The Harvard Referencing System
Introduction
When writing a piece of work you will need to refer in your text to material written or produced
by others. This procedure is called citing or quoting references. Consistency and accuracy are
important to enable readers to identify and locate the material to which you have referred. The
same set of rules should be followed every time you cite a reference.
An online version of this guidance is available at: http://media.ncl.ac.uk/pages/harvard
For consistency, there are two aspects to a referencing system:
Citations in the Text - standardised to the ‘Author-date method’.
The Bibliography - the standardised alphabetical listing of all the source material referred to
and/or read.
Complete and accurate referencing is extremely important in academic work and failure to
reference properly can lead to failure of assessed work.
Citation in the Text (Author-date method)
All statements, opinions, conclusions etc. taken from another writer's work should be cited,
whether the work is directly quoted, paraphrased or summarised. In the Harvard System, cited
publications are referred to in the text by giving the author's surname and the year of publication
in one of the eight forms shown below. If details of particular parts of a document are required,
e.g. page numbers, they should be given after the year within the parentheses.
VERY IMPORTANT!
If you are using the words of another writer, quotation marks should ALWAYS be used.
Failure to use quotation marks for an author’s own words will be deemed as plagiarised
content and you may face disciplinary action.
When using another writer’s own words (known as quoting or use of quotations) there are two
standardised presentation styles, this is dependent on the length of the quotation:
A short quotation of less than a sentence may be included in the body of the text in quotation
marks. The page number must be included.
e.g. …so "good practices must be taught" (Smith 1996, p.15) and we should…
A long quotation is any quote of a full sentence or longer, and should start on a new line and
indented both from the left and right margins. The page number must be included. e.g.
"Theory rises out of practice, and once validated, returns to direct
or explain the practice." (Stevens 1997, p.92).
The eight forms (or conditions) for citing authors are…
1.
If the author's name occurs naturally in the sentence the year is given in the parentheses:e.g. In a popular study, Harvey (1992 p.556) argued that…
2.
If however, the name does not occur naturally in the sentence, both name and year are
given in the parentheses:e.g. More recent studies (Bartlett 1996; James 1998) show that…
3.
When an author has published more than one cited document in the same year, these are
distinguished by adding lower case letters (a,b,c, etc.) after the year and within the
parentheses:e.g. Johnson (1994a) discussed the subject…
4.
If there are two authors, the surnames of both should be given:e.g. Matthews and Jones (1993) have proposed that…
5.
If there are more than two authors the surname of the first author only should be given,
followed by et al. (in italics):e.g. Wilson et al. (1997) conclude that…
6.
If there is no originator then "Anon" should be used:e.g. A recent article (Anon 1993) stated that…
7.
If you refer to a (primary) source quoted in another (secondary source) work you cite
both in the text:e.g. A study by Smith (1960 cited in Jones 1994 p.24) showed that…
(You need to list the work you have used, i.e. Jones, in the main bibliography.)
8.
If you are referring to the overall argument of a book or article, do not use page numbers.
e.g. Nunan (1986) presents many different varieties of syllabus.
If, however, you are referring to a specific point within a book or article, mention the
page number(s).
e.g. Allwright (1982 p.56) provides an example of intervention in a lesson.
Other forms of citation:
Diagrams and tables
Diagrams and tables should be referenced as though they were a quotation, with the author
and date given alongside and full details in the Bibliography. e.g.
A Venn Diagram (Johnson 1996 p.122)
Personal communications
These do not provide recoverable data and so are generable not included in the Bibliography.
Cite 'personal communication' in the text and give initials as well as the surname of the
communicator and provide as exact a date as possible.
e.g.
Many designers do not understand the needs of disabled people, according to
J.O. Reiss (personal communication, 18 April, 1997).
