The Harvard Referencing Handbook
Contents:
Introduction
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Your questions answered:
Why do I have to reference?
Are there any other basics I should know?
How does referencing ‘look’ in text?
How do I know which one to use?
How often do I have to reference?
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The Conventions of the Harvard system:
How do I reference a book?
How do I reference an edited book?
How do I reference an article from a periodical?
How do I reference a report or study?
(including an online study)
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Finding out more
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Introduction
This is a step-by-step guide for student use. The referencing
system used in criminology, education and sociology is the
Harvard system.
Referencing is a basic required skill in any undergraduate
programme. You are expected to reference your work accurately
and this will be taken into consideration when your work is being
assessed.
Referencing in an academic style not only elevates the standard
and level of our writing but it also aids our understanding of the
subject we are studying. Comprehensive referencing ensures that
we avoid sweeping generalisations and enables us to create
mature and academic foundations with which to base and build our
arguments from. It can allow us to structure our writing in a logical
way and it can explain and support our conclusions in order to
persuade the reader of its validity.
In order to reference appropriately, you must first understand some
of the basic conventions that make up the Harvard system. The
practice of referencing is standardised so that a writer’s research is
traceable. Consistency and accuracy are therefore extremely
important and care must be taken in your written work to ensure
that you have got it right.
Note:
This guidebook concentrates on the Harvard system, which is the preferred
system of referencing in this School. Some other Principal subjects at
Keele use alternative systems of referencing. Use of these other systems of
referencing, if used correctly and consistently, is acceptable in Criminology
coursework.
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Your Questions Answered
Why do I have to reference?
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Referencing gives the necessary credit to the original scholar
It can show that you have read and understood relevant texts
It allows you to differentiate between your own work and that of others
It also allows you to structure your work logically and shows that you
can distinguish between different theories and ideas
It protects you from plagiarism
It aids revision and future work
Are there any other basics I should know?
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This system of referencing is based on the Harvard system.
Be aware that other disciplines may use other systems. See pg. 2.
Whatever is referenced in your work must also be represented in the
bibliography and vice versa.
The names used in the text should align with the name featured at the
start of the bibliographic detail.
It is possible to reference anything – seek advice if you are having
trouble with a particular source
How does referencing ‘look’ in text?
There are different ways to reference in your written work. You can refer to a
scholar either directly, indirectly or quote them verbatim. Each way is
presented differently but all must include the authors name and year of
publication. If you are quoting, you must also include the page number. You
may feel that this is also necessary when referring to a very specific piece of
information in a text or when quoting from a discipline based dictionary or
reference book.
Here are some examples:
Direct Referencing
Direct referencing is when the scholars name is embedded in the sentence. In
these instances, the year of publication should come after the surname of the
writer in brackets.
Durkheim (1970) suggests that ….
Parsons (1959) discusses the …..
One standpoint, as outlined by Maguire et al (1994) ….
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Note:
One of the references above uses the Latin term ‘et al’ after the name
Maguire. This simply means ‘and others’ and is often used to cite texts with
more than two authors. It is generally convention to include all of the names in
the first reference and then switch to the first persons name followed by ‘et al’
on subsequent referrals to the same source. Latin terms are usually printed in
italic.
Indirect Referencing
Indirect referencing is when you put the referencing details outside of the
grammatical syntax of the sentence. As such, both the authors name and year
of publication appear in a set of brackets together. These brackets may
appear at the end or in the middle of your sentence or paragraph.
Consumer culture exercises the individual’s feeling of desire and need on the
one hand and feeling of guilt and self-control on the other (Lury 1996).
Early criminological thought lay not with the social but with the biological
(Lombroso 1876), linking criminal activity to physical characteristics.
Current academic writers are in agreement that quality assurance within HEI’s
has been a prioritised agenda for sometime (Becket & Brookes 2006; Mizikaci
2006; Harvey 2005)
Note:
The third example shows how it is also possible to refer to more then one
scholar using this method.
Quotations
Quoting is when you want to cite the writer word for word. If you do this, you
should include single speech marks (i.e. ‘’and not “”) to denote exactly where
your words stop and the scholar’s words begin and end. The reference should
appear in brackets and include the author’s surname, year of publication
followed by either a comma or colon to denote the page number. The
inclusion of a page number when quoting is essential. If you have already
referred to the scholar by name, it may be appropriate to only include the year
of publication and page number in brackets. These details can either come
before or after the quotation.
