HARVARD REFERENCING

for
THE ROBERT GORDON
UNIVERSITY
Principles of referencing
with examples of references
for:
books
journal articles
conference papers
web pages

Chris Brown
August 2010

Contents

Page
1. WHY, WHEN AND HOW TO REFERENCE
1.1 Why reference? ...................................................

1.2 When to reference ...............................................

1.3 Plagiarism: what it is and how to avoid it ................

1.4 How to reference

1.4.1 A summary .............................................

1.4.2 Citations .................................................

1.4.3 Examples of citations no direct quotation .

10

1.4.4 Examples of citations direct quotation ......

11

1.4.5 Where the same author has published more

than one work in the same year ..........................

12

1.4.6 Secondary referencing ..............................

13

1.4.7 Illustrations ............................................

14

1.4.8 Finding the information for your reference

1.4.8.1 An example of a library catalogue
record for a book .....................................

15

1.4.8.2 An example of a bibliographic

database record for a journal article ............

16

1.4.8.3 Tips for referencing web pages ......

17

2. SAMPLE FORMATS FOR REFERENCE LIST AND BIBLIOGRAPHY

2.1 Authored books
2.1.1 One author .............................................

19

2.1.2 Two authors ............................................

20

2.1.3 Three authors .........................................

21

2.1.4 More than three authors ...........................

22

2.2 Edited books

2.2.1 One editor ..............................................

23

2.2.2 Two editors .............................................

24

2.2.3 Three editors ..........................................

25

2.2.4 More than three editors ............................

26

2.2.5 One chapter in an edited book ...................

27

2.3 Journal and newspaper articles

2.3.1 One author .............................................

28

2.3.2 Two authors ............................................

29

2.3.3 Three authors .........................................

30

2.3.4 More than three authors ...........................

31

2.4 Web pages

2.4.1 Web page where you can identify a personal
author .................................................

33

2.4.2 Web page where you cannot identify a

personal author .................................................

34

2.5 Conference papers and proceedings

2.5.1 Set of conference proceedings as a whole ...

35

2.5.2 One conference paper from a set of

conference proceedings ......................................

36

1. WHY, WHEN AND HOW

TO REFERENCE

1.1 Why reference?

Referencing is necessary

To give credit to other authors whose work you have quoted, or to

whose work you have referred, in order to avoid a charge of
plagiarism (see section 1.3 below);

To allow the reader of your work to find the books, journal articles,
web pages etc which you have read and thereby access further
information on the subject; and

To demonstrate that you understand the conventions of academic

writing.

1.2 When to reference

You must provide a reference

Every time you quote directly from the work of someone else;

Every time you refer indirectly to the work of someone else, eg if

you

Paraphrase (put into your own words) what they have said;

Summarise their arguments or ideas;

Quote case studies, statistical data, known phrases,

definitions etc; or

Use information which you have obtained from their work; or

Where you wish to provide sources of further information,

clarification of points you have made in your text, or additional
evidence to support your arguments.

1.3 Plagiarism: what it is and how to avoid it

It is not only acceptable, but expected, that you will refer to the work of
others in your academic writing.
Plagiarism occurs when you use other peoples work without
acknowledging that you have done so by citing your sources and providing
references for them.
Quoting
Quotation is taking the exact words written by someone else and
reproducing them in your work.
Short quotations should be contained within your paragraph of text but
enclosed within quotation marks (double inverted commas).
Longer quotations should be indented as a separate paragraph and do not
require quotation marks.
Examples of how to insert quotations into your text are at section 1.4.4
below.
Paraphrasing
Even if ideas, theories, opinions etc that you have taken from other
peoples work are reproduced in your work in your own words this will still
constitute plagiarism unless you provide a reference.
Only information which is considered common knowledge in your field of
study does not have to be referenced.

1.4 How to reference

1.4.1 A summary
Element

Description

Citation

Inserted into your text where you

have quoted from, or referred to,
someone elses work.
Consists, in brackets, of the
author(s) or editor(s) of the work
followed by the year of publication.
A page reference should be included
where you have quoted directly or
are referring to an illustration
(photograph, map, table, diagram
etc).

Reference list

At the end of your work giving the

full reference details of works from
which you have quoted or to which
you have referred.
The list is arranged alphabetically
by author.

