USING THE HARVARD REFERENCING SYSTEM
Academic conventions require that you acknowledge when you use ideas of others.
In most cases this means stating which book or journal articles the source of an idea
or quotation.
The Harvard system takes little time and space and is easy to use. There are two
aspects to learn: textual references and a list of references cited, given at the end.
This reference list at the end must list ALL the works you have cited in the text. NB:
The reference list is different from the bibliography, which should also be given at the
end, in which you list books and other materials that you have used as background
for your work but have not cited them in the text. A good example of this would be the
use of a general textbook of physiology for background information on the digestive
system in an essay discussing a specific disease of the stomach. The method used
for listing works in the bibliography list is the same as for the reference list.
Textual References
These are also called in-text references or citations. When you use another's ideas
you should immediately acknowledge your sources. Always give the surname of the
author and the date of publication. If you are referring to the general theme of a book
or journal article page numbers are unnecessary (but page numbers of books and
journals should still be given in the reference list at the end). Where you are directly
quoting an author (e.g. using “” marks) or referring to figures or data, page numbers
may be included. Examples follow.
 Carlson (1981) obtained results which...
 A recent study (Carlson 1990) ...
 Soil layers below the well tip contribute relatively little water (Kozeny 1988, p. 223).
 Kozeny (1988, p. 223) found soil layers below the well tip contributed little.
Note: tables, diagrams, graphs and
figures should be referenced if they
are based on another’s work. The
reference would normally be given
after the title of the diagram or table.
These references for diagrams etc.
must also be included in the
reference list.
Fig. 1: An Interesting Shape (Smith 1990).
When volumes, sections or equations are needed – often for technical or legal
reasons.
 (Jessor 1989, vol. 2, p. 23)
 (Jessor 1989, vol. 2, p. 23; vol. 3, pp. 20-41)
The Key Point About Harvard…
 (Jessor 1989, sec. 2)
Is to realise that it aims to help
another researcher find the sources
 (Jessor 1989, eq. 3)
Two or three authors
 (Jones & Hackett 1991)
 Jones and Hackett (1991) theorised that...
 (Boyd, Smith & Eberle 1985)
 Boyd, Smith and Eberle (1985) found...
you used. The guidelines presented
here will not cover all eventualities
but should give you a sense of how
to help someone else find what you
have found.
Note: The ampersand (&) is used when the authors' names are in brackets.
Available electronically: http://intranet.chssc.salford.ac.uk/
More than three authors
Use the first author only followed by 'et al.' For example, a work by Carter, Morton,
Duncan-Kemp and Redding becomes:
 Carter et al. (1989) discussed library search methods.
Note: Names of all the authors must be given in the list of references.
Multiple citations of the same author
Arrange in chronological order, and use suffixes to distinguish works published in the
same year.
 Brown (1980, 1983a, 1983b) theorised ...
 Brown (1983a, p. 21; 1983b, p. 85) theorised ...
Direct Quotations
Brief quotations (about 30 words or less) can be included in text. Use single quotations
marks.
 Stewart (1982, p. 6) said: 'Engineers are vital to the survival of the planet'.
 'Engineers are vital to the survival of the planet' (Stewart 1982, p. 6).
Lengthy quotations are given in separate paragraphs which are indented from both left and
right margins. No quotation marks are used. Citations are as above.
Two authors, same surname
Initials are included to distinguish.
 The theory was propounded by A.E. Smith (1981), but has been refuted since (Smith,
B.R. 1985).
More than one work cited
 (Larsen 1971; Haddon 1969).
Editors
 (ed. Kaufmann 1974)
 ... edited by Kaufmann (1974)
Newspapers
If authors are given use the principles already stated. If there is no author:
 (Weekend Guardian 24-25 Jan. 1987, p.19)
Internet Sources
 Either: Quote URL address of the page containing the cited information in the text.
E.g.: Student satisfaction with canteen food is increasing
(www.salford.ac.uk/catering.htm)
 Or: Quote the author as above – this is generally more helpful.
E.g.: Student satisfaction with canteen food is increasing (Smith 1999)
The internet URL would be given in the reference list in both cases – see next pages for
advice on this.
Personal communications
Initials are included.
 (Ayers, R.N. 1991, pers. comm., 2 July).
 M.K. Larsen (1983, pers. comm., 1 May) said...