If however, the source text was generated specifically for the assignment (such as email
dialogue for a related project) and is integral to the body of evidence, then a transcript of the
communication should be included in an Appendix section at the end of the document and
specific reference to its Appendix entry (usually by date, Appx.Z).
e.g. …the project team "decided to pursue a diplomatic rather than confrontational"
(Team Member C, personal communication, 31 October, Appx.1) approach.
The Bibliography
The term bibliography describes references to cited documents given in a list at the end of the
text. These are usually described as bibliographic references. Although other sources may
refer to this as a 'Reference list', we only require one list at the end of the document, labelled
as the 'Bibliography' and must only contain works that you have cited. DO NOT list works
that you have solely read but not used.
In the Harvard System, the references are listed in ALPHABETICAL order of authors'
surnames.
If you have cited more than one item by a specific author they should be listed
chronologically (earliest first), and by letter (1993a, 1993b) if more than one item has been
published during a specific year.
Whenever possible, elements of a bibliographical reference should be taken from the title
page of the publication.
Each reference should be on a new line that should be left to run-on if it extends beyond the
page width. Use the elements and punctuation given in the following examples for the
different types of published work you may have cited.
Books
Author/editor surname, initials. (Year) Title of book. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher.
Smith, M.G. (1987) Photography: a practical guide. 3rd ed. London: Routledge.
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The book title is italicised.
The date is the year of publication not printing.
The edition is only mentioned if other than the first.
The place of publication is the city not the country.
Contributions within a Book
Contributing Author surname, initials. (Year) Title of contribution. In: Author/editor initials,
surname. Title of book. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher, Page number(s) of
contribution.
Bantz, C.R. (1995) Social dimensions of software development. In. J.A. Anderson, ed. Annual
review of software management and development. Newbury Park: Sage, p.502-510.
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The book title is italicised.
The date is the year of publication not printing.
Use ed. or eds if you have named the editor(s) of the publication.
The edition is only mentioned if other than the first.
The place of publication is the city not the country.
The page numbers are prefixed with the term 'p.'
Journal articles
Author surname, initials. (Year) Title of article. Journal name. Volume number (issue or part
number), first and last page numbers.
Brown, D. (1994) The art of teaching. Journal of Learning and Teaching. 24 (2), p.7-14.
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The journal name is italicised, not the article title.
The issue / part number is in parentheses.
It is not necessary to use the terms 'vol.' and 'no.'' e.g. Vol. 24, No.2, p.7-14. is not
needed.
Corporate authors
Corporate author (Year) Title. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher.
Institute of Waste Management (1995) Ways to improve recycling. Northampton: Institute of
Waste Management.
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In the text refer to: (Institute for Waste Management 1995) or Institute for Waste
Management (1995) states how…
The format is the same as for a book, but uses the 'corporate' (company, business,
organisation) author in place of a named author.
Corporate authors can be: - government bodies, companies, professional bodies, clubs or
societies, international organisations.
Government publications
Government department/institute Subdivision of department/institute (if known) (Year) Title
of document. (Name of chairperson if it is a committee). Place of publication: Publisher
Department of Health and Social Services (1980) Inequalities in health: report of a research
working group. (Chairman: Sir Douglas Black). London: DHSS.
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In the text refer to: (DHSS 1980) or the DHSS (1980) states how…
Available data for government publications will vary so where possible include the
information as shown.
Conference papers
Author, Initial. (Year) Title of conference paper. In: conference proceedings title, including
date. Place of publication: Publisher.
Gibbs, G. (2001) Learning from Institutional Learning and Teaching Strategies. In: National
Assessment Conference: LTSN Generic Centre: Birmingham, 2001. York: LTSN.
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Conference papers are often published in book form or as a special issue of a journal.
It is necessary to include the name, place and date of the conference.
Theses
Author, initials. (Year) Thesis title. Level of theses: Awarding institution.
Agutter, A.J. (1995) The linguistic significance of current British slang. PhD Thesis:
Edinburgh University.
Newspapers
Journalist name, initial. Year. Title of news item. Name of newspaper. Day Month. Page
number.