Bibliography

At the end of your work following

the reference list.
Lists the full reference details for
items which you have read but to
which you have not referred directly
in your text. Therefore there will be
no citation in your text.
Such items would include
background reading.
The list is arranged alphabetically
by author.

Your bibliography and reference list

can be combined into one.

1.4.2 Citations

Where you have quoted from, or referred to, someone elses work you
must insert a citation in your text.
This will guide the reader to the reference list at the end of your work.
Here they can look up, alphabetically by author, a full reference for the
item you have used.
The citation is placed in brackets in your text and consists of:

the surnames of the author(s) or editor(s) of the item as they

appear in the reference list at the end of your work;

the year of publication; and

where you quote directly from someone elses work or are referring
to an illustration, a page reference.

Only the first letter of the authors or editors surnames is capitalised and
no initials are give.
There is no comma between the surname(s) and the year of publication.
Examples of formats for citations are given at sections 1.4.3 1.4.4
below.

1.4.3 Examples of citations no direct quotation

Where the names of the author(s) or editor(s) occur naturally in

your text:
Grushkin (1991) claims that ...
Payne and Phillips (1985) claim that ...
Brewster, Fenton and Morris (2005) claim that ...
Roeder et al. (1967) claim that ...
Where the names of the author(s) or editor(s) do not occur
naturally in your text:
It has been claimed (Grushkin 1991) that ...
It has been claimed (Payne and Phillips 1985) that ...
It has been claimed (Brewster, Fenton and Morris 2005) that ...
It has been claimed (Roeder et al. 1967) that ...
Where the same author has published more than one work in the
same year.
In this case the citation should include a letter following the date to
differentiate between the references, eg
(Brown 2008a) and (Brown 2008b)
The letter is also used in the reference list/bibliography at the end of your
work. This allows the reader to identify the exact reference which you are
citing

10

1.4.4 Examples of citations direct quotation

See section 1.4.3 above for the correct style for different numbers of
authors(s) or editor(s).
Brief quotations
Brown (2008 p. 8) has stated most astutely that referencing is a pain I
could do without.
or
One view is that referencing is a pain I could do without (Brown 2008 p.
8).
Longer quotations
Toye (2007 p. 1) states categorically that:
David Lloyd George and Winston Churchill were the two most
important figures in twentieth-century British politics. Not only
were both renowned wartime Prime Ministers, but they both also
established impressive track records in terms of domestic reform.
or
A not uncommon view is that:
David Lloyd George and Winston Churchill were the two most
important figures in twentieth-century British politics. Not only
were both renowned wartime Prime Ministers, but they both also
established impressive track records in terms of domestic reform.
(Toye 2007 p.1)

11

1.4.5 Where the same author has published more than one
work in the same year

In this case the citation should include a letter following the date to
differentiate between the references, eg
(Brown 2008a) and (Brown 2008b)
The letter is also used in the reference list/bibliography at the end of your
work. This allows the reader to identify the exact reference which you are
citing
Where 2 or more items share the same author and year of publication the
procedure should be to:
a. Arrange the items in your reference list alphabetically by title, e.g.
NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE SCOTLAND, 2010. Choosing a healthy
diet ...
NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE SCOTLAND, 2010. Five a day ...
NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE SCOTLAND, 2010. Kidney dialysis ...
b. Having done this assign a letter to each reference, following the
date, in the order in which you have arranged them alphabetically in
your list, e.g.
NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE SCOTLAND, 2010a. Choosing a
healthy diet...
NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE SCOTLAND, 2010b. Five a day...
NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE SCOTLAND, 2010c. Kidney dialysis...
c. Make sure that the correct letters are assigned to the years in the
citations in your text so that the citation leads the writer to the correct
item in your reference list. You will note, however, that in your text
2010a will not necessarily come first. You may have referred to the
item designated 2010c first.

12

1.4.6 Secondary referencing

You may read a book or journal article etc in which the author has made
reference to or quoted from another work which you have not read but to
which you, in your turn, also wish to refer.
This is called secondary referencing.
Either you can make the situation clear in your text, eg:
Chandler, in a letter quoted by Hiney (1998 p. 19), claimed that
most people could do without literature far more easily than they
could do without coffee or whisky.
Or, you can use the bracketed citation, eg:
Chandler (cited in Hiney 1998 p. 19) claimed that most people
could do without literature far more easily than they could do
without coffee or whisky.
In either case you only reference the work which you have read.
In this case the reference which would appear in your reference list would
be:
HINEY, T., 1998. Raymond Chandler: a biography. London:
Vintage.

