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HPNLU, Shimla Issues Its New for Legal Research and Publications
A comprehensive guide aims to standardize legal citations across academic works, promoting integrity and reliability in legal scholarship.
, Shimla, has unveiled a detailed —the —designed to bring uniformity and rigor to legal research and writing. The guide, effective for all research outputs including term papers, dissertations, PhD theses, and post-doctoral work, establishes clear rules for footnotes, quotations, and source referencing. It also incorporates directives from the .
The Need for Uniformity in Legal Citations
Legal research, as the style guide emphasizes,
"helps in bringing to the fore, the facts which could otherwise remain hidden from policy or rule makers."
The document notes that as social interactions grow more complex—driven by culture, technology, and globalization—the need for
"evidence based research and philosophical foundations of rules"
becomes indispensable. A
ensures that all scholarly work is verifiable and reliable, thereby strengthening the legal system both before and after the formulation of laws.
Key Features of the
The manual covers a wide spectrum of citation scenarios. For books, it prescribes formats for single authors, two authors, institutional authors, edited volumes, and translated works. Periodicals, administrative materials, parliamentary documents, international documents, and online sources each have dedicated sections. Notably, the guide mandates that every "" in a research work must include a —a precise page reference.
One critical rule addresses quotations: reproduction of fewer than 100 words may appear in the body text with single inverted commas, while longer extracts must be placed in a separate, indented paragraph with a smaller font size. The guide strictly warns that manuscripts exceeding the similarity limits set by UGC regulations
"shall be rejected out rightly, subject to the disciplinary consequences as per applicable rules."
Application in Academic Publishing
The is already being put into practice. The university's has issued a call for papers for the fifth volume of the HPNLU Journal of Tax Law (2026), explicitly requiring all submissions to adhere to the HPNLU-Shimla Citation Style. The journal, a double-blind peer-reviewed publication, welcomes articles, essays, comments, and book reviews on tax laws and policies, with a deadline of .
Key Observations from the Style Guide
The guide includes several notable directives for researchers:
"An idea or proposition borrowed by the scholar, from any previous work, published or unpublished, and not acknowledged 'properly' in the /references, shall constitute an act of liable to by the University."
"Where a is used and the same source is to be referred in the immediate footnote number, ' ' should be used, followed by full stop. If the same source is to be cited in a subsequent , not the immediate one, ' ' should be used followed by the original number."
"Researchers are advised to be wary of and cautious while using the internet. They must distinguish between the two types of materials and information available on the internet."
"For use of other signals such , generally , , or also etc., the norms prescribed by the should be followed."
Impact on Legal Scholarship
By institutionalizing these standards, HPNLU aims to enhance the quality of legal research produced within the university and beyond. The style guide serves as a practical tool for students, faculty, and practitioners, ensuring that every citation supports the authenticity and traceability of legal arguments. As the document states,
"Research, thus, complements the legal system both before and after the formulation of the laws."
With the
now in place, the university reinforces its commitment to academic excellence and ethical scholarship.
