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Quick guide to Harvard referencing (Cite Them Right)

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There are different versions of the Harvard referencing style. This guide is a quick introduction to the commonly-used Cite Them Right version. You will find further guidance available through the OU Library on the Cite Them Right Database .

For help and support with referencing and the full Cite Them Right guide, have a look at the Library’s page on referencing and plagiarism . If you need guidance referencing OU module material you can check out which sections of Cite Them Right are recommended when referencing physical and online module material .

This guide does not apply to OU Law undergraduate students . If you are studying a module beginning with W1xx, W2xx or W3xx, you should refer to the Quick guide to Cite Them Right referencing for Law modules .

Table of contents

In-text citations and full references.

• Secondary referencing
• Page numbers
• Citing multiple sources published in the same year by the same author

Full reference examples

Referencing consists of two elements:

• in-text citations, which are inserted in the body of your text and are included in the word count. An in-text citation gives the author(s) and publication date of a source you are referring to. If the publication date is not given, the phrase 'no date' is used instead of a date. If using direct quotations or you refer to a specific section in the source you also need the page number/s if available, or paragraph number for web pages.
• full references, which are given in alphabetical order in reference list at the end of your work and are not included in the word count. Full references give full bibliographical information for all the sources you have referred to in the body of your text.

To see a reference list and intext citations check out this example assignment on Cite Them Right .

Difference between reference list and bibliography

a reference list only includes sources you have referred to in the body of your text

a bibliography includes sources you have referred to in the body of your text AND sources that were part of your background reading that you did not use in your assignment

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Examples of in-text citations

You need to include an in-text citation wherever you quote or paraphrase from a source. An in-text citation consists of the last name of the author(s), the year of publication, and a page number if relevant. There are a number of ways of incorporating in-text citations into your work - some examples are provided below. Alternatively you can see examples of setting out in-text citations in Cite Them Right .

Note: When referencing a chapter of an edited book, your in-text citation should give the author(s) of the chapter.

Online module materials

(Includes written online module activities, audio-visual material such as online tutorials, recordings or videos).

When referencing material from module websites, the date of publication is the year you started studying the module.

Surname, Initial. (Year of publication/presentation) 'Title of item'. Module code: Module title . Available at: URL of VLE (Accessed: date).

OR, if there is no named author:

The Open University (Year of publication/presentation) 'Title of item'. Module code: Module title . Available at: URL of VLE (Accessed: date).

Rietdorf, K. and Bootman, M. (2022) 'Topic 3: Rare diseases'. S290: Investigating human health and disease . Available at: https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=1967195 (Accessed: 24 January 2023).

The Open University (2022) ‘3.1 The purposes of childhood and youth research’. EK313: Issues in research with children and young people . Available at: https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=1949633&section=1.3 (Accessed: 24 January 2023).

You can also use this template to reference videos and audio that are hosted on your module website:

The Open University (2022) ‘Video 2.7 An example of a Frith-Happé animation’. SK298: Brain, mind and mental health . Available at: https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=2013014&section=4.9.6 (Accessed: 22 November 2022).

The Open University (2022) ‘Audio 2 Interview with Richard Sorabji (Part 2)’. A113: Revolutions . Available at: https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=1960941&section=5.6 (Accessed: 22 November 2022).

Note: if a complete journal article has been uploaded to a module website, or if you have seen an article referred to on the website and then accessed the original version, reference the original journal article, and do not mention the module materials. If only an extract from an article is included in your module materials that you want to reference, you should use secondary referencing, with the module materials as the 'cited in' source, as described above.

Surname, Initial. (Year of publication) 'Title of message', Title of discussion board , in Module code: Module title . Available at: URL of VLE (Accessed: date).

Fitzpatrick, M. (2022) ‘A215 - presentation of TMAs', Tutor group discussion & Workbook activities , in A215: Creative writing . Available at: https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/forumng/discuss.php?d=4209566 (Accessed: 24 January 2022).

Note: When an ebook looks like a printed book, with publication details and pagination, reference as a printed book.

Surname, Initial. (Year of publication) Title . Edition if later than first. Place of publication: publisher. Series and volume number if relevant.

For ebooks that do not contain print publication details

Surname, Initial. (Year of publication) Title of book . Available at: DOI or URL (Accessed: date).

Example with one author:

Bell, J. (2014) Doing your research project . Maidenhead: Open University Press.

Adams, D. (1979) The hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy . Available at: http://www.amazon.co.uk/kindle-ebooks (Accessed: 23 June 2021).

Example with two or three authors:

Goddard, J. and Barrett, S. (2015) The health needs of young people leaving care . Norwich: University of East Anglia, School of Social Work and Psychosocial Studies.

Example with four or more authors:

Young, H.D. et al. (2015) Sears and Zemansky's university physics . San Francisco, CA: Addison-Wesley.

Note: You can choose one or other method to reference four or more authors (unless your School requires you to name all authors in your reference list) and your approach should be consistent.

Note: Books that have an editor, or editors, where each chapter is written by a different author or authors.

Surname of chapter author, Initial. (Year of publication) 'Title of chapter or section', in Initial. Surname of book editor (ed.) Title of book . Place of publication: publisher, Page reference.

Franklin, A.W. (2012) 'Management of the problem', in S.M. Smith (ed.) The maltreatment of children . Lancaster: MTP, pp. 83–95.

Surname, Initial. (Year of publication) 'Title of article', Title of Journal , volume number (issue number), page reference.

If accessed online:

Surname, Initial. (Year of publication) 'Title of article', Title of Journal , volume number (issue number), page reference. Available at: DOI or URL (if required) (Accessed: date).

Shirazi, T. (2010) 'Successful teaching placements in secondary schools: achieving QTS practical handbooks', European Journal of Teacher Education , 33(3), pp. 323–326.

Shirazi, T. (2010) 'Successful teaching placements in secondary schools: achieving QTS practical handbooks', European Journal of Teacher Education , 33(3), pp. 323–326. Available at: https://libezproxy.open.ac.uk/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/log... (Accessed: 27 January 2023).

Barke, M. and Mowl, G. (2016) 'Málaga – a failed resort of the early twentieth century?', Journal of Tourism History , 2(3), pp. 187–212. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/1755182X.2010.523145

Surname, Initial. (Year of publication) 'Title of article', Title of Newspaper , Day and month, Page reference.

Surname, Initial. (Year of publication) 'Title of article', Title of Newspaper , Day and month, Page reference if available. Available at: URL (Accessed: date).

Mansell, W. and Bloom, A. (2012) ‘£10,000 carrot to tempt physics experts’, The Guardian , 20 June, p. 5.

Roberts, D. and Ackerman, S. (2013) 'US draft resolution allows Obama 90 days for military action against Syria', The Guardian , 4 September. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/04/syria-strikes-draft-resolut... (Accessed: 9 September 2015).

Surname, Initial. (Year that the site was published/last updated) Title of web page . Available at: URL (Accessed: date).

Organisation (Year that the page was last updated) Title of web page . Available at: URL (Accessed: date).

Robinson, J. (2007) Social variation across the UK . Available at: https://www.bl.uk/british-accents-and-dialects/articles/social-variation... (Accessed: 21 November 2021).