13

1.4.7 Illustrations

Illustrations referred to but NOT reproduced in your work

You may refer in your text to a graph, table, map, photograph etc which is
included in a book or journal article. In this case your sentence should
make clear the type of item you are referring to and your citation should
include a page reference and figure number, table number etc if there is
one.
For example:
... Donnans graph (2000 p. 371 fig. 30.4) shows that the majority
of patients ...
The book, journal article etc in which you have seen the illustration is then
referenced in the normal manner. The author of the book, journal article
etc may or may not be the same person who has authored the illustration.
Illustrations which you have reproduced in your work
Detailed instructions for the referencing of illustrations which you have
copied and reproduced in your work are given in Examples of Harvard
references which can be accessed from CampusMoodle in the same
location as this document.

1.4.8 Finding the information for your reference

It is usually easier to find the information you need for your reference by
looking up a catalogue record (book) or bibliographic database record
(journal article). All the elements you need, eg authors, title, publisher,
year of publication etc. will normally be laid out there for you.

14

1.4.8.1 An example of a library catalogue record for a book

Full title
and
complete
list of
authors
or editors

Edition,
if not
the first
edition

City of publication

Publisher

15

Year of
publication

1.4.8.2 An example of a bibliographic database record for a

journal article

Title of
the
article
Full list of
authors

Title of journal
in which the
article was
published

Volume
number

Part/issue number

Year of
publication

16

1.4.8.3 Tips for referencing web pages

It is often difficult to be sure what is what on a web site. Use your

common sense. For example:

Author/editor. Very often there will be no identifiable person to

use as an author or editor, so both the author and the publisher will
be the organisation which owns the web site. This will often be a
company, university etc.

City of publication. A city of publication is sometimes difficult to

find, so try something like the contact us link and look for a postal
address.

Year of publication. The year of publication can also be tricky. If

there is no obvious date, use the last updated year if the site
gives one (usually near the bottom of the page). If this is not
given, use the current year.

17

2. SAMPLE FORMATS FOR

REFERENCE LIST AND
BIBLIOGRAPHY

This section provides templates which will help you to

create references for standard items, ie
authored or edited books
journal articles
web pages
conference papers and proceedings
For more unusual items, eg a book where the author is an
organisation, an online video, or a legal document, see
Examples of Harvard references
which is available on CampusMoodle in the same location
as this document.

18

2.1 Authored books

Authored books are written by one or more people who are equally
responsible for the whole text.
Edited books (see section 2.2 below) contain chapters written by
different people. These have then been collected into one volume by an
editor or editors.

2.1.1 One author

1
2
3
4
5
6

Element
Author (capitals)
Year of publication
Title of the book
(italics)
Edition (if not the
first edition)
City of publication
Publisher

Example, including punctuation

GRUSHKIN, P.,
1991.
The art of rock: posters from Presley to punk.
2nd ed.
New York, NY:
Artabras.

Citation in your text:

(Grushkin 1991)
Reference list/bibliography:
GRUSHKIN, P., 1991. The art of rock: posters from Presley to punk. 2nd
ed. New York, NY: Artabras.

19

2.1.2 Two authors (list them both)

1
2
3
4
5
6

Element
Authors (capitals)
Year of publication
Title of the book
(italics)
Edition (if not the
first edition)
City of publication
Publisher

Example, including punctuation

PAYNE, J.R. and PHILLIPS, C.R.,
1985.
Petroleum spills in the marine environment: the
chemistry and formation of water-in-oil
emulsions and tar balls.

Chelsea, MI:
Lewis Publishers.

Citation in your text:

(Payne and Phillips 1985)
Reference list/bibliography:
PAYNE, J.R. and PHILLIPS, C.R., 1985. Petroleum spills in the marine
environment: the chemistry and formation of water-in-oil emulsions and
tar balls. Chelsea, MI: Lewis Publishers.

