Revised Edition of COAL-RJAL Citation Guide Now Published

A revised first edition of the Canadian Open Access Legal (COAL) Citation Guide/Guide canadien de la référence juridique en accès libre (RJAL) is now available: https://canlii.ca/t/7nc6q

The guide’s editors have incorporated reader feedback and corrections into a revised edition. Some of the changes include moving the general rules to their own section and revising rules on citing regularly updated books, regulations, administrative decisions, and generative AI for greater clarity and increased consistency across the guide. Additions to the guide include guidance on creating a bibliography/table of authorities and on citing reports, dissertations, municipal by-laws, court materials, First Nations, Métis, and Inuit – Crown Treaties, amongst other sources. A more detailed list is in the guide’s introduction.

Since the publication of the guide in June 2024, the editors have led multiple online training sessions and conference workshops. We are now working on training materials that reflect the revised edition. The francophone editors continue to work on the French version of the guide, with the aim to publish it in 2026. Once the French version is published, we will be able to better focus our efforts to have the courts, tribunals, and the government adopt the guide and to add the guide to citation management tools.

Reaction to the guide has been overwhelmingly positive. In fact, the guide was a recipient of a Clawbie for Best Legal Papers, Reports, or eBooks of 2024 and the Hugh Lawford Award for Excellence in Legal Publishing from the Canadian Association of Law Libraries / L’Association canadienne des bibliothèques de droit.

The guide’s editors remain committed to feedback and encourage users to get in touch at coal.rjal@ubc.ca.