Referencing your Work

Description of this Guide

In academic writing it is essential to state the sources of ideas and information, both in
your text, through in-text citations, and in your bibliography at the end of your written
piece. In this guide we shall work methodically through the processes and rulings that
comprise Harvard citation rules. As a result, you will be able to write correct in-text
citations and create corresponding references for bibliographies, relating to a wide range
of resources, including print, multi-media and electronic. However, please note that
Harvard is only one type of referencing system, although a widely used one. Since it may
not be used in your School, please check.

Learning Outcomes
1. Understand the need for in-text citation, references and bibliographies
2. Locate the information needed for in-text citation and references
3. Create in-text citations
4. Create bibliographic references
5. Compile a bibliography

Contents
1.0 Identifying why, when and what information you need for citation
1.1 Why are in-text citations, references and bibliographies needed?
1.2 When should you use in-text citations or include references in your
bibliography?
1.3 What information is needed for citation and where is it found?

2.0 Creating bibliographic references

2.1 Selecting your citation system
2.2 Using the Harvard citation rules for bibliographic references
2.2.1 Books
2.2.2 Journal articles
2.2.3 Web sites
2.2.4 E-journals
2.2.5 Conference papers
2.2.6 Theses & dissertations
2.2.7 Videos, films & broadcasts
2.2.8 Government and corporate body publications
2.2.9 Variations on the general rules

3.0 In-text citation and quoting in your text

3.1 How do you write in-text citations in the Harvard system?
3.2 How do you quote from a source?
3.3 How do you avoid plagiarism?

4.0 Compiling a Bibliography

4.1 What should your bibliography include?
4.2 How should you organise your bibliography?

______________________________________________________________
The material in this guide is copyright © 2003 the University of Southampton. Permission is given for it to be
copied for use within the University of Southampton. All other rights are reserved.
 Referencing your work

Skills
Referencing Your Work

In-text citations, references and bibliographies are part of academic writing and relate
closely to each other.

Key Concepts

 In-text citations are used in your writing to acknowledge the work and ideas of
other people.

 References have been defined by the British Standards Institute as:

 A set of data describing a document or part of a document,
sufficiently precise and detailed to identify it and enable it to be
located. (British Standards Institute (1990) p3)

The relationship between an in-text citation and a reference is that any citation within
the text of a document should have a linking reference, which will give the full
information about the item that has been cited. The references will be written
according to a set of agreed rules; in the case of this guide we will be using the
Harvard citation rules.

 A bibliography gives full and accurate details of the works that have been cited (i.e.
it gives full references) and any other resources used in the course of your research,
even if they are not cited in your text. Bibliographies are usually located at the end of
a piece of written work.

The steps towards making in-text citations and creating references and a bibliography
are:

1. 2. 4.
3.
Identifying why, Creating
Compiling a
In-text citation &
when and what bibliographic
bibliography
quoting in your
information you references
text
need for citation

Why are in-text

citations, How do you write
references and in-text citations
bibliographies Selecting your in the Harvard
What should your
needed? citation system system?
bibliography
include?
When should you
use in-text Using the Harvard How do you
citations and citation rules for quote from a
How should you
include references bibliographic source?
organise your
in your references bibliography?
bibliography? How do you
avoid plagiarism?
What information
is needed for
citation and where

2
1.0 Identifying Why, When and What Information you Need for
Citation

There are five main reasons why you should provide references when you are writing
academic papers, and it is important to understand this right at the beginning.

1.1 Why are in-text citations, references and bibliographies needed?

1. It gives the reader of your text the opportunity to read the original source for
themselves.

2. It records what you have used in your piece of work, so you can easily find it in
the future- there is nothing worse than knowing you once found something really
useful, but you cannot remember where to find it!

3. It gives authority to what you are writing - if you are making reference to other
peoples’ research, it shows you are not just ‘making it up’.

4. You avoid the risk of plagiarism (See Section 3.3). By giving your information
sources, you are making it clear that you are not pretending that someone else’s
work is yours.