20

2.1.3 Three authors (list them all)

1
2
3
4
5
6

Element
Authors (capitals)
Year of publication
Title of the book
(italics)
Edition (if not the
first edition)
City of publication
Publisher

Example, including punctuation

BREWSTER, F., FENTON, H. and MORRIS, M.,
2005.
Shock! Horror!: astounding artwork from the
video nasty era.

Guildford:
FAB.

Citation in your text:

(Brewster, Fenton and Morris 2005)
Reference list/bibliography:
BREWSTER, F., FENTON, H. and MORRIS, M., 2005. Shock! Horror!:
astounding artwork from the video nasty era. Guildford: FAB.

21

2.1.4 More than three authors (list the first author et al.)

1
2
3
4
5
6

Element
Authors (capitals)
Year of publication
Title of the book
(italics)
Edition (if not the
first edition)
City of publication
Publisher

Example, including punctuation

ROEDER, K. et al.,
1967.
Nerve cells and insect behavior.

Cambridge, MA:
Harvard University Press.

Citation in your text:

(Roeder et al. 1967)
Reference list/bibliography:
ROEDER, K. et al., 1967. Nerve cells and insect behavior. Cambridge,
MA: Harvard University Press.

22

2.2 Edited books

Edited books contain chapters written by different people. They have

then been collected into one volume by an editor or editors.
Authored books (see section 2.1 above) are written by one or more
people who are equally responsible for the whole text.

2.2.1 One editor

1
2
3
4
5
6

Element
Editor (capitals)
Year of publication
Title of the book
(italics)
Edition (if not the
first edition)
City of publication
Publisher

Example, including punctuation

STANGOS, N., ed.,
1981.
Concepts of modern art.
revised ed.
London:
Thames and Hudson.

Citation in your text:

(Stangos 1981)
Reference list/bibliography:
STANGOS, N., ed., 1981. Concepts of modern art. revised ed. London:
Thames and Hudson.

23

2.2.2 Two editors (list them both)

1
2
3
4
5
6

Element
Editors (capitals)
Year of publication
Title of the book
(italics)
Edition (if not the
first edition)
City of publication
Publisher

Example, including punctuation

SKINNER, D. and DRISCOLL, P., eds.,
2007.
ABC of major trauma.
4th ed.
London:
BMJ.

Citation in your text:

(Skinner and Driscoll 2007)
Reference list/bibliography:
SKINNER, D. and DRISCOLL, P., eds., 2007. ABC of major trauma. 4th
ed. London: BMJ.

24

2.2.3 Three editors (list them all)

1
2
3
4
5
6

Element
Editors (capitals)
Year of publication
Title of the book
(italics)
Edition (if not the
first edition)
City of publication
Publisher

Example, including punctuation

PALMER, K.T., COX, R.A.F. and BROWN, I.,
eds.,
2007.
Fitness for work: the medical aspects.
4th ed.
Oxford:
Oxford University Press.

Citation in your text:

(Palmer, Cox and Brown 2007)
Reference list/bibliography:
PALMER, K.T., COX, R.A.F. and BROWN, I., eds., 2007. Fitness for work:
the medical aspects. 4th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

25

2.2.4 More than three editors (list the first editor et al.)

1
2
3
4
5
6

Element
Editors (capitals)
Year of publication
Title of the book
(italics)
Edition (if not the
first edition)
City of publication
Publisher

Example, including punctuation

HEYWOOD, P.M. et al., eds.,
2006.
Developments in European politics.

Basingstoke:
Palgrave Macmillan.

Citation in your text:

(Heywood et al. 2006)
Reference list/bibliography:
HEYWOOD, P.M. et al., eds., 2006. Developments in European politics.
Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

26

2.2.5 One chapter in an edited book

1
2
3
4
5

Element
Author of the
chapter (capitals)
Year of publication
Title of the chapter

Example, including punctuation

GOLDING, J.,

1981.
Cubism.
In:
Editor(s) of the book N. STANGOS, ed.
(capitals)
6
Title of the book
Concepts of modern art.
(italics)
7
Edition (if not the
revised ed.
first edition)
8
City of publication
London:
9
Publisher
Thames and Hudson.
10 Page reference of
pp. 50-78.
the chapter
Citation in your text:
(Golding 1981)
Reference list/bibliography:
GOLDING, J., 1981. Cubism. In: N. STANGOS, ed. Concepts of modern
art. revised ed. London: Thames and Hudson. pp. 50-78.

