AGLC4 Rule 1.3: Sources Referring to Other Sources

Where it matters that one source refers to another, the two are linked by a phrase such as "quoting", "quoted in", "citing", "cited in", "discussing" or "discussed in"; other phrases may be used where apt. A comma precedes the linking phrase.

AGLC4 page 8

Formatting

  • The linking phrase is roman and lower case.
  • A comma and a space come before the linking phrase, which follows the first source's pinpoint and any judges.
  • The second source follows the phrase after one space, in its ordinary citation form (full, or shortened if already cited).
  • Choose the active form (quoting, citing, discussing) when the first source does the referring, and the passive form (quoted in, cited in, discussed in) when the first source is the one referred to.

Examples

Quoted from the Guide, page 8
  1. 46
    Burger King Corporation v Hungry Jack’s Pty Ltd (2001) 69 NSWLR 558, 570 (Sheller, Beazley and Stein JJA), quoting Metropolitan Life Insurance Co v RJR Nabisco Inc, 716 F Supp 1504, 1517 (Walker J) (SDNY, 1989).
  2. 47
    Sandy Steel, ‘On When Fairchild Applies’ (2015) 131 (July) Law Quarterly Review 363, 364, cited in Caason Investments Pty Ltd v Cao (2015) 236 FCR 322, 357 [184] (Edelman J).

Forms in the rule

Quoted from the Guide, page 8
  • , quoting
  • , cited in

Linking phrases for a source that refers to another source

Quoted from the Guide, page 8
ClauseMeaning
quotingThe first-listed source quotes the second source directly.
quoted inThe first-listed source is quoted directly in the second source.
citingThe first-listed source refers to (but does not quote directly) the second source.
cited inThe first-listed source is referred to (but not quoted directly) in the second source.
discussingThe first-listed source discusses the second source.
discussed inThe first-listed source is discussed in the second source.

See also

Check your footnotes against these rules

Paste your paper into the free AGLC4 checker and each footnote is graded against the Guide, with the rule it breaks. To write a citation from scratch, use the AGLC4 citation generator.

AGLC4 citation checker AGLC4 citation generator

Formats, examples, passages, tables and the forms marked Not are quoted from the Australian Guide to Legal Citation (4th ed, Melbourne University Law Review Association, 2018), with the page of the Guide they appear on. Titles, summaries and explanations are our own.