Repeat Citations, Ibid and Short Titles

You only ever give the full citation once. Every later footnote that cites the same source uses a shortened form. Rule 1.4 governs the whole system, and it gives you two tools. Ibid points at the footnote immediately above. The short form with a footnote cross reference points anywhere else.

Ibid means the source in the footnote directly before this one. You can only use it when that previous footnote cites a single source. Ibid on its own repeats the source and the same pinpoint. Ibid followed by a new pinpoint repeats the source at a different spot. Rule 1.4.3 covers it.

When the earlier citation is not in the footnote immediately above, give a shortened name plus a cross reference to the footnote that carries the full citation. For a book or article the shortened name is the author’s surname. For a case or an Act it is the short title in italics. The cross reference takes the form (n 4), pointing at footnote 4.

If you insert or delete footnotes late in your drafting, every (n) number can shift. Recheck them before you submit. Pincite tracks the first footnote number for you when you set it on the source.

Long statute names and long case names get a short title. You define it in the first footnote by adding the short form in single quotation marks inside round brackets at the end of the citation. It stays italic if the full title is italic. After that, use the short title everywhere, including in your text.