Oxfordstyle

Oxford style refers to a family of citation and formatting practices associated with the University of Oxford and with humanities scholarship that uses footnotes or endnotes rather than parenthetical author-date citations. It is not a single universal system; the term covers related guides used in Oxford‑affiliated departments and in some journals and publishers that adopt the Oxford approach to references.

Core features typically include giving full bibliographic details in a footnote at the first reference, followed by shortened notes for later references to the same source, and a bibliography or references list at the end containing full citations. The precise punctuation, order of elements (author, title, publication place, publisher, year, page numbers), and the treatment of sources vary by guide and source type (books, articles, chapters, online resources). Variants are used across disciplines such as history, literature, philosophy, and theology, especially in settings influenced by Oxford traditions.

Oxford style guides are produced by institutions and publishers linked to Oxford University, including department handbooks and Oxford University Press publications. Because practices can differ between faculties and journals, authors are advised to consult the specific Oxford guide required for a project and to maintain consistent formatting throughout a document.

Relation to other styles: Oxford style is distinct from author-date systems like Harvard and from Chicago’s notes and bibliography in its own conventions for notes, abbreviations, and ordering. It emphasizes citation via footnotes or endnotes and a concluding bibliography, aligning with the scholarly emphasis on source documentation in humanities writing.