The British Psychological Society (2018) Code of Ethics and Conduct . Available at: https://www.bps.org.uk/news-and-policy/bps-code-ethics-and-conduct (Accessed: 22 March 2019).

Note: Cite Them Right Online offers guidance for referencing webpages that do not include authors' names and dates. However, be extra vigilant about the suitability of such webpages.

Surname, Initial. (Year) Title of photograph . Available at: URL (Accessed: date).

Kitton, J. (2013) Golden sunset . Available at: https://www.jameskittophotography.co.uk/photo_8692150.html (Accessed: 21 November 2021).

stanitsa_dance (2021) Cossack dance ensemble . Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/COI_slphWJ_/ (Accessed: 13 June 2023).

Note: If no title can be found then replace it with a short description.

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Harvard Referencing Generator

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What is the Harvard Referencing System?

The Harvard style is a system that students, writers and researchers can use to incorporate other people’s quotes, findings and ideas into their work. This is done in order to support and validate their conclusions without breaching any intellectual property laws. The popular Harvard format is typically used in assignments and publications for humanities as well as natural, social and behavioural sciences.

It is a parenthetical referencing system that is made up of two main components:

• In-text references including the author’s surname and the year of publication should be shown in brackets wherever another source has contributed to your work
• A reference list outlining all of the sources directly cited in your work

While in-text references are used in the Harvard referencing system to briefly indicate where you have directly quoted or paraphrased a source, your reference list is an alphabetised list of complete references that enables your reader to locate each source with ease. Each entry should be keyed to a corresponding parenthetical reference in the main body of your work so that a reader can take an in-text citation and quickly retrieve the source from your reference list.

Note that some universities, and certain disciplines, may also require you to provide a bibliography. This is a detailed list of all of the material you have consulted throughout your research and preparation, and it will demonstrate the lengths you have gone to in researching your chosen topic.

‘Harvard referencing’ is an umbrella term for any referencing style that uses the author name and year of publication within the text to indicate where you have inserted a source. This author-date system appeals to both authors and readers of academic work. Scholars find the format an economical way of writing, and it is generally more accessible to the reader as there are no footnotes crowding the page. Only the name of the author, the publication date of the source and, if necessary, the page numbers are included in parenthetical references, for example:

(Joyce, 2008).

Use the Cite This For Me Harvard referencing generator to create your fully-formatted in-text references and reference list in the blink of an eye.

Popular Harvard Referencing Examples

• Chapter of a book
• Conference proceedings 
• Court case 
• Dissertation 
• Encyclopedia article 
• Image online or video
• Presentation or lecture
• Video, film, or DVD

Cite This For Me Harvard Referencing Guide

Not sure how to format your Harvard references, what references are, or simply curious about the Cite This For Me Harvard referencing tool? Our guide can answer your questions and offer you a comprehensive introduction to the style. (Note that Cite This For Me is not officially associated with the style.)

Sometimes, students do not encounter referencing until they embark onto degree-level studies, yet it is a crucial academic skill that will propel you towards establishing yourself in the academic community. So, if you need a helping hand with your referencing then why not try the Cite This For Me Harvard referencing generator? The Cite This For Me automated referencing generator accesses knowledge from across the web, assembling all of the relevant information into a formatted reference list that clearly presents all of the sources that have contributed to your work. Using this citation generator to cite your sources enables you to cross the finish line in style.

It is important to bear in mind that there is a plethora of different referencing styles out there – the use of any particular one depends on the preference of your university, subject, professor or the publication you are submitting the work to. If you’re unsure which style you should be using, consult your tutor and follow their guidelines. The Cite This For Me Harvard referencing generator above will create your references in the Harvard – Cite Them Right (10th Edition) format as standard, but it can auto-generate references in 7,000+ styles. So, whether your professor has asked you to adopt APA referencing , or your discipline requires you to use OSCOLA referencing , Vancouver or MLA , we have the style you need. To accurately create references in a specific format, simply sign up to Cite This For Me and select your chosen style.

Are you struggling with referencing an unfamiliar source type? Or feeling confused about whether to cite a piece of common knowledge? Our Harvard reference generator and this guide will help provide you with everything you need to get both your parenthetical references and reference list completed quickly and accurately.

Why do I Need to Reference?

Referencing can be a confusing task, especially if you are new to the concept, but it’s essential. Simply put, referencing is the citing of sources you have utilised to support your essay, research, conference, article etc. Even if you are using the Cite This For Me Harvard referencing tool, understanding why you need to reference will go a long way in helping you to naturally integrate the process into your research and writing routine.

Firstly, whenever another source contributes to your work you must give the original author the appropriate credit in order to avoid plagiarism, even when you have completely reworded the information. The only exception to this rule is common knowledge – e.g., London is the capital city of England. Whilst plagiarism is not always intentional, it is easy to accidentally plagiarise your work when you are under pressure from imminent deadlines, you have managed your time ineffectively, or if you lack confidence when putting ideas into your own words. The consequences can be severe; deduction of marks at best, expulsion from university or legal action from the original author at worst. Find out more here.

This may sound overwhelming, but plagiarism can be easily avoided by citing your sources and carrying out your research and written work thoughtfully and responsibly. Use the Cite This For Me Harvard referencing generator to do so! We have compiled a handy checklist to follow whilst you are working on an assignment.

How to avoid plagiarism:

• Formulate a detailed plan – carefully outline both the relevant content you need to include, as well as how you plan on structuring your work
• Manage your time effectively – make use of time plans and targets, and give yourself enough time to read, write and proofread
• Keep track of your sources – record all of the relevant publication information as you go (e.g., If you are referencing a book you should note the author or editor’s name(s), year of publication, title, edition number, city of publication, name of publisher). Carefully save each quote, word-for-word, and place it in inverted commas to differentiate it from your own words
• When you are paraphrasing information, make sure that you use only your own words and a sentence structure that differs from the original text
• Save all of your research and references in a safe place – organise and manage your references using the Cite This For Me Harvard referencing generator.

Secondly, proving that your writing is informed by appropriate academic reading will enhance your work’s authenticity. Academic writing values original thought that analyses and builds upon the ideas of other scholars. It is therefore important to use a Harvard referencing generator to accurately signpost where you have used someone else’s ideas. This will show your reader that you have delved deeply into your chosen topic and supported your thesis with expert opinions.

Here at Cite This For Me we understand how precious your time is. This is why we created the Cite This For Me referencing tool and Harvard referencing guide to help relieve the unnecessary stress of referencing.

Harvard Referencing Guidelines by School

• Anglia University Harvard Referencing
• Bournemouth University Harvard Referencing
• Cardiff University Harvard Referencing
• Coventry University Harvard Referencing
• DMU Harvard Referencing
• Edge Hill University Harvard Referencing
• Imperial College University Harvard Referencing
• Leeds University Harvard Referencing
• LSBU Harvard Referencing
• MMU Harvard Referencing
• SHU Harvard Referencing
• Staffordshire University Harvard Referencing
• UCA Harvard Referencing
• UWE Harvard Referencing
• UWS Harvard Referencing
• Wolverhampton University Harvard Referencing

How do I Create and Format Harvard Style In-text References?