5. It is only courteous and polite to acknowledge the work of another person.

1.2 When should you use in-text citations or include references in your
bibliography?
We have just examined why you should use in-text citations and references. The
question now is ‘when should you use them?’

Here are some possible answers:

1. When you have quoted directly from someone else’s work.

2. When you have paraphrased the work of another author, rather than quoted
directly from them.
3. When you have referred to previously published work of your own.
4. If someone’s work or ideas are the source of a particular theory, argument or
viewpoint.
5. When you have used specific information, e.g. statistics or case studies.
6. When you have used something as background reading, but where it still has
influenced your thinking towards your piece of work.

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 Referencing your work

Skills

Using the statements in the box below, identify whether or not it would be necessary to
use citations and bibliographic references:

Yes or No ?

You want to quote directly some information taken from a journal

article which has been written by somebody else

You are arguing a point in your essay using your own ideas and
theories, which have not been expressed in earlier essays.

You are summarising the thoughts of another writer, although not

directly quoting from him/her.

Please go to the end of this Guide to check your answers.

1.3 What information is needed for citation and referencing and where
is it found?
The key purpose behind any citation and its corresponding reference is to enable you, or
someone else who is reading your work, to identify and locate the original text.
Depending on the type of resource, the information that is usually provided is:

Author’s surname and initials

Title, with any sub-titles
Year of publication
Edition if other than the first
Location of the publisher
Name of the publisher
The name, volume number, part number and pages of the journal
For electronic resources, the web or e-mail address.

The key thing to remember is that the information you give should allow someone (or
yourself in the future) to gain access to this work. So, be accurate and give full details!

You will be learning in Section 2 how to form references for different types of resource,
but before you can do that you need to know where you can find the correct information
about the resource. This is known as the authority information.

In order to ensure consistency and accuracy within the codes of referencing, it is agreed
practice to use certain parts of publications as the authority for that work.

Locating the authority information for books

Rather than use the front cover, the accepted areas to look for this information in a book
are the front and back of the title page. This is usually found just inside the front cover.
In general you will find the author’s name, title and publisher’s name on the front of this
page. On the back of this page you should find the remainder of the information you

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need: the year of publication, the edition if other than the first, and the location of the
publisher.

Locating the authority information for journal articles

The contents list will give you the information about the article (author’s name and title
of the article) while the front and back covers will usually give you the remainder.

Locating the authority information for electronic resources

Use the official web address or e-mail address, which will appear automatically at the top
of your web browser (e.g. Netscape or Internet Explorer).

2.0 Creating Bibliographic References

There are a variety of different conventions for the compilation of in-text citation and
references for bibliographies. Two of the most common are British Standard Bibliography,
which uses footnotes with numbers for references in the text, and the Harvard system,
which uses the author’s name and the year of publication in the text (and page numbers
if a direct quote is used).

It is likely that your School or subject area will have a preference for one particular
system, and it would be wise of you to use that system! However, whichever system you
choose, you must use it consistently, accurately and following the rules.

2.1 Selecting the format for your references

Identify the preferred referencing style of your School or subject area and write it in the
box below. If you are uncertain, look in the course handbook or ask your tutor.

2.2 Using the Harvard citation rules for bibliographic references

Harvard citation was developed in the USA, and, over several decades, has become the
most commonly used system internationally. Harvard has the advantages of flexibility,
clarity, simplicity and ease of use for both the reader and the user of the system. Only
the author’s name and the year of publication are cited in the text and the reader can
find full information in the references given at the end. All of the bibliographic
information is given at the end of the text and there is no need to refer anywhere else,
such as footnotes or chapter references.

The remainder of this section contains information and examples of how to record a wide
range of resources. You may choose to practise creating references for the types of
resource that you feel you will need to use in your studying.