Science as a discipline is not necessarily objectively researched because ‘all
scientific study is inevitably influenced by the society in which it is carried out’
(Abbott & Wallace 1990: 96)
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In response to over-deterministic viewpoints, it is pointed out that ‘although
human behaviour is determined to some extent by outside forces, there still
exists an element of free will or individual responsibility’ (Matza 1964, quoted
in Hagan 2002: 164).
As Frazer asserts ‘there are confusions about quality measurement in HE. It is
sometimes assumed that quality measurement involves people external to the
university assigning objective quantitative scores’ (1992: 13).
Note:
The second example is actually quoting a quote from another text. In this
instance, the scholar’s surname and year of publication of the original quote is
given first (i.e. ‘Matza 1964’), followed by the fact that it was taken from a
secondary source (i.e. ‘quoted in’) and then followed by the writers name, the
year of publication and the page number of the actual source used (i.e. Hagan
2002: 164). In your bibliography, you would list Hagan. This tells the reader
that the quote is from the Hagan book as listed in your bibliography, making it
easy to locate.
The last example shows that as the name has already been introduced, it is
only the year of publication and page number that are in brackets after the
quote.
How do I know which one to use?
As writing isn’t a science, there are no hard and fast rules about when you
should reference directly, indirectly or when you should quote. You should
base your decision on the readability of your work and the flow of your text.
For example, if you directly referenced at the opening of every paragraph,
your work would sound monotonous and have a very descriptive feel to it.
Just as you would avoid repeating the same word in a sentence, combining
different ways of referencing enriches the variety of language and therefore
the readability.
Your decision to quote or not could also stem from the ‘feel’ of the written
word. To illustrate, if you come across a quote from a text that absolutely
sums up your point, then your writing may have more impact by quoting
verbatim than it would in your own words:
Even so, communication occurs on more levels than just the verbal: ‘nonverbal behaviour is not treated in isolation from the co-occurring or
surrounding verbal behaviour of the participants’ (Heath & Luff 1993: 312).
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Or it may serve to illustrate clearly your line of thinking or base of evidence:
Maier & Warren (2000) assert that ‘students themselves are coming through
the education system with expectations that include the use of technology’
(2000: 159).
The more you write (and the more you read scholarly texts) the easier it will
be to make these decisions in your own writing.
How often do I have to reference?
How long is a piece of string? There is no real answer to this as just as it
could be 2 references to one side of A4 it could just as easily be 6 references
to the same side. However, there are a few things that can keep you on track.
Firstly, if you are writing a lot of information without referencing, then you
almost are certainly not referencing enough! Secondly, by understanding
when to reference you can make sure that you are referencing the right
amount. The following are occasions that should include a reference:
When you make a statement. If you make a statement without a reference
then the chances are, it is unsubstantiated.
When you are discussing a theory. Even the most renowned theory must
be referenced and not taken for granted or viewed as a given. This is also
important to show that you know where that work lies in the landscape of your
discipline, you have distinguished between what is your work and the work of
others, you have the capacity of providing evidence to enhance the credibility
of what you say and you avoid plagiarising the work of others.
When you provide a critique. See above.
When you are quoting. See above.
When you are making a point, claim or suggestion. Your own point
doesn’t have to be referenced if it has come from you but you must show what
has led you to that conclusion and any logical and persuasive line of
argument must ultimately stem from careful objective research. So how do
you show this type of research has taken place in your essay? By referencing!
When you want to provide evidence. A reference is evidence that what you
have said is based on research and not from opinion or hearsay. This is also
why it is important to use credible, peer-reviewed sources and why
referencing internet sites such as ‘Wikipedia’ is often viewed upon as invalid
and unacademic practice.
In short, alongside avoiding plagiarism, referencing allows us to do two
things:
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It shows how we know something
It shows why we think something
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The Conventions of the Harvard System
Remember that anything you include in your bibliography must feature in your
written text and vice versa.
How do I reference a book?