When adopting Harvard style referencing in your work, if you are inserting a quote, statement, statistic or any other kind of source information into the main body of your essay you should:

• Provide the author’s surname and date of publication in brackets right after the taken information or at the end of the sentence.

There are many assumptions when it comes to the information processing approach to cognition… (Lutz and Huitt, 2004).

• If you have already mentioned the author in the sentence, you should enter only the year of publication in brackets directly after where the author’s surname is mentioned.

In the overview of these developmental theories, Lutz and Huitt (2004) suggest that…

• If you are quoting a particular section of the source (rather than the entire work), you should also include a page number or page range within the brackets after the date.

“…the development of meaning is more important than the acquisition of a large set of knowledge or skills …” (Lutz and Huitt, 2004, p. 8), which means that …

• Note that if the source has four or more authors, you do not need to write out all of their surnames; simply use the first author’s surname followed by the abbreviation ‘et al.’ (meaning ‘and others’) in italics.

As well as saving you valuable time, the Cite This For Me Harvard referencing tool will enable you to easily avoid common referencing errors.

How Do I Format My Harvard Style Reference List?

The brief in-text Harvard references in your work should directly link to your reference list. Utilising and building on a wide range of relevant sources is a guaranteed way of impressing your reader, and a comprehensive list of the source material you have used is the perfect platform to exhibit your research efforts.

Follow these Harvard referencing guidelines when compiling your reference list:

• Start your reference list on a new page at the end of your document
• Use ‘Reference List’ as the heading
• Copy each of your full-length references from the Harvard referencing tool into a list
• Arrange the list in alphabetical order by the author’s last name (titles with no author are alphabetised by the work’s title, and if you are citing two or more sources by the same author they should be listed in chronological order of the year of publication)
• General formatting should be in keeping with the rest of your work
• Italicise titles of books, reports, conference proceedings etc. For journal articles, the title of the journal should be printed in italics, rather than the title of the journal article
• Capitalise the first letter of the publication title, the first letters of all main words in the title of a journal, and all first letters of a place name and publisher

As a general rule a Harvard reference list includes every source that you have cited in your work, whilst a bibliography also contains any relevant background reading which you have consulted (even those sources that are never mentioned in the narrative). Your bibliography should start on its own page, with the same formatting as the rest of the paper and aligned to the left with the sources listed alphabetically. You may be required to provide a bibliography as well as a reference list, so check this with your tutor.

Reference list / bibliography examples:

• Book, one author:

Martin, K. (2019) The queen of hearts . New York: Berkley.

• Edited book with a chapter written by an author:

Mooney, L.R. (2011) ‘Vernacular literary manuscripts and their scribes’, in Gillespie, A. and Wakelin, D. (eds.) The production of books in England 1350-1500 . New York: Cambridge University Press, pp. 192-211.

• One author, book, multiple editions:

Hawking, S.W. (1998) A brief history of time: From the big bang to black holes . 10th edn. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group.

If all information resembles a book, use the template for a book reference.

If a page number is unavailable, use chapter number. URL links are not necessary, but can be useful. When including a URL, include the date the book was downloaded at the end of the reference:

Available at: URL (Downloaded: DD Month YYYY)

• More than three authors, journal article:

Shakoor, S., Jaffee, S.R., Bowes, L., Ouellet-Morin, l., Andreou, P., Happé, F., Moffitt, T.E. and Arseneault, L. (2011) ‘A prospective longitudinal study of children’s theory of mind and adolescent involvement in bullying’, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry , 53(3), pp. 254–261. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2011.02488.x.

• Conference papers:

Drogen, E. (2014) ‘Changing how we think about war: The role of psychology’, The British Psychological Society 2014 annual conference . The ICC, Birmingham British Psychological Society, 07-09 May 2014.

• Web pages with one author:

Raiford, T. (2015) 20 amazing dog breeds from England . Available at https://puppytoob.com/ (Accessed: 6 November 2019).

If your web page is missing a date of publication, or information about when it was last updated, place (no date) directly after the author’s name. Make sure to include the accessed date at the end of the reference.

Butterfield, L. (2019) ‘Research spotlight: I want to get high enough up the chain to pull others over the wall with me’, Oxford science blog , 1 November. Available at: http://www.ox.ac.uk/news/science-blog (Accessed 5 November 2019).

When referencing blog posts, the year of publication is placed in parentheses directly after the author of the posting. The day and month of publication are placed in the reference after the title of the blog site. Make sure to include the accessed date at the end of the reference as well.

If the author uses a pseudonym, use it in in the author’s position. Do not attempt to seek out the author’s full name. Remember, the goal of a reference to make it simple for the reader of your work to seek out the source for themselves.

• Social Media Posts:

Whilst scholarly, peer-reviewed journal articles, books, conference papers, and research reports are considered high-quality source materials, it is not uncommon to come across social media posts featured and discussed in projects. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram provide easy access to information on a number of personally owned devices. In addition, they promote interaction among its participants, thus allowing for deliberation and debate.

When creating a reference for a social media post, it is recommended to include the main URL of the social media platform, not the URL of the individual post. This prevents readers from clicking on links that may lead to a blocked post behind a private account.

Do not include the content of the individual post in the full reference. If the reader strives to see the contents of the post in its entirety, the information provided in both the text and on the final page of the project provide enough information for the reader to locate it on their own.

John, E. (2019) [ Facebook ] 31 October. Available at: https://www.facebook.com/EltonJohn/ (Accessed 12 November 2019).

Rushdie, S. (2019) [ Twitter ] 10 October. Available at: https://twitter.com/SalmanRushdie (Accessed 2 November 2019).

Are you struggling to find all of the publication information to complete a reference? Did you know that our Harvard reference generator can help you do it?

Time is of the essence when you’re finishing a paper, but there’s no need to panic because you can compile your reference list using the Cite This For Me Harvard referencing generator. Sign in to your Cite This For Me account to save and export your reference list.

Harvard Style Formatting Guidelines

Accurate referencing doesn’t only help protect your work from plagiarism – presenting your source material in a consistent and clear way also enhances the readability of your work. Closely follow the Harvard referencing system’s formatting rules on font type, font size, text-alignment and line spacing to ensure that your work is easily legible. Before submitting your work check that you have formatted your whole paper – including your reference list – according to the style’s formatting guidelines.

How to format in Harvard:

• Margins: 2.5cm on all sides
• Suggested fonts: Times New Roman, Arial and Courier New for Windows; Times New Roman, Helvetica and Courier for Mac, 12pt size. Ensure that all references are in the same font as the rest of the work
• Shortened title followed by the page number in the header, aligned to the right
• Double-space the entirety of the paper
• ½ inch indentation for every new paragraph (press tab bar)
• Unlike other popular reference styles, this particular style does not call for a hanging indent for the second and any subsequent lines of references. Instead, this style requires all lines to sit flush against the left margin.
• Reference list on a separate page at the end of the body of your work. If your professor requests a bibliography too (a list of sources that were used to help gain background knowledge on the topic), it can be placed at the end of the assignment as well.