Peters, R. (1992) Picking up Maxwell’s bills. Independent. 4 June, p.28.
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Name of newspaper is italicised.
If it is a news article and does not attribute an author the name of the newspaper is used
in the text and instead of the author in the reference list.
The date does not need a year as this is identified in the parenthesised (Year) after the
author.
Legislation:
Law reports
Names of parties involved in case. [Year] Volume number/Abbreviated name of law
report/Page number on which report starts.
Holgate v Duke [1984] 2 All ER 660
 Dates are given in square brackets, not round.
Statutes
Country of authorship. Title of statute Year of statute. Place of publication: publisher.
England. Data Protection Act 1984. London: HMSO
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The usual method of citing an act of Parliament is to cite it in the text
The country of origin is regarded as the author.
The author (country) is not always stated if you are discussing the law of the land which
you are actually in.
Statutory instruments
Short title of the statutory instrument. Year (SI year: number). Place of publication: Publisher.
Lobster pots (size regulations). 1989 (SI 1989: 1201). London:HMSO.
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It is not necessary to put the country of origin if it is the UK.
Patents
Patent applicant. (Year) Title of patent. Name of author/inventor. Country of patent, serial
number. Date of application.
Mitsui Toatsu Chemicals Inc. (1972) Dying by acid dyes. Author: F.Fujii. Japan patent
application 6988, 3951969. 2 October 1972.
British standards
Corporate author (Year) Title of standard. Number of standard. Place: Publisher.
British Standards Institute (1989) References to published materials. BS1629
Unpublished material
Author/editor surname, initials. (Year) Title. Edition. Place, unpublished.
Lawler, C. (1987) Childhood vaccinations. Health Promotion Leaflet, Chester Group Practice,
unpublished.
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Some printed materials are not produced by recognisable publishers, and may not be
widely available. In this case it is necessary to indicate this.
If the document is archival in nature, e.g. a manuscript or personal letter, its location
should also be included.
Internet:
World Wide Web/ Blog pages
Author/editor, initials. (Year) Title [online]. (Edition). Place of publication: Publisher (if
ascertainable). Available from: URL [Accessed Date].
Holland, M (1996) Harvard System [online]. Poole: Bournemouth University. Available from:
http://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/using_the library/guide_to_citing_internet_souc.html
[Accessed 14 February 2001].
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The accessed date is the date on which you viewed or downloaded the document. It may
be subject to changes or updating and this allows for this possibility.
Keeping a record of the document you used is recommended.
Often organisations put information onto the Internet without citing an author. In these
cases ascribe authorship to the smallest identifiable organisational unit (in the same way
as you cite material by a corporate author.)
Social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter, Bebo etc.)
These are web pages so will be referenced as such.
Author/editor, initials. (Year) Title of page. [Social Network Channel] Day Month of posted
message. Available from: URL. [Accessed Date].
Jones, S. (2009) Referencing Group. [Facebook] 5 May. Available from:
www.facebook.com/referencing/5TgTv [Accessed 9 May 2009].
Electronic journals
Author, initials. (Year) Title. Journal title [online]. Volume number (issue or part number),
location within host. Available from: URL [Accessed date].
Korb, K.B. (1995) Persons and things: book review of Bringsjord on Robot-Consciousness.
Psychology [online]. 6 (15) p.19. Available from:
gopher://wachau.ai.univie.ac.at:70/00/archives/Psycholoquy/95.V6/0162 [Accessed 17 Jun
1996].
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'Location within host' may have to be used to indicate where the item can be found
within the cited address. For example the page, paragraph or line number (when these are
fixed within a document).
Other locations could be a specific labelled part, section or table, or any host-specific
designation.
Personal Communication: E-mails
Sender, Initials. (Sender's E-mail address). (Day Month Year). Subject of Message. E-mail to:
Recipient (Recipient's E-mail address).
