The Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation (McGill Guide or Red Book; French: Manuel canadien de la référence juridique) is a legal citation guide in Canada. It is published by the McGill Law Journal of the McGill University Faculty of Law and is used by law students, scholars, and lawyers throughout Canada. The book is bilingual, one half being in English and the other in French (Manuel canadien de la référence juridique).
The first edition of the McGill Guide was published in 1986. A new edition of the book is released once every four years.[1] While the McGill Guide is the standard citation guide taught at law schools throughout Canada, many jurisdictions have their own unique citation styles.[2]
In contrast to other guides (such as the Bluebook) that are created and published jointly by multiple law reviews,[3] the McGill Guide is primarily written by full-time students on the McGill Law Journal and is published by a separate corporation.[4] The McGill Guide is compiled by the citations editor of the McGill Law Journal and is published by Thomson Reuters (previously Carswell).[1] An online subscription version of the McGill Guide was made available on Westlaw Canada in 2014.
| Edition | Year | Citations Editor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11th edition | The McGill Law Journal has committed to include a method for the citation of the indigenous legal traditions in this edition. This is being done in collaboration with the Indigenous Law Advisory Circle (ILAC). | ||
| 10th edition | 2023 | Alexandra Champagne | Foreword by the Honourable Mahmud Jamal |
| 9th edition | 2018 | Nicolas Labbé-Corbin | Forewords by Patrick Healy and Ian Binnie |
| 8th edition | 2014 | A. Max Jarvie | Forewords by John Laskin and Nicholas Kasirer
Online access to the McGill Guide made available |
| 7th edition | 2010 | Svetlana Samochkine | Removal of periods in many forms
Addition of a Foreign Sources chapter |
| 6th edition | 2006 | Eliezar I Rosenblatt | |
| 5th edition | 2002 | Timothy Reibetanz | |
| 4th edition | 1998 | Guidance on electronic sources and the internet | |
| 3rd edition | 1992 | Lisa Yarmoshuk | |
| 2nd edition | 1988 | Michael Waterson | Creation of Citations Editor position
New chapters on France and the United Kingdom |
| 1st edition | 1986 | First Canadian guide to uniform legal citation |
The 10th edition of the McGill Guide provides guidance on the style and formatting of the following elements of legal publications:
Similar to other uniform legal citation guides (such as the Bluebook), the McGill Guide has been subject to scrutiny by the legal community.[5] One of the most common criticisms is a lack of access to the book due to the price ($89.00), which is sold by Thomson Reuters, rather than directly by the McGill Law Journal.[6] The McGill Law Journal has committed to open access for its journal, but has yet to do so for its citation guide.[7]