Even when using a Harvard referencing generator, always check with your professor for specified guidelines – there is no unified ‘Harvard Style’ for the formatting of a paper.

A Brief History of the Harvard Style

The author-date system is attributed to eminent zoologist Edward Laurens Mark (1847-1946), Hersey professor of anatomy and director of Harvard’s zoological laboratory. It is widely agreed that the first evidence of the citation style can be traced back to Mark’s landmark cytological paper (Chernin, 1988). The paper breaks away from previous uses of inconsistent and makeshift footnotes through its use of a parenthetical author-date citation accompanied by an explanatory footnote.

• Parenthetic author-year citation, page 194 of Mark’s 1881 paper:

[…] The appearance may be due solely to reflection from the body itself. (Comp. Flemming, ‘78b, p. 310.*)

• Mark’s rationale for his citational scheme:

*The numbers immediately following an author’s name serve the double purpose of referring the reader to the list (p. 591) where the titles of papers are given, and of informing him at once of the approximate date of the paper in question.

A tribute dedicated to Mark in 1903 by 140 students credits Mark’s paper with having ‘introduced into zoology a proper fullness and accuracy of citation and a convenient and uniform method of referring from text to bibliography’ (Parker, 1903). Today Harvard referencing is widely considered one of the most accessible styles and is used across most subjects.

The Evolution of the Harvard Referencing Style

Due to its simplicity and ease of use, the format has become one of the most widely adopted citation styles in the world. However, many universities offer their own unique style guide, and each has its own nuances when it comes to punctuation, order of information and formatting rules. UK university-specific styles, such as Bristol University Harvard, are available via the Cite This For Me Harvard referencing generator. Simply go to the Cite This For Me website to login to your Cite This For Me account and search for the version you need. Make sure you apply consistency throughout your work.

The Cite This For Me Harvard reference generator currently uses the Cite Them Right 10th Edition, which has evolved in recent years to match the ever advancing digital age. It is increasingly easy for writers to access information and knowledge via the internet, and in turn the Harvard referencing guidelines are continually updated to include developments in electronic publishing. This guide is not affiliated with Cite Them Right, but it does cover the basics of the Harvard style.

Key differences we identified from previous Cite Them Right editions:

• Previous editions required printed books and eBooks to be referenced differently – in the 9th edition, both were referenced using the same template (if all the necessary information is available). An Ebook is considered to be the digital format of a published book (or a book that is only published in digital format) that is meant for reading on an electronic device.
• URLs are no longer a requirement for digital media if the information provided in the reference is sufficient to find the source without it. They should be included if the source is difficult to find, or if pieces of information needed for Harvard referencing are missing.
• The 10th edition of the guide includes structures for Twitter and play performances.

These days students draw on a diverse range of digital sources to support their written work. Whether you are citing a hashtag on Instagram, a podcast or a mobile app, the Cite This For Me Harvard referencing tool will help you take care of your references and generate them for the sources you want to cite.

How do I Create Accurate References?

Disheartened by the stressful process of referencing? Got a fast-approaching deadline? Using the Cite This For Me accessible and free Harvard generator makes creating accurate references easier, leaving more time for you to focus on achieving your academic goals.

Create an account to add and edit references on the spot, import and export full projects or individual entries, utilise our add-ons and save your work in the cloud. Things get even easier with Cite This For Me for Chrome – a handy browser extension that allows you to instantly create and edit a reference while you browse the web. Use the Harvard referencing tool on any webpage that you want to reference, and add it to your chosen project without interrupting your workflow.

The Cite This For Me reference management tool is here to help you, so what are you waiting for? Help creating accurate Harvard style references is just a few clicks away!

Reference List

Chernin, E. (1988) The ‘Harvard System’: A mystery dispelled. Available at: http://www.uefap.com/writing/referenc/harvard.pdf (Accessed: 4 July 2016)

Parker, G. (ed.) (1903) Mark anniversary volume . New York: Henry Holt.

Pears, R. and Shields, G. (2016) Cite them right . London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Manage all your references in one place

Create reference lists and cite directly from the browser.

Sign up to Cite This For Me – the ultimate reference management tool.

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• Referencing glossary

Introduction to referencing using Harvard

Welcome to the UCL guide to referencing with Harvard. This site contains guidance on how to reference a range of different types of source using (a form of) Harvard. Watch the video above for an overview of Harvard referencing, and some of the basic principles to follow when using Harvard.

Essentials for referencing with Harvard

Harvard referencing uses in-text citations, in an author-date format. This means that when citing a source in your work you will include:

• author(s) or editor(s) surname or family name.
• year of publication.
• page number(s) if needed.

For example:

There is a broadly accepted view of the secondary school Maths classroom as one in which the didactic method reigns: an expert/teacher communicates subject-specific information and a room of pupils ‘sit in rows passively absorbing knowledge’ (Wright, 2020, p. 735).  However this view is one that Wright challenges ...

The full reference to each source that you cite in your work should be included in a References section, at the end of the essay. This will list each source referenced, ordered alphabetically by author's surname. 

The information included will vary depending on the type of source, but will broadly include:

• Who has ‘made’ the item (the author, creator, compiler…)?
• What is it called?
• If part of a larger work, what is that called?
• Where was (is) it disseminated/published?
• Who is responsible for the dissemination/publishing?
• When was it disseminated/published?
• A direct quotation, or allusion, should always include the page number(s).

Common examples

An example of a reference for a book:

Ronson , J. (2012). The psychopath test: a journey through the madness industry. London: Picador.

An example of a reference for a journal article

Skelton, A. (2011). ‘Value conflicts in higher education teaching’, Teaching in Higher Education, 17(3), pp.257-268. doi : 10.1080/13562517.2011.611875.

A References list, that includes the three examples above, will look as follows:

References Ronson, J. (2012). The psychopath test: a journey through the madness industry . London: Picador. Skelton, A. (2011). ‘Value conflicts in higher education teaching’,  Teaching in Higher Education , 17(3), pp.257-268. doi: 10.1080/13562517.2011.611875. Wright, P. (2020). ‘Visible and socially-just pedagogy: implications for mathematics teacher education', Journal of Curriculum Studies , 52(6), pp.733-751. doi: 10.1080/00220272.2020.1790667.

Harvard Versions

This guide supports the UCL Library Services Harvard style, which has been developed for UCL staff and students. However, there are many variations of the Harvard style. Be sure to match the Harvard style that best suits the style recommended in your course handbook, and always ask your tutor which referencing style they want you to use in your academic work.

Referencing examples in this guide are based on the 9th Edition of Cite them right: the essential referencing guide by Pears and Shields (2013). Other examples in this guide have been adapted from online support produced by Sue Stevens and Alex Jubb at the University of Birmingham.

The content in this guide is available under a CC-BY-NC-SA License.

This guide will be reviewed and updated annually.

What do you think?

We review this guide regularly, please complete the short form to let us know your thoughts, and how this resource might be improved.