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 Referencing your work

2.2.1 BOOKS Skills

Author’s NAME and INITIALS

Year of publication, in brackets
Title of the book, underlined or in italics
Edition, if other than the first
Place of publication
Publisher

For example:
FIELD, A. C. (2002) Alternative energy sources 3rd ed. New York: Academic Press

You are using a book called ‘Developing essential study skills’, published in 2000 and
written by Elaine Payne. It was published by Pearson Education Limited, who are based
in Harlow and it is a first edition.

Cite the book bibliographically according to the Harvard rules:

Please go to the end of thjs guide to check your answer.

2.2.2 JOURNAL ARTICLES

Author’s NAME and INITIALS

Year of publication, in brackets
Title of the article (not underlined or in italics)
Title of the journal, underlined or in italics
Volume no. and (Part no.)
Page number(s)

For example:
BOWEN, B.N. (2001) The life of British trees Nature 68 (3), 23 - 37

You have an article from the journal ‘Sociology’. It is written by Claire Wallace and is entitled
‘Household strategies’. It is to be found in volume 36, number 2 and pages 275 - 292. The date of the
publication is May 2002.

Cite the article bibliographically according to Harvard rules:

6
Please go to the end of this guide to check your answer.

2.2.3 WEBSITES

Author’s NAME and INITIALS

Year of publication, in brackets (If there is no date, put:[n.d.] NB.use square brackets)
Title of the website, underlined or in italics, followed by ‘[online]’
Place of publication
Publisher (if ascertainable)
Available from: URL [Date accessed] NB. Square brackets

For example:
SMITH, J. (2000) Curly’s Airships [online] Polegate, Masters of Arts. Available from:
http://www.curlysairships.com [Accessed 29 May 2001]

Look at the following reference to a website, which has been incorrectly arranged. Re-
write in the box below to comply with Harvard citation rules.

http://www.hamilton.edu/academic/Resource/WC/AvoidingPlagiarism.html, accessed 31 st
July, 2002, Avoiding Plagiarism, by Sharon Williams, New York, Hamilton College, 2002.

Please go to the end of this guide to check your answer.

2.2.4 E-JOURNALS

Author’s NAME and INITIALS

Year of publication, in brackets
Title of the article (not underlined or in italics) [online]
Title of the journal, underlined or in italics followed by ‘[online]’
Volume no. and (Part no.)
Page number(s)
Available from: URL [Date accessed] NB Square brackets

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 Referencing your work

Skills
For example:
GINZBURG, S. (2002) Instruction in the office and on the factory floor Journal of
Workplace Learning [online] 12 (8), 327 – 332. available from: http://www.emerald-
library.com/brev/08612hb1.htm [Accessed 3rd June 2002]

Look at the following reference to an e-journal, which has been incorrectly arranged. Rewrite in the
box below to comply with Harvard citation rules.

Journal of Management, by Sally W. Fowler, pages 647 to 666, 2003, titled Virtually embedded
ties, Volume 30, Issue 5 pp 647-666 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/
01492063.html

Please go the end of this guide to check your answer.

2.2.5 CONFERENCE PAPERS

Contributing Author’s NAME and INITIALS

Year of publication, in brackets
Title of the paper, followed by ‘IN’
NAME and Initials of editor of the conference proceedings
Title of the conference, underlined or in italics, including the date and place
Place of publication
Publisher
Page numbers

For example:
SILVER, K. (2001) Electronic mail: have we forgotten how to talk? IN: RAITT, D. ed. 9th
International online information meeting, London 3 – 5 December 1999. Oxford:
Learned Information, 332 – 340

You have a copy of the proceedings of a conference, titled ‘Which way forward? - a review of higher
education in the twenty-first century’, that took place at Southampton University on 4 th - 6th July 2000.
The university has published the document. The editor of the conference proceedings is called Ann
Brown and the contributor you want to cite is Charles Drago. His paper was entitled ‘E-learning in the
lecture theatre’ and can be found on pages 325 - 334.

Cite the paper written by Charles Drago according to the Harvard rules:

Please go to the end of this guide to check your answers.

