 10 April 2020, www.environmentalblog.com/climate-change-agriculture (accessed 15 July 2022).

Subsequent citation: 2. Johnson, 'The Impact of Climate Change'.

Bibliography entry:

• Johnson, Patricia, 'The Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture', The Environmental Blog, 10 April 2020, www.environmentalblog.com/climate-change-agriculture (accessed 15 July 2022).

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5. Key Features of Oxford Style:

• Footnotes/Endnotes: Citations are given in numbered footnotes or endnotes, which provide full reference details.
• Subsequent Citations: After the first full citation, subsequent footnotes use a shortened form of the reference.
• Ibid.: This term is used when citing the same source consecutively, to avoid repetition.
• Bibliography: A comprehensive list of all sources cited, alphabetized by authors’ last names, is placed at the end of the document.

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6. Special Cases in Oxford Citation

• No Author: If a source has no author, begin the citation with the title.

Footnote:

1. The Impact of Technology on Education (New York: Tech Publishers, 2020), 45.

Bibliography:

• The Impact of Technology on Education (New York: Tech Publishers, 2020).

• Multiple Authors: For two or three authors, list all their names. For more than three authors, you can use the first author’s name followed by "et al."

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7. Why Use Oxford Citation?

Oxford citation is particularly useful in the humanities where long explanatory footnotes or endnotes are often needed. It helps maintain the flow of the text by placing detailed citations at the bottom of the page. The use of footnotes provides flexibility to add commentary or clarification without interrupting the narrative. Additionally, the bibliography allows readers to locate complete references easily.