Quick links

• Harvard references A-Z

Related guides

• References, citations and avoiding plagiarism
• Reference management software
• Referencing and managing information
• Referencing and avoiding plagiarism tutorial

Referencing and managing information training sessions

• Next: A-Z of Harvard references >>
• Last Updated: Feb 28, 2024 12:08 PM
• URL: https://library-guides.ucl.ac.uk/harvard

• Free Tools for Students
• Harvard Referencing Generator

Free Harvard Referencing Generator

Generate accurate Harvard reference lists quickly and for FREE, with MyBib!

🤔 What is a Harvard Referencing Generator?

A Harvard Referencing Generator is a tool that automatically generates formatted academic references in the Harvard style.

It takes in relevant details about a source -- usually critical information like author names, article titles, publish dates, and URLs -- and adds the correct punctuation and formatting required by the Harvard referencing style.

The generated references can be copied into a reference list or bibliography, and then collectively appended to the end of an academic assignment. This is the standard way to give credit to sources used in the main body of an assignment.

👩‍🎓 Who uses a Harvard Referencing Generator?

Harvard is the main referencing style at colleges and universities in the United Kingdom and Australia. It is also very popular in other English-speaking countries such as South Africa, Hong Kong, and New Zealand. University-level students in these countries are most likely to use a Harvard generator to aid them with their undergraduate assignments (and often post-graduate too).

🙌 Why should I use a Harvard Referencing Generator?

A Harvard Referencing Generator solves two problems:

• It provides a way to organise and keep track of the sources referenced in the content of an academic paper.
• It ensures that references are formatted correctly -- inline with the Harvard referencing style -- and it does so considerably faster than writing them out manually.

A well-formatted and broad bibliography can account for up to 20% of the total grade for an undergraduate-level project, and using a generator tool can contribute significantly towards earning them.

⚙️ How do I use MyBib's Harvard Referencing Generator?

Here's how to use our reference generator:

• If citing a book, website, journal, or video: enter the URL or title into the search bar at the top of the page and press the search button.
• Choose the most relevant results from the list of search results.
• Our generator will automatically locate the source details and format them in the correct Harvard format. You can make further changes if required.
• Then either copy the formatted reference directly into your reference list by clicking the 'copy' button, or save it to your MyBib account for later.

MyBib supports the following for Harvard style:

🍏 What other versions of Harvard referencing exist?

There isn't "one true way" to do Harvard referencing, and many universities have their own slightly different guidelines for the style. Our generator can adapt to handle the following list of different Harvard styles:

• Cite Them Right
• Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU)
• University of the West of England (UWE)

Daniel is a qualified librarian, former teacher, and citation expert. He has been contributing to MyBib since 2018.

• Teesside University Student & Library Services
• Learning Hub Group

Harvard Referencing

Guidance on harvard referencing, harvard referencing tutorials, harvard - cite them right referencing examples, workshops - how to reference ... and how to use references workshops, using material on this page, connect with us on social media.

Contact the Library

For help with a variety of enquiries you can contact the Library by:

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Do ask for help if you are not sure of anything!

Be organised. Whenever you consult a source, make a note of all the details you need for a reference

Allow yourself time to compile your reference list

Be consistent in the style and layout of your references

Make sure your references include all the information needed to locate it

Be thorough. Check the details of any source carefully for accuracy.

Use the online tutorial on Harvard Referencing and come along to the Succeed@Tees workshop 'How to use references' 

Consult Cite them Right  

Consider using RefWorks – see  http://libguides.tees.ac.uk/refworks .  

• Top Ten Tips (from Cite them Right) Also available on p.26 of the book.
• Which referencing style?
• Cite them Right

In-text citation

• Paraphrasing
• Secondary referencing

Reference list

• Tools to help you with referencing

You need to learn how to reference accurately in order to acknowledge your sources and to demonstrate that your writing is based on evidence.  There are two parts to referencing:

• in-text citations - this is what you include within your writing.  Your citations should include the following elements: a uthor(s) or editor(s) surname/family name, year of publication, page number(s) if required*.
• reference list - this appears at the end of your assignment.  Your reference list gives the full details of your sources, in a specific order and format.

*If you are quoting directly or using ideas from a specific page or pages of a work, you should include the page number(s) in your citations. Insert the abbreviation p. (or pp.) before the page number(s) e.g. (Harris, 2023, p. 56) . If your citation refers to a complete work or to ideas that run through an entire work, your citation would simply use the author and date details e.g. (Harris, 2023). Websites do not have page numbers, therefore, are not required in your in text-citation e.g. (BBC, 2023). 

Different styles of referencing use different formats for both in-text citations and reference lists.  You need to learn which referencing style is used by your subject area - this will be the style included in the 'How to reference' tab of your subject libguide.  The next tab in this box (' Which referencing style? ') gives guidance on which style is used for each School.

A frequently used referencing style is Harvard.  At Teesside University, the Harvard style is taken from Cite them Right.  

If you follow the appropriate guidance in Cite them Right, your referencing will be correct.

If you would like more help on this topic - please use the materials on this page or book a tutorial with your Subject Librarian  or contact  [email protected] .

• How to reference - Teesside University Harvard style This is based on the Harvard citation style outlined in 'Cite them Right'
• How to reference - Teesside University Harvard Style - Accessible version This is based on the Harvard citation style outlined in 'Cite them Right'

You need to follow the referencing guidelines for your subject area:

School of Arts and Creative Industries

• Fine Art:  MLA
• All other subjects:  Harvard: Cite them right online

School of Computing, Engineering & Digital Technologies

• Harvard: Cite them right online

School of Health & Life Sciences

School of Social Sciences, Humanities & Law

• Crime and Investigation: check with module leader
• English Studies: MHRA - see guidance on the English and Creative Writing LibGude
• Law:  OSCOLA
• Politics:  Chicago  (Notes and Bibliography)
• Psychology:  APA

Teesside University International Business School

The book 'Cite Them Right' by Pears and Shields details the Harvard referencing standard used by Teesside University.   

Click here for the online version of

Click on the book image below for location details of paper copies in the Library. 

Harvard is an author-date referencing style.  This means that in the text of your work, you just need to include the author's surname (family name), the year, and page number if you are referring to a specific page or pages e.g. (Godwin, 2014, p. 15). This is called an in-text citation.

This format is the same regardless of whether the source is a book, journal article or website.

If there isn't an individual author, you may need to use an organisation instead - this frequently occurs with websites, e.g. (BBC, 2015).

For four or more authors, you should use the first named author, followed by  et al.

There are two styles of in-text citation - each style has advantages and disadvantages:

1. the author is part of the sentence, so the year goes into brackets, e.g. "Norman (2012) states that ..."

Advantages/disadvantages:

• Emphasises the author
• Positive: good for introducing reference early in a paragraph
• Negative: can reduce the impact of you points
• Negative: can can become repetitive
• Ensure that you use the correct verb for you viewpoint

2. the author is not part of the sentence so both the author's name and the year go in brackets at the end of the sentence, e.g. (Norman, 2012).

• Emphasises the information
• Positive: can help your assignment to flow
• Negative: references can sometimes appear too far away from the point
• Ensure that you reference appears at the end of a sentence not just the end of the paragraph.

Paraphrasing means putting an author's writing into your own words, without changing the meaning.  