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2.2.6 THESES AND DISSERTATIONS:

Author’s NAME and INITIALS

Year of publication, in brackets
Title of the thesis or dissertation, underlined or in italics
Designation, (and type)
Name of the institution to which submitted

For example:
LINDSAY, F. (1996) The motivation of adult learners Dissertation (M.A.(Ed)), University
of Southampton

You have a Ph.D. thesis by Philip Harold Stringer entitled ‘The virtues of becoming an educational
psychologist’, which was submitted 2001 to the University of Southampton.

Cite the thesis bibliographically according to Harvard citation rules.

Please go to the end of this guide to check your answer.

2.2.7 GOVERNMENT AND CORPORATE BODY PUBLICATIONS

(Available data may vary, but try to include:)

Government department or corporate body
Year of publication, in brackets
Title of the document, underlined or in italics
Place of publication
Publisher
Report number (if applicable)

For example:
Department for Education and Skills (2002) Agriculture and biology teaching London:
Stationary Office

9
 Referencing your work

Skills

The Home Office has produced a report in 2002 entitled ‘Delivering drug services to black
and minority ethnic communities’. It has been published by the Stationary Office in
London and has the report number DPAS Paper 16.

Cite the report bibliographically according to Harvard citation rules.

Please go to the end of this guide to check your answer.

2.2.8 VIDEOS, FILMS OR BROADCASTS

Title, underlined or in italics.

Year of production, in brackets
Material designation
Subsidiary originator (e.g. Director)
Production details – place: organisation
NB: Programmes and series – the number and title of the episode should be given as well
as the series title, the transmitting organisation and channel and the full date and time of
the transmission.

For example:
Citizen Kane (1948). Film. Directed by Orson Welles. USA: Republic Pictures
And:
Yes Prime Minister, Episode 1, The Ministerial broadcast (1986) Television programme,
BBC2, January 16, 1900 hrs.

2.2.9 VARIATIONS ON THE GENERAL RULES:

 Two authors – cite them both, in the order they appear on the title page of the
original document.
 Three or more authors – cite the first author and use ‘et al’ in place of the others.
 Series – enter the series title between the title and the publishing details.
 Reference taken from, or is part of, another document – cite the first document as
fully as possible and then put ‘IN’ and cite the second document in full.

3.0 In-text Citation and Quoting in Your Text

An in-text citation is used when you are discussing the work of another person in your
written work, whereas if you include their words directly into your text, this is a
quotation, and must also be accompanied by an in-text citation.
Fortunately, the Harvard system for in-text citation is very straightforward as we shall
see below.

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3.1 How do you write in-text citations in the Harvard system?
Harvard does not use footnotes in the main text (which actually makes life easier for
you!); references are generally made by listing the author(s) and year of publication
in the text.

For example, your written text could read:

‘In the popular study by Smith (2001) it is argued that …’

Because the author’s name occurs naturally in your text, only the date is bracketed.

If the author’s name does not appear in your text, you must include it inside the brackets
for your reference:
For example:
‘A later study (Jones 2002) discussed …’

A comma between the name and the date in the brackets, is optional; whichever you
use, make sure you are consistent.

If you want your reader to find a specific page or quotation, include the page number(s)
in your citation, as shown below:

For example:
‘An important evaluation (Smith 2001 p246) showed that …’

There is no need for you to put any further details in your text, as the full details will be
given in your bibliography at the end of your document.
If your author has published more than one cited document in the same year, add a, b,
c, etc after the year and use the same notation in your bibliography references.

For example:
‘Smith (2001a) discussed the subject …’

These rules for in-text citation apply to all varieties of resources, books, articles in
journals, electronic resources etc.

3.2 How do you quote from a source?

If a quotation is within your written text it should be kept short. It will probably be part
of your sentence and should therefore be contained within quotation marks, followed by
the author’s name, year of publication and page number in brackets.