Available electronically: http://intranet.chssc.salford.ac.uk/
Note: Personal communications are not included in the list of references at the end.
Unpublished Works
 (Crowley, unpub.)
 Crowley (unpub.) argues that...
No date or approximate date
 Donovan (n.d.) revealed ...
 Harris (c. 1751) said...
Anonymous
 On Travelling to London (1683) reveals this to be false.
 This was not so in seventeenth-century England (On Travelling to London 1683)
Note: Do not use 'Anonymous' or 'Anon'.
No personal author, sponsored by corporate body
 (CSIRO 1982)
 A publication of the Institution of Engineers, London (1988) is..
Note: Well known abbreviations such as CSIRO may be used in textual references, but
should be spelt out in an alphabetical list of abbreviations. Abbreviations used in textual
references should correspond with those in the list of references.
Database
 Manchester Architecture Database, Stanton Library,
 AGRIS (database), United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation,
Secondary source of idea
 Johns (1980, p.10, cited in Holesworthy 1985, p.19)
The Bible
 Psalm 23:6-8
Motion pictures, videos and television
 Strictly Ballroom (motion picture) 1992
 Understanding the GNP (video recording) 1982
 Television productions are identified as video recordings: What Are We Going to Do
With the Money (video recording) 8 August 1982, BBC Television
List of References
At the end of your assignment, place a list of references cited in the text. Arrange this in
alphabetical order of author's surnames, and chronologically for each author where more
than one work by that author is cited. The author's surname is placed first, followed by
initials or first name, and then the year of publication is given in brackets e.g. “(1984)”. If
the list contains more than one item published by the same author in the same year add
lower case letters immediately after the year to distinguish them. For example "(1983a)".
The title of the journal or book is given in italics when word-processed or underlined when
this is not possible.
So for books:
Surname, Initial. (Year), Title, Publisher, Publishing Company’s Nearest Headquarters
(e.g. London).
Available electronically: http://intranet.chssc.salford.ac.uk/
For Journals:
Surname, Initial. (Year), Title of Paper, Journal, volume and number, page numbers. The
details about the volume etc. can be given fully (e.g. vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 10-18.) or
abbreviated to give just numbers (e.g. 1 (3), 10-18.)
It is helpful, but not required, to make the volume bold to distinguish it from the journal
name.
See the following examples for more details and for how to list other sources:
Type Of Item
Journal article
4 authors
Journal article
Example
Gibberd, R., Snow, P.T., Rice, P.G. & Patel, N.B. (1991), 'Nuclear power at
what price?' The Bulletin, 113 (4), 51-5.
Jones, B.E. & Jones, S.R. (1987), 'Powerful questions,' Journal of Power
Engineering, vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 10-18.
Cole, G.H.A. (1991), Thermal Power Cycles, Edward Arnold, London.
Book
1 author
Douglas, M. & Watson, C. (1984), Networking, Macmillan, London.
Book
2 authors
Edition of Book Morton, J.S. (1984), Wind Power: An Overview, 2nd edn, Newcastle University
2+ editions of book Press, Melbourne
Article cited in a Oppenheim, P.L. (1981), 'Power politics', Journal of Power Engineering, 1 (3),
19-26, quoted in Strong, K. (1985), Advances in Power Engineering, Springerbook
Verlag, Berlin, p. 70.
2 books in 1 year King, P. (1984a), Power in Australia, UQP, St. Lucia,
(1984b), Solar Power, Macmillan, Melbourne.
by same author
Government pub. Department of Energy, (1980), Projections of Energy Needs, HMSO, London.
no author
The Eliciting of Frank Answers, (1955), Engineering Publications, Florida.
Book
anonymous
Long, P.E. (ed.) (1991), A Collection of Current Viewson Nuclear Safety,
Editor
Penguin, Harmondsworth.
North, D. (1980), 'Energy use at home', in Energy Conservation, eds S. Scott
Chapter in an
edited book
& N. Peel, Academic Press, London.
Newspaper article Popham, B. (1987), 'Saving the future', Weekend Guardian Magazine, 7-8
Feb., p.10.
Newspaper article Perth Daily News, 24 Jan. 1987, p.10.
no author
Conference paper Trump, A. (1986), 'Power play', Proceedings of the Third Annual Conference,
International Society of Power Engineers, HoustonTexas, pp. 40-51.
Database
AGRIS (database), United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation,
Vendor: Silverplatter, annual updating.