You need to paraphrase within academic writing to demonstrate to your lecturer that you understand the material.  

Paraphrasing also allows you to summarise the evidence so that it fits in with the case you are making, and improves the flow of your assignment.

In academic writing, your lecturers will want you to limit the number and length of quotations you use, restricting them to key phrases.  Instead, you should develop your skills in paraphrasing.

Remember you still need to reference any material you have paraphrased.

• How to paraphrase

There is a temptation when you find one author quoting (or citing) another to just lift the quote and use it:

• You didn’t find the quote
• How do you know it is correct?
• Try and find the original source and make your own citation & reference.
• If it isn’t possible to check the original source - acknowledge both writers in the text but only reference the source you have read. This is called secondary referencing.

Imagine you’ve read a book by Chalmers (1999) and on page 141 it cites a piece of work by Worrall (1985) and has the full reference to it in the reference list.

You too would also like to refer to the work done by Worrall, but cannot locate his original work, only the reference to it in Chalmers.

The solution, in the text of your work, cite the original author ‘cited in’ then the author of the work you have read.  BUT  in your reference list only reference the work you have read – do not mention the original at all.

So our example would read as follows.

•In-text citation

(Worrall, 1985, cited in Chalmers, 1999, p. 141)

•In the reference list

Chalmers, A.F. (1999)  What is this thing called science?  Maidenhead: Open University Press.

Your reference list should be presented in one list in alphabetical author order, regardless of whether the reference is to a book, journal article, website or any other kind of source.

If there is no author, the item should come under the title (in italics).

The list should Include everything referred to in the text of your work. References need to be:

• Correct : are spellings and other details accurate?  
• Complete : is all the required information included?  
• Consistent : are all the references presented in the same way, fitting in with Cite them Right if the referencing is in Harvard style?
• Reference List Example

There are many tools available to help you with referencing.  At Teesside, we support RefWorks  which enables you to create and manage your own personal database of useful references. You can then use these to quickly compile a reference list  .

Whichever tool you use, you'll need to adjust your references to make sure that they fit in with the appropriate style required for your subject, for example as Harvard Style outlined in Cite them Right.

You can also use Turnitin as a tool to help you prevent plagiarism in your writing.  It is available from Blackboard - see the link to 'Check your work for plagiarism'.

• Referencing management tools

• Book referencing examples
• Journal referencing examples
• Website referencing examples
• Act of Parliament

How to reference a book

Books with up to 3 authors:.

Pears and Shields (2022, p. 20) or (Pears and Shields, 2022, p. 20)

Pears, R. and Shields, G. (2022)  Cite them right: the essential referencing guide . 12th edn. London: Bloomsbury Academic .

Books with 4 or more authors:

(Young  et al ., 2015, p. 46) or Young  et al . (2015, p. 46)

Young, H.D.  et al.  (2015)  Sears and Semansky's university physics . 10th edn. San Francisco: Addison-Wesley.

Secondary Referencing

(Macmillan and Crelman,1991, cited in Wickens, 2002, p. 37)

Wickens, T.D. (2002)  Elementary signal detection theory . Oxford: Oxford University Press

An ebook that includes all the same elements as the print version e.g. page numbers, edition, publication details, should be referenced as though it was a print book.

Ebooks available on an edevice e.g. Kindle

If the ebook is available on an edevice (Kindle, smartphones and tablets) the elements might not be the same as the print version.  If this is the case you need to use the information you do have e.g. loc or %

(Adams, 1979, loc 876) or Adams (1979, loc 876)

Adams, D. (1979)  The hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy.  Available at: http://www.amazon.co.uk/kindle-ebooks (Downloaded: 28 August 2013) .

How to reference a journal article 

Journal articles with up to 3 authors (applies to paper and electronic versions).

(Parton and Fleming, 2008) or Parton and Fleming (2008)

Parton, S. and Fleming, H. (2008) 'Academic libraries and learning support in collaboration',  New Review of Academic Librarianship , 13(1), pp. 79-89. Available at:  https://doi.org/10.1080/13614530802021698

Journal articles with 4 or more authors (applies to both paper and electronic formats - for instance this article is electronic and includes a doi * see below for information on doi's).

(Norrie  et al ., 2012) or Norrie  et al.  (2012)

Norrie, C. et al. (2012) 'Doing it differently? A review of literature on teaching reflective practice across health and social care professions',  Reflective Practice , 13(4), pp. 565-578 . Available at: https://doi-org.ezproxy.tees.ac.uk/10.1080/14623943.2012.670628 

How to Reference an electronic journal article with doi

Barke, Mowl and Shield's study (2010) ....

Barke, M., Mowl, S. and Shields, G. (2010) 'Malaga - a failed resort of the early twentieth century?', Journal of Tourism History , 2(3), pp. 187-212. Available at:  https://doi.org/10.1080/1755182X.2010.523145

* a doi (Digital Object Identifier) is used to identify individual digital (online) sources, such as journal articles and conference papers. No accessed date is needed.

How to Reference an electronic journal article with URL

An example cited by Dutta and Marjit (2016, p. 120).

Dutta, M. and Marjit, S. (2016) 'Intra-country technology transfer', Indian Ecomonic Review , 51(1/2), new series, pp. 117-127. Available at:  https://www.jstor.org/stable/44376239  (Accessed: 27 May 2021). 

How to reference a website  

BBC (2018)  or  (BBC, 2018)

BBC (2018)  News . Available at: 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news  

(Accessed: 14 May 2018).

How to reference an Act of Parliament (for UK after 1963)

( wild animals in circuses act   2019 ).

Wild Animals in Circuses Act 2019, c. 24. Available at:  https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2019/24/contents  (Accessed: 23 November 2023).

Section of an Act:

As outlined in section 20(2) of the Act ( Children and Families Act 2014 )....

Reference List

Children and Families Act 2014, c. 6 . Available at:  https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2014/6/contents (Accessed: 23 November 2023).

We have 2 workshops designed to help you with different aspects of referencing, from how to reference correctly to how to incorporate references into your academic writing:

1. How to reference … books

Become more confident about your referencing skills.  This 30-minute workshop outlines how to create Harvard references for the books you use when writing your assignments. 

We explain how to create references for books when: 

• There is more than one author
• It is not the 1 st  edition
• You are using an ebook
• You are referring to a chapter in an edited book

This workshop is not subject specific and is suitable for any student who needs help with the basics of referencing.

How to reference journal articles

We also have a presentation on how to reference journal articles.  This includes:

What to do when there is more than one author 

When to use italics 

The slides are not subject specific and are suitable for any student who needs help with the basics of referencing. 

2. How to use references

This session will improve your skills in using references in your writing.  The workshop will show you how to:  

incorporate references into your writing  

identify the different styles of in-text citation and when to use them  

develop techniques in paraphrasing  

If you thought this information was useful you may want to look at some of the other Learning Hub guides aimed at helping students with:

       Writing

If you have any comments about this skills guide, we would love to know them. 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License .

• Last Updated: Feb 29, 2024 4:17 PM
• URL: https://libguides.tees.ac.uk/referencing

Example essay extract with citations and references list: Home

Example essay extract with citations and references list.

