Legal research and writing are fundamental aspects of legal education and practice. The ability to properly cite legal authorities is not merely a matter of academic formality but a crucial skill that enhances the credibility, authority, and clarity of legal scholarship. In Nigeria, the Nigerian Association of Law Teachers (NALT) recognized the need for a standardized citation format tailored to the Nigerian legal context, leading to the development of the NALT Uniform Format and Citation Guide.

The Genesis of the NALT Citation Guide

Prior to the development of the NALT Citation Guide, law faculties across Nigeria employed various citation styles, often borrowing from foreign formats such as the Oxford Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities (OSCOLA), the Modern Language Association (MLA) style, or the American Psychological Association (APA) style. While these formats served their purpose, they were not specifically designed for the Nigerian legal system and its unique sources.

The journey toward a uniform citation guide for Nigerian legal research began at the NALT Conference held at the University of Ilorin in 2013. During this conference, erudite professors including Popoola of OAU, MOU Gasiokwu of Unijos, Yusuf Aboki of ABU, Allswell Muzan of KSU, and others proposed the development of a standardized approach to legal research writing and citation that would be uniquely Nigerian.

Following this proposal, a committee was formed comprising senior professors and experts in legal research methodology. After seven months of rigorous work, a draft proposal was presented and accepted at the NALT Conference at Ebonyi State University (ESU) Abakaliki in 2014. The draft was further improved and presented to the Committee of Deans and Directors.

The final milestone in the development of the NALT Citation Guide came in 2015 when the final draft was ratified and approved at the NALT Conference held at Afe Babalola University (ABUAD). The guide was launched online for the first time under the leadership of Associate Professor Smaranda Olarinde, the 2015 NALT President.

The Purpose and Scope of the NALT Citation Guide

The NALT Uniform Format and Citation Guide (colloquially known as NALT's Blue Book) serves several important purposes:

1. Standardization: It provides a uniform approach to legal research writing and citation across law faculties and legal research institutes in Nigeria, ensuring consistency in academic work.
2. Localization: It addresses the specific needs of Nigerian legal research, incorporating local legal sources, cases, and statutes that foreign citation guides may not adequately cover.
3. Simplification: It simplifies the external examination process for master's dissertations and PhD theses by establishing a common format that all examiners can expect.
4. Quality Enhancement: It facilitates better presentation of articles in peer-reviewed journals, raising the standard of legal scholarship in Nigeria.

The guide is comprehensive in scope, divided into four major parts:

1. Part One: Preliminary information and historical background about the formation of the NALT Guide.
2. Part Two: Research preliminaries, approaches to legal research writing, and general format on how to structure research topics into chapters for various academic levels.
3. Part Three: The NALT Citation Guide, providing detailed instructions on how to cite various legal sources.
4. Part Four: Guidelines for academic journals, including how articles should be structured for publication and a quick guide for contributors to Faculty journals.

Key Features of the NALT Citation Format

The NALT Citation Guide adopts the footnote style of referencing, similar to OSCOLA, where Arabic numerals are used in superscripts in the body of the text to identify sources, with the full citation appearing at the foot of each page. However, it has several distinctive features that set it apart from other citation styles:

1. Simplified Cross-Referencing

NALT has abolished most Latin expressions previously used in legal citations (supra, infra, ante, contra, id., op. cit., loc. cit., passim, et seq.), with the exception of "ibid." which is still used to repeat a citation from the immediately preceding footnote. Instead, NALT uses a simplified cross-referencing system with the format (n...) where "n" stands for "note" and the number indicates the footnote where the information was first cited.

2. Nigerianised Examples

The guide has been "Nigerianised" by replacing foreign examples with local cases, statutes, and academic authors while retaining the technical features and principles of established citation styles. This makes the guide more relevant and accessible to Nigerian law students and researchers.

3. Comprehensive Citation Formats

The NALT Citation Guide provides detailed formats for citing a wide range of legal sources, including:

• Cases: Both reported and unreported cases, with specific formats for Nigerian and foreign cases.
• Legislation: Statutes, subsidiary legislation, and constitutional provisions.
• Secondary Sources: Books, journal articles, newspaper articles, theses, dissertations, conference papers, and online sources.

4. Guidance on Document Structure

Beyond citation formats, the guide provides comprehensive guidance on the structure of legal research documents, including:

• Formatting of title pages, declarations, certifications, and other preliminaries
• Chapter organization for undergraduate essays, master's dissertations, and PhD theses
• Presentation of tables, figures, and appendices
• Formatting of bibliographies and lists of authorities

Adoption and Implementation

Since its ratification in 2015, the NALT Citation Guide has been gradually adopted by law faculties and legal research institutes across Nigeria. Some institutions have implemented it fully, while others have adopted it partially for handling postgraduate project writing and preparing articles for publication.

The 2016 NALT Executive Committee made it mandatory for NALT Conference papers and proceedings to follow the guide, further promoting its adoption. The first major review and update was carried out by a Four-Man Committee under the leadership of Dakas, CJ (SAN), ensuring the guide remained relevant and up-to-date.

In 2019, the first maiden hard copy publication was produced by the NALT Implementation Committee under the chairmanship of Professor Emily Alemika in partnership with the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies. This was followed by a second edition in 2021, featuring a more robust and comprehensive content structure.

The NALT Implementation and Monitoring Committee continues to work on improving the guide and promoting its adoption nationwide. The committee welcomes suggestions, observations, and inputs to improve the document, which can be forwarded to naltguide2015@gmail.com.

Benefits for Legal Researchers

The NALT Citation Guide offers several benefits for legal researchers in Nigeria:

1. Clarity and Consistency: By following a standardized format, researchers can ensure their work is clear, consistent, and professional.
2. Improved Accessibility: Proper citation allows readers to easily locate and verify the sources used in research, enhancing the credibility of the work.
3. Enhanced Academic Integrity: Accurate citation acknowledges the intellectual property of others and demonstrates academic honesty.
4. Better Research Quality: The guide's comprehensive approach to research structure helps researchers organize their work more effectively, leading to higher quality outputs.
5. Increased Publication Opportunities: Many Nigerian law journals now require submissions to follow the NALT format, increasing the chances of publication for researchers who adhere to the guide.

Conclusion

The NALT Uniform Format and Citation Guide represents a significant milestone in the development of legal scholarship in Nigeria. By providing a standardized, locally relevant approach to legal citation and research writing, it has filled a crucial gap in the Nigerian legal education system.

As more law faculties and legal research institutes adopt the guide, it will continue to play a vital role in enhancing the quality and consistency of legal research in Nigeria. For law students, teachers, researchers, and practitioners, mastering the NALT citation format is becoming an essential skill for successful legal writing in the Nigerian context.

This website aims to support this mission by providing easy access to the NALT Citation Guide and related resources, including a citation generator, glossary, FAQ section, and blog articles on legal citation and research methodology. We hope these resources will help you produce high-quality legal research that adheres to the standardized NALT format.