For example:
…Most of the people interviewed thought "it was ridiculous for a man to stand up when a
woman enters a room". (Womack 2002 p1)

If you are making a longer quotation from someone’s work, do not use quotation marks.
Indent the quotation in a separate paragraph from your main text and cite the author,
year of publication and page number beneath it. If your document is typed, your main
text will probably be double spaced, whereas your quotation should be single-spaced.

Your quotation will appear as follows:

Life is a banquet. And the tragedy is that most people are starving to death.
(de Mello 1990, p26)

11
 Referencing your work

Skills

Write the in-text reference for a paragraph of text that you have quoted from page 35 of
a text written in 1999 by Nicola Reid.

Please go to the end of this guide to check your answer.

12
 How would you incorporate the following short extract written in 2002 by Sarah
Womack from page one of the Daily Telegraph into a sentence of your own text? …
Older people disliked being addressed by their first name by people they did not
know…

Please go to the end of this guide to check your answer.

3.3 How do you avoid plagiarism?

Plagiarism is the deliberate presentation of another person’s work as if it were your own,
without acknowledgement of where it has come from. Quite a range of activities come
under the heading of plagiarism, such as these, identified by Stephen Wilhoit (1994):
 Buying a paper from a research service
 Handing in another student’s work without that student’s knowledge
 Copying a paper or some text from a source text without proper acknowledgement
 Paraphrasing materials from a source text without appropriate documentation
 Handing in material downloaded directly from the Internet.

If you use other peoples’ words, diagrams or ideas, you must acknowledge them by
referencing them in the text and citing them in your bibliography. Far from being a sign
of poor work, you are proving that you have read around your subject and are familiar
with the major theories and ideas. Provided you have done this correctly and accurately,
you will gain marks by referring to the work of other writers and academics.

Listed below are some suggestions to help you avoid plagiarism in your work:

 Plagiarism often begins unwittingly at the note-making stage. Try to write your
notes in your own words, rather than copying them directly from the text you are
reading.
 Be sure to distinguish in your notes between direct quotes and your own
paraphrases.
 When you are putting a direct quotation in your notes, write down the reference
to it at the same time.
 Always include a full bibliography with all pieces of written work, including both
background reading and cited texts and other resources.
 Avoid cosmetic changes to other people’s work. For example, do not:
substitute similar words
reverse the order of a sentence
change terms in a computer code
alter a spread sheet layout

You should be aware that the penalties for plagiarism are usually very severe and could
lead to disqualification of your work. It would be advisable to check the plagiarism policy
of your School!

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 Referencing your work

Skills

Read through the following samples and identify which are cases of plagiarism. They have been taken
from The Bedford Handbook for Writers (Hacker 1991 508).

Original text:
If the existence of a signing ape was unsettling for linguists, it was also startling
news for animal behaviourists. (Davis 1988 26)

Version A:
The existence of a signing ape unsettled linguists and startled animal
behaviourists (Davis 1988 26)

Comment: Plagiarism. Even though the writer has cited the source, the writer has not
used quotation marks around the direct quotation "the existence of a signing ape". In
addition, the phrase "unsettled linguists and startled animal behaviourists" closely
resembles the wording of the source.

Version B:
If the presence of a sign-language-using chimp was disturbing for scientists
studying language, it was also surprising to scientists studying animal behaviour.
(Davis 1988 26)

Comment: Still plagiarism. Even though the writer has substituted synonyms and cited
the source, the writer is plagiarising because the source’s sentence structure is
unchanged.

Version C:
According to Flora Davis, linguists and animal behaviourists were unprepared for
the news that a chimp could communicate with its trainers through sign language.
(Davis 1988 26)

Comment: No plagiarism. This is an appropriate paraphrase of the original sentence.

4.0 Compiling a Bibliography

Finally, you have written your essay, dissertation or thesis, quoted and cited your
references and now you must compile your bibliography!

A good tip is to start keeping a correctly cited record of every resource as you use it –
whether on index cards or in a database. In this way you will find that writing the
bibliography at the conclusion of your main text is a very easy process, as you will have
done the bulk of the work as you went along.