Below is an example essay, complete with citations and references.

Please remember this is a fictional essay purely designed to demonstrate how and when to reference. 

Embedding experiences and voices in research can “challenge [the] studied ignorance” around race (Arday and Mirza, 2018, p.v) and the academy’s role as gatekeeper of what is considered “relevant knowledge” (Lillis, 2003). Academic conventions around skills such as writing can be excluding, forming “constructions of difference […] that deepen misrecognitions and inequalities” (Burke, 2018, p.366). Lillis (2003) and Arday et al. (2021) both use narrative to listen to the ways in which black students’ experiences are ignored and the marginalising effect of a refusal to validate multiple ways of knowing.

References:

Arday, J., Belluigi, D. Z. and Thomas, D. (2021) Attempting to break the chain: reimaging inclusive pedagogy and decolonising the curriculum within the academy.  Educational Philosophy and Theory .  53 (3), pp.298-313.

Arday, J. and Mirza, H. S. (eds.) (2018) Dismantling race in higher education:  racism, whiteness and decolonising the academy . London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Burke, P. J. (2018) Trans/forming pedagogical spaces: race, belonging and recognition in higher education. In: Arday, J. and Mirza, H. S. (eds.) Dismantling race in higher education: racism, whiteness and decolonising the academy . London: Palgrave Macmillan, pp.365-382.

Lillis, T. (2003) Student writing as ‘academic literacies’: drawing on Bakhtin to move from critique to design. Language and Education. 17 (5), pp.192-207.

• Last Updated: Sep 22, 2023 12:51 PM
• URL: https://libguides.northampton.ac.uk/harvard/exampleessay

Referencing - BU Harvard 23-24 Full Guide: Welcome

• Print Versions of Guide
• What information you need: author/date/page numbers
• Placing Citations
• Quotations/Paraphrasing/Summarising
• No author or identifiable person/organisation
• Author published more than one source in same year
• Inserting Pictures and Tables (Figures)
• More than one source cited
• Abbreviating organisation names
• Source cited or quoted in another source (citing second hand)
• Chapter author of an edited book
• Legislation - UK Statutes (Acts of Parliament)
• Personal communications e.g interviews, photographs
• Unpublished sources e.g lectures
• Scriptural citations(e.g. Bible or Koran/Qur'an)
• Finding information to create a reference list
• Reference list or Bibliography?
• Journal Article
• Guidelines or Codes of Practice (including public and private documents)
• Newspaper Article
• Magazine Article
• Conference (e.g. paper, presentation, poster)
• Reference books, Encyclopedias and Formularies
• Legislation and Cases
• Translated Materials (non-English sources)
• Standards and Patents
• Images or Photographs
• Computer Program
• Social Media (e.g. Twitter, Facebook, blogs, apps)
• Moving Images and Sound (e.g. YouTube, podcast, TV, film, song, radio)
• Data / Data Sets This link opens in a new window
• Tools & Apps
• Academic Offences This link opens in a new window
• Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) This link opens in a new window
• Tutorials & Quizzes
• Example Essay
• Online Learning & Videos

Referencing at BU

Why you need to reference?

• Anything you use from a source that is written or produced by another author should be cited in the main text of your work and referenced in a list at the end of your work.
• Consistency and accuracy of referencing is important to verify quotations, enable readers to follow up and read cited author’s arguments.
• Referencing correctly is part of demonstrating your  academic integrity  and it's necessary to avoid accusations of academic offences , particularly  plagiarism   which is a serious offence.

This online guide recommends how to cite and reference according to BU’s version of the Harvard style, which is Author Date:

• In the Harvard system all cited publications are referred to in the main body of text by giving the author’s surname/family name and the year of publication.
• Each cited publication must have a corresponding full reference in the list of references at the end of your work. The references are listed in alphabetical order by author surname / name of organisation.

Which referencing style should I use?

All students should use BU Harvard unless they are studying on the following programmes:

• Law students  should follow BU’s online guides  Referencing – UK & EU Law  and  Referencing – International law .
• Psychology students  should follow  APA style .
• History students  should follow  Chicago Style .
• Criminology with Psychology  (Faculty HSS) students need to use both  BU Harvard  and  APA

Criminology with Law  (Faculty HSS) students use  BU Harvard  and OSCOLA referencing style guidance -  UK & EU Law   and   International Law .   Any questions please email HSS Library Team  ([email protected]).

• Next: Print Versions of Guide >>
• Last Updated: Mar 27, 2024 11:46 AM
• URL: https://libguides.bournemouth.ac.uk/bu-referencing-harvard-style

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Referencing Information

This section tells you what referencing is, why it is so important and how to do it.

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Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is about truth, honesty and fairness in regard to academic work. Upholding these values protects the credibility of the qualifications you will earn at UEL.

Our policy and regulations aim to ensure that the work submitted for assessments is the genuine and original work of that person and not plagiarised (taken from others) or a result of collusion (created with others but submitted as your own). There is a sliding scale of penalties for students who do not follow UEL's academic misconduct regulations when submitting work.

Our policy and regulations aim to ensure that the work submitted for assessments is the genuine and original work of that person and not plagiarised (taken from others) or a result of collusion (created with others but submitted as your own).

There is a sliding scale of penalties for students who do not follow UEL's academic misconduct regulations when submitting work.

What do you need to do?

• Reference all your work correctly and cite every source you have used. See the Plagiarism and Referencing pages for help with this.
• Run your draft assignments through Turnitin - a tool which checks your work for matching text on the internet and in other students’ submissions. For help, see the Turnitin guide on the UEL E-learning website.
• Read the academic integrity policy on the UEL academic integrity website
• Talk to your tutor if there is anything you are not sure about.

Plagiarism is taking another person's words or ideas and using them as if they were your own. You are responsible for ensuring your work does not contain any plagiarised words or ideas.

Plagiarism does not just apply to written text. Plagiarism is also using another person's ideas, concepts, spoken words, images, diagrams, tables or other data without referencing the original source. 

Plagiarism could apply to any form of assessed work, for example, using parts of an existing computer program to create your own program.

Academic work requires that you use and gather ideas from a variety of sources and refer appropriately to these sources within your work. This is known as ‘referencing'.

Referencing is essential in maintaining academic integrity standards. It involves naming all sources of information used in your work. This includes paraphrased ideas and concepts, direct quotations and any other information used, such as maps, diagrams, tables, interviews, etc.

Referencing properly is important for many reasons:

• to acknowledge the work of other writers and avoid plagiarism
• to demonstrate the body of knowledge on which you based your discussion and argument
• to enable other researchers to trace your sources and lead them on to further information.

See How to Reference for an explanation of citations, reference lists and bibliographies. Follow the links to Harvard referencing and APA referencing for guidance and examples of the two referencing styles used at UEL.

You need to name all your sources in two ways: by identifying them within the body of your text (known as 'citing') and in an alphabetical list at the end of your work.

There are specific formats you must follow for identifying all sources in your citations and in the reference list at the end of your work. At UEL, we use the Harvard referencing style. There are many variations of Harvard referencing so we have adopted a standardised format known as 'Cite Them Right'. 