In text:
Punishment moved away from the idea of hiding criminals and became
an exercise of constant observation, as Foucault asserts ‘visibility is a
trap’ (1977: 200)
In the bibliography:
Foucault, M (1977) Discipline and Punish: The birth of Prison. London:
Penguin
How to:
Thompson, P. write the surname of the author followed by their initial (1978) In brackets, write the date it
was published The Voice of the Past: Oral History write the title of the book and highlight it using
italics Oxford: Oxford University Press Lastly, write where the book was published followed by a
colon (:) then stating the publishers
Note:
The source of your reference is highlighted using italics. You may come
across sources that have been underlined instead. This was often how it was
written before word processing became commonly accessible. You are
generally now expected to use italicising in your bibliography.
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How do I reference a chapter from an edited book?
In Text:
The idealisation of personal relationships based on love over
economics has arguably seen an increase in the fragility and
breakdown of partnerships (Hochschild 1998).
In the Bibliography:
Hochschild, A (1998) ‘The sociology of emotion as a way of seeing’ in
Bendelow, G & Williams, S (eds) Emotions in Social Life London:
Routledge
See these variations:
An edited book:
Bell, C & Harris, D
(eds) If they are editors of
(1990) In brackets, type in the year the book was published Assessment and
Evaluation Then write the name of the book and highlight using italics London: write where it was published
followed by a colon. Kogan Page Ltd Finally, include the name of the publishers.
write the names of the author(s) putting the initial(s) at the end
the book then include this here
A later edition:
Walklate, S write the surname of the author followed by their initial (2004) In brackets, write the date it was
published Gender, Crime and Criminal Justice write the title of the book and highlight it using italics
(2nd Ed) In brackets, state the edition of the book Devon: Willan Publishing Lastly, write where the book
was published followed by a colon (:) then stating the publishers
A chapter from an edited book:
Mart, F write the name of the author of the chapter (1988) In brackets, write the date it was published
'Boy’s Own? Masculinity, Style and Popular Culture’ write the title of the chapter using
italics in Chapman, R & Rutherford, J Then write the name(s) of the author(s) of the book followed by
the indication that they are the editors (eds) Male Order: Unwrapping Masculinity write the title
of the book in italics London: Lawrence & Wishart Ltd Lastly, write where the book was published
followed by a colon (:) then stating the publishers
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How do I reference an article from a periodical or journal?
In Text:
Tomlinson (2006) looks at the perception of part-time workers within
organisations and how this perception is constructed.
In the Bibliography:
Tomlinson, J (2006) ‘Part-time occupational mobility in the service
industries: regulation, work commitment and occupational closure’ in
The Sociological Review (54) 1
How to:
Mizicaki, F Write the name of the author of the article (2006) In brackets, write the date it was published
‘A Systems Approach to Program Evaluation Model for Quality in Higher
Education’ Write the title of the article in Quality Assurance in Education State which
periodical or journal it was from Vol. 14, No. 1 include the issue details
Note:
If it is a special edition, then include these details along with the volume and
number of the periodical at the end of the bibliographic detail
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How do I reference a report? How do I reference an online
report?
In Text:
Recent research using the perspective of the offender offers new
insights into property crime. Hearnden and Magill (2004) outline new
findings following a series of interviews with convicted ‘burglars’ in
southern England.
In the Bibliography:
Hearnden, I & Magill, C (2004) Decision-Making by House Burglars:
Offenders’ Perspectives. HO Report 249. London: Home Office
Retrieved on 10th Jan 2006 from:
www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs04/r249.pdf
Note:
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If you have accessed a report from the internet, you can include the
web link as shown above.
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If the report doesn’t have an author’s name, then use the organisation
that produced it (i.e. HEFCE, NACRO or Age Concern).
How to:
HEFCE Write the body that carried out the report or study (2006) In brackets, write the date it was published
Review of Performance Indicators Write the title of the report or study 2006/34 Include the
study number and/or where and by who it was published
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Finding Out More
Remember, it is possible to reference anything! Obviously, not all
possibilities are listed here so if you need further help, please seek
guidance.
For further Information see:
Redman, P (2006) Good Essay Writing: A Social Sciences Guide
(3rd Ed) London: Sage Publications
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