Mastering Treaty Citations: A Comprehensive Guide
In the realm of legal research and writing, citing treaties is an essential skill. Treaties, agreements between nations, play a significant role in international law and can be used to interpret domestic law. Therefore, it's crucial to know how to cite them correctly. This guide will walk you through the process of citing treaties using the most common citation styles: Bluebook (21st edition), OSCOLA, and Chicago.
Understanding Treaty Citations
Before we dive into the citation styles, let's understand the basic components of a treaty citation. A treaty citation typically includes the following elements:
- The full name of the treaty (e.g., United Nations Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora)
- The abbreviation of the treaty (e.g., CITES)
- The date of the treaty (e.g., 1973)
- The place of the treaty's adoption (e.g., Washington, D.C.)
- The official treaty series (e.g., United Nations Treaty Series, or U.N.T.S.)
- The citation details (e.g., volume, page number, or article number)
Citing Treaties in Bluebook (21st Edition)
The Bluebook is the most widely used citation manual in the United States. Here's how you can cite a treaty using the Bluebook:
For a multilateral treaty:
United Nations Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, Dec. 28, 1973, 993 U.N.T.S. 243, reprinted in 12 I.L.M. 1085 (1973).
For a bilateral treaty:
Treaty Between the United States of America and the Argentine Republic Concerning the Encouragement and Reciprocal Protection of Intellectual Property, Dec. 13, 1995, U.S.-Arg., reprinted in 1866 U.N.T.S. 333.
Citing Treaties in OSCOLA
OSCOLA is a widely used citation style in the United Kingdom. Here's how you can cite a treaty using OSCOLA:
For a multilateral treaty:
United Nations Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (adopted 28 March 1973, entered into force 1 July 1975) 993 UNTS 243 (No I-16183).
For a bilateral treaty:
Treaty between the United States of America and the Argentine Republic Concerning the Encouragement and Reciprocal Protection of Intellectual Property (adopted 13 December 1995, entered into force 15 August 1996) 1866 UNTS 333 (No I-38506).
Citing Treaties in Chicago
The Chicago citation style is used in many social sciences and humanities disciplines. Here's how you can cite a treaty using Chicago:
For a multilateral treaty:
United Nations Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, Dec. 28, 1973, 993 U.N.T.S. 243, reprinted in 12 I.L.M. 1085 (1973).
For a bilateral treaty:
Treaty Between the United States of America and the Argentine Republic Concerning the Encouragement and Reciprocal Protection of Intellectual Property, Dec. 13, 1995, U.S.-Arg., reprinted in 1866 U.N.T.S. 333.
Citing Treaty Articles
If you're citing a specific article of a treaty, you can do so by adding the article number to the end of the citation. For example, in Bluebook, you would cite Article 3 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties as follows:
Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, May 23, 1969, 1155 U.N.T.S. 331, reprinted in 8 I.L.M. 679 (1969), art. 3.
Remember, the key to accurate treaty citations is consistency and attention to detail. Always double-check your citations against the original treaty or a reliable secondary source.