A different style called APA referencing is used in the Field of Psychology. Follow the links for more information on how to reference in each style.

For each assignment, check with your tutor whether they require you to produce a reference list or bibliography or possibly both.

Reference List

A reference list only includes the named sources you have cited within the text of your assignment. In the Harvard style, your list should be arranged alphabetically by the author's surname, or by the title if there is no author. There should be just one list for all your references. Do not split the list into separate sections for books, journals, websites etc.

Bibliography

A bibliography includes all your in-text citations plus any other sources of information you have used in preparing your assignment. So your bibliography repeats everything in your reference list plus all other sources you read or consulted but did not cite. You should use the same full reference format for your bibliography as for your reference list.

It is essential that you learn the 'Cite Them Right' style of Harvard referencing used at UEL. You must use this standard format in all your assignments.

Harvard referencing emphasises the author and date of a source. In-text citations are linked to a final reference list making it easy for a reader to locate the original information used in your assignment.

Download the guide to find out how to format in-text citations and full references for different kinds of information. You can also try the quizzes to check you can do this correctly.

There is more detailed information and guidance available to all students in the 'Cite Them Right' website and book.

APA is another referencing style used by the Field of Psychology at UEL.

If you are studying in the Field of Psychology, you will need to use another referencing style known as APA which stands for American Psychological Association. 

APA referencing also uses an author-date format like Harvard and full details of sources are listed alphabetically in a reference list at the end of your work.

See the 'Referencing using APA' guide for a brief outline of how to use this style. A more detailed online guide is available here.

Observing Copyright

Most printed and electronic resources are protected by copyright restrictions. Make sure you have the right permission to copy or download any resource you plan to use.

Copyright restrictions are not just guidelines, they are law. You do not automatically have the right to copy or download books, articles, images, photos, diagrams, newspapers and magazines, videos, tables of data, etc. 

The copyright agreement may give you limited rights, e.g. to copy a single chapter of a book, or use some information for non-commercial purposes. 

In some cases, you can not use a resource at all without specific permission from the author or publisher.

Download the 'Copyright Basics' guide for a summary of the basic restrictions affecting students. The library's  online copyright guide  also answers common questions on copyright. If you're still in doubt, ask a librarian for advice.

Remember, observing copyright is not the same as referencing. You still need to cite every resource you have used correctly in all your assignments.

Need other help?

Be proactive in seeking help if you need it. There are many people and services in the university that offer guidance on all kinds of areas related to your studies.

When you are researching your first assignment you may well find that you need other kinds of help and support. You just need to know who to ask or where to look and then make time to find what you need. The most important thing is that you take responsibility for your own learning. Many people are there to help you but only you can do it!

Check the 'Where to find help?' guide for information on library enquiries, the European Computer Driving Licence, study skills, English language skills, IT queries, pastoral and personal support and other issues.

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Citing and referencing legal resources using Harvard

• UK case law

UK statutes

Uk statutory instruments, devolved legislation.

• European Union resources
• Other legal resources

A statute is another name for an Act of Parliament. 

As explained in Cite them right UK statutes (Acts of Parliament) , you will need to reference a statute in the following way: Title of Act year, chapter number. Available at: URL (Accessed: date).

In-text citation: The legislation (Food Standards Act 1999) states that...

Reference list: Food Standards Act 1999, c. 28 . Available at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1999/28/contents (Accessed: 30 January 2018).

Cite them right also provides guidance on UK statutory instruments  (also known as secondary or delegated legislation). Your reference will be made up of the following elements: Name/title of SI year (SI year and number). Available at: URL (Accessed: date).

In-text citation: In relation to the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013 ,....

Reference list: Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013 (SI 2013/2996). Available at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/2996/made (Accessed: 24 January 2018).

Cite them right  gives details on how to cite and reference legislation from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland . You will need to consult this for details of how to cite Acts of the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Statutory Instruments; Acts of the Northern Ireland Assembly and Statutory Rules of Northern Ireland; and legislation of the National Assembly for Wales and Welsh Statutory Instruments.

A Bill is a draft law. It needs to be approved in the Houses of Parliament and receive Royal Assent before it becomes an Act of Parliament.

As explained by Cite them right Bills from the House of Commons or House of Lords , the type of information you need to include in your reference list is as follows: Title (year of publication). Parliament: House of Commons OR Parliament: House of Lords. Bill no.[  ]. Place of publication: publisher.

In-text citation: The Sugar in Food and Drinks (Targets, Labelling and Advertising) Bill (2016) had its first reading on....

Reference list: Sugar in Food and Drinks (Targets, Labelling and Advertising) Bill (2016). Parliament: House of Commons. Bill no. 70. London: The Stationery Office.

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• Last Updated: Nov 23, 2023 4:57 PM
• URL: https://libguides.city.ac.uk/Harvardreferencinglawresources

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• Referencing
• Harvard Referencing for Journal Articles | Templates & Examples

Harvard Referencing for Journal Articles | Templates & Examples

Published on 20 May 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on 7 November 2022.

In Harvard style, to reference a journal article, you need the author name(s), the year, the article title, the journal name, the volume and issue numbers, and the page range on which the article appears.

If you accessed the article online, add a DOI (digital object identifier) if available.

Scribbr’s free Harvard reference generator can instantly create accurate references for a wide variety of source types:

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Table of contents

Online-only journal articles, articles with multiple authors, referencing a whole issue of a journal, referencing a preprint journal article, frequently asked questions about referencing journal articles in harvard style.

To reference an online journal article with no print version, always include the DOI if available. No access date is necessary with a DOI. Note that a page range may not be available for online-only articles; in this case, simply leave it out, as in this example.

Online-only article with no DOI

When you need to reference an online-only article which doesn’t have a DOI, use a URL instead – preferably the stable URL often listed with the article. In this case, you do need to include an access date.

Note that if an online article has no DOI but does have a print equivalent, you don’t need to include a URL. The details of the print journal should be enough for the reader to locate the article.

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Journal articles often have multiple authors. In both your in-text citations and reference list, list up to three authors in full. Use the first author’s name followed by ‘ et al. ’ when there are four or more.

When you want to reference an entire issue of a journal instead of an individual article, you list the issue editor(s) in the author position and give the title of the issue (if available) rather than of an individual article.

When you reference an article that’s been accepted for publication but not yet published, the format changes to acknowledge this.

If it’s unknown where or whether the article will be published, omit this information:

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In Harvard referencing, up to three author names are included in an in-text citation or reference list entry. When there are four or more authors, include only the first, followed by ‘ et al. ’

In Harvard style , when you quote directly from a source that includes page numbers, your in-text citation must include a page number. For example: (Smith, 2014, p. 33).

You can also include page numbers to point the reader towards a passage that you paraphrased . If you refer to the general ideas or findings of the source as a whole, you don’t need to include a page number.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the ‘Cite this Scribbr article’ button to automatically add the citation to our free Reference Generator.

Caulfield, J. (2022, November 07). Harvard Referencing for Journal Articles | Templates & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved 9 April 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/referencing/harvard-journal-article-reference/

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