A Simple Guide to the Harvard Referencing System

Referencing within the text Making a reference list or

bibliography

Referencing a book

Referencing Referencing
ideas or quotes Referencing a
information from chapter or essay in a
other sources
Referencing articles from
journals or newspapers

Referencing the Internet

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Prepared by: Peter Lia
Dyslexia Support Tutor,
Middlesex University

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 A Simple Guide to the Harvard Referencing System

.
The Harvard referencing system was developed at Harvard University in the USA.
It is a system of referencing that allows you to acknowledge ideas, information or quotes that you
use in written assignments.

The Harvard system does not use footnotes or endnotes.

It consists of

• abbreviated references which appear within the text of your essay or report
and
• a full list of references at the end of your essay or report

The idea is that, in the text, only a short form of the reference is cited (surname of author and date
of publication) and the full details are given once only - at the end in a reference list or bibliography

References

Please note:
Schools/Subject areas may
have alternative
requirements for
referencing. Refer to
individual subject/ module
material or lecturer for
further details.
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Referencing within the text

In the Harvard system, ideas, information or quotes that you get from other
sources must be referenced within the text of your essay or report.

When you reference in your work, try to vary the phrases

that you use. Here are some examples:

Referencing your work properly As Smith (1990) points out…

• shows that you have read In an article/report/study by Smith (1990)…
widely Smith (1990) expressed a similar idea/point of view…
• brings in expert opinion to A study by Smith (1990) indicates…
support your argument. Smith (1990) has drawn attention to the fact…
Smith (1990) claims…
• helps avoid plagiarism
Smith (1990) discovered that/ found that…
Smith (1990) argues that…
Smith (1990) concludes…
Smith (1990) indicates/outlines/shows/illustrates that…
According to Smith (1990)…
Smith (1990) observes that …
To quote Smith (1990 p.23)…
Research by Smith (1990) suggests that…

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 Referencing ideas or information

To acknowledge an author within the text of your assignment you need to include only:
the surname of the author(s)
the date of publication

You can do this in a number of ways, the following examples are all acceptable:

Examples:
Smith was the first scientist to propose these ideas (Smith 1946).
Smith (1946) was the first scientist to propose these ideas.
These ideas were first proposed just after the Second World War (Smith 1946).
A study by Graham and Oakley (1985) supports this argument.
This argument was supported by a recent study (Graham and Oakley 1985).

If more than 2 authors

Fraser recognised the importance of interpreting dreams before Freud (Fraser et al 1956).

If the idea you want to reference appears in a book written by somebody else:

Smith was the first scientist to propose these ideas (Harris 1966).

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 Referencing quotes

To reference a quote within the text of your assignment you need to include only:
the surname of the author(s)
the date of publication
the page number (using the letter p.)

Short quotations can be incorporated into the text and need “quotation marks”:

Examples:
As claimed by Smith and Jones “the last economic cycle was the shortest this century” (1988 p.67).
It was Wilson who first described the Great Depression as “a disaster waiting to happen” (Thomas 1939 p.33).

Longer quotations are separated from the main text,

Schools have different guidelines about how long a
indented on both sides and do not require quotation marks quote must be before indenting, it could be:
- one or more sentences - over three lines
- a specified number of words.
Example: Refer to your subject/module handbook for details.

Northledge points out the differences in technique:

There is no best way of making notes during a lecture. Some

people scribble away all the time and produce several pages
while others take down only a few key points set out
diagrammatically. Both approaches can be very effective.
(Northledge 1988 p.5)

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 Making a reference list or bibliography

The Harvard system requires that you make a full list of all the works referred to or quoted from in your essay or report.

You can call this list “References”. It should appear on a separate sheet at the end of your work.

The references must appear in alphabetical order by surname of author.

When compiling your reference list or bibliography using the Harvard System, the important
thing is to include all the relevant information, chose a style and BE CONSISTENT.

Don’t wait until you have finished your essay to

compile your references. When you start your
research open a file on your computer and enter
the information needed for each reference as you
use it. In this way, you reference list will be
complete and it will be easier for you to put the
entries in alphabetical order.
For more detailed information on the Harvard System see
handouts in the library, search the Internet or go to
http://oasis.mdx.ac.uk/SCRIPT/ELLS01/scripts/serve_home
What is the difference between References
and Bibliography?
Strictly speaking, the references include only
work that has been cited in your essay or report
while the bibliography includes this material and
any other relevant source that is not mentioned
in your work. If you split the References and the
Bibliography; place the References after your
essay or report and the Bibliography at the very
end – after any appendices. However, most
lecturers only want one list and you can call it
either References or Bibliography.

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 Referencing a book

Information needed
1. Author’s surname and initial(s)
2. Date of publication in brackets
3. Title of book underlined or in italics or in bold text
4. City of publication (not country) followed by a colon:
5. Publisher

Examples:
Jones, C. (1990) The Longman Companion to the French Revolution London: Longman
Fraser, V. (1962) A Dictionary of Art Terms London: Oldbourne

Edited books
Hornblower, S. & Spawforth, A. (eds.) (1997) The Oxford Classical Dictionary Oxford:
Oxford University Press

More than two authors

Spackman, J. et al (1990) The Only Way to Blue Glasgow: Collins

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 Referencing a chapter, essay
or article in an edited work

Information needed
1. Author’s surname and initials (author of chapter or essay)
2. Date of publication of chapter or essay in brackets
3. Title of the chapter or essay in quotation marks
(followed by the word in)
4. Surname and initial of author of book [or editor + (ed)]
5. Date of publication of book in brackets
6. Title of the book underlined or in italics or in bold text
7. City of publication (not country) followed by a colon :
8. Publisher

Examples:
Beck, D. (1988) ‘Poverty and Health’ in White M (1992) Health
inequalities in England and Wales London: Penguin Books

Dixon, P.F. (1922) ‘How to Make the Best Gravy’ in Smith D & Blankfield
S (eds) (1985) Great Cooking Made Simple London: Whurr

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 Referencing articles from
journals or newspapers:

Information needed
1. Author’s surname and initials (author of article)
2. Date of publication in brackets
3. Title of the article in quotation marks
(followed by the word in)
4. The name of the journal or newspaper underlined or in italics or in
bold text
5. Journals: volume number, issue number, page no.
Newspapers: month, date, page no.

Examples:

Harris, F. (1949) ‘Introduction to the next decade’ in The British Journal of

Teacher Education Vol 4 no.3 pp.100-120

Bow, S. (1994) ‘Egyptian Revolt’ in The Guardian February 3 p8

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 Referencing articles from
the Internet:

information needed

1. Author’s surname and initials (if known)

2. Date of publication or last revision in brackets(if available)
3. Title of the article underlined or in italics or in bold text
4. the full http address (URL) enclosed <in angled brackets>
5. the date of visit (in brackets)

Example:
Simpson, L. P. (1995) A History of Cobol. Available from
<http://www.new education/home/history> (Accessed 6 January
1996)

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