Motion pictures, Learning to Live (motion picture) (1964), London, FineFilms Inc., Producer
videos
Martin Freeth.
Remember: you must list your references alphabetically.
Available electronically: http://intranet.chssc.salford.ac.uk/
LISTING INTERNET REFERENCES: While they are dealt with separately below,
internet references are best integrated into the reference list if you cite the internet
page’s author in the text. If you cite the internet address (the URL) in the text it is best
to list the internet sources separately and arrange them alphabetically by the URL.
***** If you remain unclear on any of these points, ask someone! *****
Referencing Internet Resources Using the Harvard System
It is just as important to cite Internet resources correctly as it is to reference print materials,
since both are covered by copyright law. There are few published standards for using the
Harvard System when citing internet sources. Some examples adapted from the print-based
Harvard system are shown below. It is most helpful to cite the author of the material if one is
available.
Note: An internet page address (e.g. www.salford.ac.uk) is technically called an URL (a
Uniform Resource Locator).
Individual
work
example:
Author/editor (Year), Title, [Online], Edition, Publisher (if ascertainable),
Place of Publication, Available from: URL [Accessed Date].
Hitchcock, S., Carr, L.& Hall,W. (1996), A survey of STM online journals 199095: The calm before the storm, [Online], Available from: URL
http://journal.ecs.soton.ac.uk/survey/survey.html, [Accessed 12 June 1996].
Journal Article Author Year, Article Title, Journal Title, [Online], volume (issue),
location within host, Available from: URL [Accessed Date].
example:
Griffith, A.I. (1995), 'Coordinating Family and School :Mothering for Schooling',
Education Policy Analysis Archives, [Online], vol. 3, no. 1, 49310 bytes,
Available from URL: http://olam.ed.asu.edu/epaa/, [Accessed 12 February
1997].
Discussion
Author Day Month Year, Subject of message, Discussion List
List Message
[Online], Available from: list e-mail address, [Accessed Date].
Wilson, D. 20 November (1995), `Summary of citing Internet sites' , NETTRAIN
example:
Discussion List, [Online], Available from: NETTRAIN@ubvm.cc.buffalo.edu.
[22 November 1995]
Personal ESender (Sender's E-mail address) Day Month Year, Subject of Message, Email
mail to Recipient (Recipient's E-mail address).
example:
Davis, A. (a.davis@uwts.edu.au) 10 June (1996), 'Learning to use Web
authoring tools' E-mail to Alison Hunter (huntera@usq.edu.au).
Database
Database name [database], Place of publication,
Publisher (if ascertainable). Name of vendor, updating frequency.
example:
AGRIS [database], New York, United Nations Food and Agriculture
Organisation, Vendor: Silverplatter, annual updating.
Note that the main differences between the print format and the electronic format
are:
 Specification of the type of medium, in square brackets. It should almost always be
[Online]
 Full specification of the URL, which indicates the type of online medium, eg. WWW
(rarely ftp or gopher).
 Specification of the date that the item was accessed, since electronic documents are
often updated.
 An indication of the size of the document, eg. pagination if that is known; labelled part,
section, table etc; or size of the file.
Available electronically: http://intranet.chssc.salford.ac.uk/
Final General Notes…
Above all, the citation of references is undertaken to allow the reader of your work to
check your sources in an efficient manner. It is not an exact science! You will inevitable
come across sources that are not given as examples above. You may also encounter
conflicting advice between guides on the Harvard System – especially for internet sources.
In these situations, ask yourself whether the citation you make within the text will help the
reader find the full reference in your reference list and whether the details in the reference
list will enable the reader to accurately locate your original source where possible. If the
reader can do these things and your referencing conforms to the general principles of the
Harvard System you will do fine.
Note: If you do not provide a reference list at the end of assignments for which one
is expected you may only receive 0% and be required to resubmit your work for a
maximum of 40%.
A more extensive guide is found in: Fisher, D., and Hanstock, T., (1998). Citing
References. Oxford: Blackwells. [...only 99p).
This guide to referencing was modified by Tim Duerden at the University of Salford from the material
available at http://hurricane.lamp.ac.uk/student/ref.htm which is in turn a reworking of material from
Bournemouth University which in turn originated from the University of New South Wales – and before
that…?
Available electronically: http://intranet.chssc.salford.ac.uk/