4.1 What should your bibliography include?

Very simply, your bibliography should include all the resources you have used to
complete your assignment. This means both resources you have referred to in the text of

14
your document and also relevant background materials that you have used, but not
necessarily discussed.

If you are using or would like to use a bibliographic database like EndNote (see below
and/or Using Endnote Guide) or Reference Manager, then this is a perfect way for you to
keep track of your notes and references.

 Put everything you read for a topic into your database.

 Key word the items in your database so you can find a group of references on a
related topic you are working on.
 Store the hard copies (if photocopies or paper articles) in alphabetical order, but
always make a note in your database if you have a hard copy and where it is.
 Finally, if you make notes on something you’ve read, also record where your
notes are on your database entry too.

This way you keep a good record of the reference (in correct reference style), plus copies
and notes you will need when you come to write up.

If you don’t know how to use a bibliographic database, then see the Using Endnote
Bibliographic Software Guide.

4.2 How should you organise your bibliography?

Most bibliographies are straight-forward alphabetical arrangements by authors’
surnames. In some disciplines, however, you may find it is customary to sub-divide the
bibliography into smaller listings. An example would be into primary and secondary
sources, or another could be by media type.

Check with your tutor or the course handbook if there is a preferred style.

Activities: Answers

1.2 1. Citation and reference required

2. Citation and reference not required
3. Citation and reference required

2.2.1 PAYNE, E. (2000) Developing essential study skills Harlow: Pearson Education Ltd
2.2.2 WALLACE, C. (2002) Household strategies Sociology 36 (2), 275 - 292
2.2.3 WILLIAMS, S. (2002) Avoiding plagiarism [online] New York, Hamilton College. Available
from: http://www.hamilton.edu/academic/Resource/WC/AvoidingPlagiarism.html
[Accessed 31st July 2002]
2.2.4 FOWLER, S.W. (2003) Virtually embedded ties, Journal of Management [online] 30 (5)
647-666. Available from: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/01492063.html
[Accessed 2nd February 2005]
2.2.5 DRAGO, C. (2000) E-learning in the lecture theatre IN: BROWN, A. (2000 ) Which way
forward? - a review of higher education in the twenty-first century , 4th - 6th July 2000
Southampton: University of Southampton
2.2.6 STRINGER, P.H. (2001) The virtues of becoming an educational psychologist (Ph.D.),
University of Southampton
2.2.7 The Home Office (2002) Delivering drug services to black and minority ethnic
communities London: Stationary Office (DPAS Paper 16)
3.2 (Reid 1999 p35)

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 Referencing your work

Skills
For example: It has been claimed that "older people disliked being addressed by their
first name by people they did not know…" (Womack, 2002 p1)

REFERENCES
BOURNEMOUTH UNIVERSITY (1999) Library Bridges - Harvard System Bournemouth:
Academic Services Available from:
http://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/using_the_library/html/harvard_system.html [Accessed
4 July 2002]
BRITISH STANDARDS INSTITUTE (1990) Recommendations for citing and referencing
publishing materials London: BSI (BS 5605:1990)
COTTRELL, S. (1999) The study skills handbook Basingstoke: Palgrave
DE MELLO, A. (1990) Awareness London: Collins Fount
HACKER, D. (1991) The Bedford Handbook for Writers Boston, St Martin’s Press
HINCHCLIFFE, L (1998) Cut-and-paste plagiarism: preventing, Detecting and Tracking
Online Plagiarism Available from: http://alexia.lis.uiuc.edu/~janicke/plagiary.htm
[Accessed 31 July 2002]
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE NORTHAMPTON (n.d.) Referencing guide: the Harvard System
Northampton: Learning Resources Services
WILHOIT, S. (1994) Helping students avoid plagiarism College teaching 42 Fall 161-164
WILLIAMS, S (2002) Avoiding Plagiarism Hamilton College. Available from:
http://www.hamilton.edu/academic/Resource/WC/AvoidingPlagiarism.html [Accessed 31
July 2002]

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