Here on the IDP Blog, we cover not only the main topics in Law – we also address issues related to academic life and careers.

We've already talked about, for example:

• a Horizontalization of legal knowledge through emancipatory education.;
• some Tips for developing your academic career.; 
• How to prepare a Lattes Curriculum for a Master's degree in Law.;
• How does legal research methodology work?; and even
• examples of Reliable sources for academic research in Law.

We know that success in academia involves a specific set of skills, strategies, and attitudes.

Among these, we can mention a passion for legal research, a solid academic background, consistency, and dedication. It is also important that you develop good communication skills and fluency in the language.

When we begin our undergraduate studies, and especially when we continue on to postgraduate studies, we must always pay attention to the rules or standards of ABNT (Brazilian Association of Technical Standards).

So, what exactly are these rules, and why should we know them?

Furthermore, do they undergo changes regularly? If so, what are the most recent modifications that we need to be aware of?

Come on!

ABNT: Understanding a little more

The rules of ABNT (Brazilian Association of Technical Standards) are a set of guidelines established to standardize the presentation of academic, scientific, and technical works in Brazil.

It is very important to understand ABNT standards and guidelines in order to achieve positive results. 

According to ABNT itself , standardization is "the process of formulating and applying rules for solving or preventing problems, with the cooperation of all stakeholders, and, in particular, for the promotion of the global economy."

These rules aim to ensure clarity, consistency, and uniformity in the presentation of written documents, thereby facilitating the understanding and communication of information.

ABNT standards cover several aspects, including:

• Cover and Title Page: What should the formatting and elements be for the cover and title page of the work?
• Summary: How should the table of contents be organized and formatted, listing the titles and subtitles of the work and their respective page numbers?
• Citations and References: How should we properly cite the sources used in the work, whether direct or indirect, and how to properly format the references at the end?
• Margins and Spacing: What are the settings for margins, line and paragraph spacing, text alignment, and other aspects related to formatting the elements of the work?
• Page Numbering: How should the pages of the work be numbered? 
• Illustrations and Tables: How figures, graphs, tables, and other visual elements should be inserted and formatted in the work, including how to reference them in the text;
• References to Sources: How should we cite the sources consulted in the text, including the use of footnotes or explanatory notes?
• Pagination: How pages should be formatted, including headers, footers, and the positioning of elements such as titles and subtitles;
• Footnotes: How should footnotes be used to provide additional information or clarification on specific points in the text?
• Abstract in Portuguese and in a foreign language: What should the structure and formatting of the abstract be in Portuguese (for works in Portuguese) and in a foreign language (generally the abstract, in English; the summary, in Spanish, or the summary, in French).

Although some graduate or even undergraduate programs may require specific rules, ABNT (Brazilian Association of Technical Standards) is the guiding principle for academic work.

The rules not only stipulate proper formatting, but also contribute to the quality and integrity of academic, scientific, and technical work. 

They help establish a standard of excellence in communication and information presentation, benefiting both authors and readers.

On the other hand, it facilitates revision and editing when the work is submitted, for example, for evaluation by a high-impact journal. In this way, professors and reviewers can assess the work more accurately when it is formatted according to ABNT guidelines.

What are the most recent changes? What do I need to know?

The ABNT technical standard that deals with the rules for preparing citations in academic and scientific works is NBR 10520. The previous edition dated from 2002. In July 2023, ABNT presented the new version of NBR 10520.

Let's discuss the changes we most need to pay attention to from now on.

1. Attribution within parentheses: goodbye uppercase letters

When writing a quotation, it is essential to indicate the author.

This applies both to direct quotations (those of up to three lines, in quotation marks, within your text) and to quotations placed within quotations (those of more than three lines, indented 4cm from the left margin, without quotation marks, and with a smaller font than that used in the body of the original text).

Previously, in the earlier version, we had to indicate the author's last name in uppercase, followed by the year of publication, and the page number, if available. 

Eg

"As already highlighted, fundamental rights contain, in addition to a prohibition of intervention, a postulate of protection." (MENDES, 2023, p. 344)

According to the new rules, we must indicate (Mendes, 2023, p. 344).

2. The use of the period: we end the sentence, not the quotation.

According to the previous rules, a period was always used at the end of a quotation, excluding the references:

“As already highlighted, fundamental rights contain, in addition to a prohibition of intervention, a postulate of protection . ” (MENDES, 2023, p. 344)

Now, the period concludes the sentence, encompassing the reference from the quotation:

“As already highlighted, fundamental rights contain, in addition to a prohibition of intervention, a postulate of protection” (Mendes, 2023, p. 344).

3. Legal entities as references: what to use?

Now, if you are citing a legal entity, ABNT (Brazilian Association of Technical Standards) provides some recommendations. The citation should be made using the institution's full name, in upper and lower case letters.

However, regarding acronyms, the recommendation is to always use uppercase letters.

Eg

"For over 20 years, we have been offering excellent teaching and research through undergraduate, specialization, extension, master's, and doctoral courses" (Brazilian Institute of Teaching, Development and Research, 2023).

"The IDP Blog is for anyone who wants to enter the field or for professionals who want to reach the top of their career in Law" (IDP Blog, 2023).

Foreign words in italics!

It is now standardized that foreign expressions should be used in italics, including apud (cited by), idem (the same), ibidem (in the same place), and et al (and others).

There's no page! What now?

If you are citing a digital document that does not have page numbers (such as e-books , podcasts , videos, laws), you can now indicate the exact location of the information.

Let's look at an example taken from the Lidera Podcast , promoted by IDPCast :

“There is a discursive issue surrounding the defense of Human Rights, right, that 'Human Rights are only for criminals', 'Human Rights are not for everyone', and this definition is something very problematic” (Human Rights for Whom?, 2021, 12 min 14 s).

How can IDP help me?

The IDP Library has over 25 titles in the areas of Administration, Architecture and Urban Planning, Computer Science, Communication, Law, Economics, Engineering, Journalism, Advertising, Psychology, and International Relations.

Among the services offered to students is guidance regarding ABNT standards.

Students can contact the library and request assistance regarding the correct use of the rules.

Furthermore, the normative guidelines are available for consultation in the library, along with a targeted guide that clarifies the most common issues in academic work for undergraduate, postgraduate , master's, or doctoral degrees.

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