numbers are put in square brackets or bold type to make them stand out.
Sometimes the header to each page will indicate the paragraphs that are located
on that page.
Paragraphs can be numbered in two major ways. One way is consecutive
numbering for the whole text. This entails numbering the first paragraph as one
[1], the second two [2], and keep going to the end of the text regardless of the
chapter. Another, for a text that
is divided into chapters (or sections), is to
number paragraphs by chapter (or section). In this system a paragraph number
has two components – the number of the chapter it is in and the number of the
paragraph within this chapter. To illustrate, paragraph 32 in Chapter 6 would
be numbered 6.32, or if brackets are used, [6.32]. This system is generally
better for the reader in that it makes it quicker to find a paragraph than is
generally the case with consecutively numbered paragraphs.
Numbering a text by paragraphs has some advantages over numbering by a
text pages. (i) It is a better reference system than pages because paragraphs
are generally smaller than a page, so there is more precise identification of the
relevant part of the text. (ii) It has production advantages because the tables
(index, statutes, cases and so on) can be prepared the moment the text is
finished. By contrast, when using page numbers it is necessary to wait until the
publisher produces page proofs, which delays publication. (iii) With electronic
texts, numbering by paragraph is more than just an advantage, it is essential.
Page numbers on electronic text are not fixed, because they can change when
text is transferred between systems and computers. This happens because the
length and content of a page are determined by the computer system that
houses the electronic text.
Some courts have now adopted the practice of numbering the paragraphs in a
judgment and citing parts of a judgment by reference to paragraphs. This has
the advantages just described. In fact, it was largely prompted by the need to
have a stable system of reference for electronic material. Paragraph numbering
of cases also has an advantage in a legal system, such as there is in Australia,
where there is a diversity of
law reports. This results in some cases being
reported in several series of law reports. Consequently, numbering paragraphs
will be of benefit to a lawyer who obtains a citation of a passage in a case in
one set of law reports and then wants to find the passage in another set
(because that is the set to which they have easy access). If both sets of law
reports have numbered paragraphs they can go straight to the citation. By
contrast, when a passage is cited by reference to page numbers in one set of
law reports, there is a problem for a reader who has access to a report of the
case in another set of law reports. It will take time to search for the relevant
passage in the second set of law reports.
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