Lowman, D. (deborah-lowman@pbsinc.com). (4 Apr 1996). RE>>ProCite and Internet
References. E-mail to: P. Cross (pcross@bournemouth.ac.uk)
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E-mail Items are generally private and hence may not be suitable for referencing.
Keeping a record of the document you used is recommended, placing pertinent
transcripts in an 'Appendix' if necessary.
Personal Communication: E-mail lists (mailbase/listserve)
Author, initials. (Day Month Year) Subject of message. Discussion List [online] Available
from: list e-mail address [Accessed Date].
Brack, E.V. (2 May 1995) Re: Computing short courses. Lis-link [online]. Available from:
mailbase@mailbase.ac.uk [Accessed 17 Apr 1996].
Jensen, L.R. (12 Dec 1995) Recommendation of student radio/tv in English. IASTAR [online].
Available from: Listserv@ftp.nrg.dtu/dk [Accessed 29 Apr 1996].
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Items may only be kept on discussion group servers for a short time and hence may not
be suitable for referencing.
Keeping a record of the document you used is recommended, placing pertinent
transcripts in an 'Appendix' if necessary
The Email-list (not the Subject line) is italicised.
The accessed date is the date on which you viewed or downloaded the document.
Electronic material:
Videotapes/Discs/Digital Media Files
For an off-air recording of a programme use this format:
Broadcast company (Year) Title of programme. Off-air recording. Transmission date. Format.
Channel Four (1992) J’Accuse: Sigmund Freud. Off-air recording. 10 June 1992. mp4 media
file.
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In the text refer to: (Channel Four 1992)
For an off-air recording of a film use this format:
Title. (Year) Person or body responsible for production. Off-air recording. Format.
The Graduate. (1969) Directed by Mike Nichols. Off-air recording. DVD.
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In the text refer to: (The Graduate 1969)
Films
Title (Year) Person or body responsible for production. Running time. Production company.
Place of production or publication (if known). Format.
The Apartment (1960) Directed by Billy Wilder. 124 mins. United Artists. Bluray.
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In the text refer to: (The Apartment 1960)
CD-ROMs (full text)
Author/editor, initials. (Year) Title. Title of full text database. [CD ROM], volume, date, page.
Lascalles, D. (1995) Oil’s troubled waters. Financial Times. [CD ROM], 11 January 1995,
p.18.
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This format is for full-text CD-ROM
If your reference is a bibliographic reference only - you should find the full version of
the article and refer to that.
Other rules:
Referencing an author cited in another publication
When an author cites a journal article or book which you haven’t read, it becomes a secondary
source. Ideally, you should find this source and cite it in the correct way (as detailed above). If
you cannot locate this source, you may cite it in the text using the reference that is provided in
your ‘primary source’. In your text and reference list you must link these two items with the
term ‘Cited in’. The style is:
Author of original work’s surname, initials. Year of original publication. Title of original
work. Place of publication: Publisher. Cited in Author/editor surname, initials. (Year) Title.
Place of publication: Publisher.
Pollock, T. (1995) Children in contemporary society. Cambridge: Macmillan. Cited in Jones,
P. (1996) A Family Affair. London: Butterworth
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In the text refer to: (Pollock 1995 cited in Jones 1996 p.24)
Only the primary source is italicised
Both years are included
Referencing with limited details available
In cases where the publication details are limited it is necessary to indicate that these are not
available. A series of abbreviations should be used to replace the unknown item for these
purposes:
Anon = Author/corporate author not given.
N.d. = No date.
S.l. = No place (sine loco).
S.n. = No publisher (sine nomine).
N.k. = Not known.
Disclaimer
No standard method for citing electronic sources of information has yet been agreed upon. The
recommendations in this document follow the practices most likely to be adopted and are
intended as guidance for those needing to cite electronic sources of information now. Those
intending to use such citations in papers submitted to scholarly journals should check whether
an alternative method is used by that journal.