Wikipedia:WikiProject International law/Citation guide

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Treaties and international conventions

• Treaty name / Date / Treaty series citation / Pinpoint / Date of entry into force

• For treaties to which states can consent to be bound after the date on which they were opened for signature, the full date on which the treaty was opened for signature should be cited. Otherwise, the date on which the treaty was signed by all of the parties should be included.

Example: The Antarctic Treaty, opened for signature 1 December 1959, 402 UNTS 71, art 7(2) (entered into force 23 June 1961).

• If the states parties to a bilateral treaty do not appear in the title, they should be listed after the date and should be separated by an en-dash. It's not necessary to list the parties to a multilateral treaty.

Example: Convention for the Avoidance of Double Taxation with Respect to Taxes on Income and Capital, 20 November 1978, Canada-Romania, 1467 UNTS 241 (entered into force 29 December 1980).

• Where applicable, one of the following should be cited: a primary international treaty series (for example, the United Nations Treaty Series ("UNTS"), the League of Nations Treaty Series ("LNTS")); an official treaty series of a state party (for example, the United Nations Treaties and Other International Agreements ("UST")); another international treaty series (for example, the Consolidated Treaty Series ("ConTS")). Parallel citations should not be used.

• The following abbreviations should be used in pinpoint references to a treaty: Article (art); Articles (arts); Section (s); Sections (ss); Subsection (sub-s); Subsections (sub-ss); Paragraph (para); Paragraphs (paras); Schedule (sch); Schedules (schs); Appendix (app).

Example: Treaty Establishing the European Economic Community, opened for signature 25 March 1957, 298 UNTS 11, art 85(1) (entered into force 1 January 1958).

International Court of Justice

The International Court of Justice publishes its opinions in Reports of Judgments, Advisory Opinions and Orders (abbreviated to "ICJ Rep"). The Court also publishes Pleadings, Oral Arguments, Documents (abbreviated to "ICJ Pleadings").

• Introductory articles such as "The" and the words "Case" or "Case Concerning" should be omitted.

Example: Military and Paramilitary Activities in and against Nicaragua (Nicaragua v. United Nations of America) (Merits) (1986) ICJ Rep 14.

United Nations materials

Citations to UN materials should include the following where applicable:

• author and/or title
• resolution number
• official record
• session number
• subdivision
• pinpoint reference
• UN document number
• year