27

2.3 Journal and newspaper articles

2.3.1 One author

1
2
3
4

5
6
7

Element
Author of the article
(capitals)
Year of publication
Title of the article
Title of the journal
in which the article
was published
(italics)
Volume number
Issue number
Page reference of
the article

Example, including punctuation

CHRISTIANSEN, K.,
2005.
Going for baroque: bringing 17th-century
masters to the Met.
Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin,

62
(3),
pp. 3-48.

Citation in your text:

(Christiansen 2005)
Reference list/bibliography:
CHRISTIANSEN, K., 2005. Going for baroque: bringing 17th-century
masters to the Met. Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, 62(3), pp. 3-48.

28

2.3.2 Two authors (list them both)

1
2
3
4

5
6
7

Element
Authors of the
article (capitals)
Year of publication
Title of the article
Title of the journal
in which the article
was published
(italics)
Volume number
Issue number
Page reference of
the article

Example, including punctuation

BURNHAM, R. and KAI-KEE, E.,
2005.
The art of teaching in the museum.
Journal of Aesthetic Education,

39
(1),
pp. 65-76.

Citation in your text:

(Burnham and Kai-Kee 2005)
Reference list/bibliography:
BURNHAM, R. and KAI-KEE, E., 2005. The art of teaching in the museum.
Journal of Aesthetic Education, 39(1), pp. 65-76.

29

2.3.3 Three authors (list them all)

1
2
3
4

5
6
7

Element
Authors of the
article (capitals)
Year of publication
Title of the article
Title of the journal
in which the article
was published
(italics)
Volume number
Issue number
Page reference of
the article

Example, including punctuation

GELFGAT, M., BASOVICH, V. and ADELMAN,
A.,
2006.
Aluminium alloy tubulars for the oil and gas
industry.
World Oil,

227
(7),
pp. 45-51.

Citation in your text:

(Gelfgat, Basovich and Adelman 2006)
Reference list/bibliography:
GELFGAT, M., BASOVICH, V. and ADELMAN, A., 2006. Aluminium alloy
tubulars for the oil and gas industry. World Oil, 227(7), pp. 45-51.

30

2.3.4 More than three authors (list the first author et al.)

1
2
3
4

5
6
7

Element
Authors of the
article (capitals)
Year of publication
Title of the article
Title of the journal
in which the article
was published
(italics)
Volume number
Issue number
Page reference of
the article

Example, including punctuation

WAGNER, M.R. et al.,
2006.
Horizontal drilling and openhole gravel packing
with oil-based fluids: an industry milestone.
SPE Drilling and Completion,

21
(1),
pp. 32-43.

Citation in your text:

(Wagner et al. 2006)
Reference list/bibliography:
WAGNER, M.R. et al., 2006. Horizontal drilling and openhole gravel
packing with oil-based fluids: an industry milestone. SPE Drilling and
Completion, 21(1), pp. 32-43.

31

2.4 Web pages

Tips for finding the elements to create the reference for a web
site:
It is often difficult to be sure what is what on a web site. Use your
common sense.
Often there will be no identifiable person to use as an author or editor.
In this case use the owner of the web site, which will probably be an
organisation, as both author and publisher. See example at section
2.4.2 below.
A city of publication is sometimes difficult to find, so try something like
the contact us link and look for a postal address.
The year of publication can also be difficult to identify. If there is no
obvious date use the last updated year. If this is not given, use the
current year.

32

2.4.1 Web page where you can identify a personal author or

authors

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

Element
Author(s) (capitals)
Year of publication
Title of the web
page (italics)
City of publication
Publisher
URL (address of web
page)
Date you looked at
the web page

Example, including punctuation

MULVEY, S.,
2006.
Chernobyls continuing hazards.
[online].
London:
BBC News.
Available from:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/
4942828.stm
[Accessed 16 February 2006].

Citation in your text:

(Mulvey 2006)
Reference list/bibliography:
MULVEY, S., 2006. Chernobyls continuing hazards. [online]. London:
BBC News. Available from:
http://news/bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4942828.stm [Accessed 16
February 2006].

33

2.4.2 Web page where you cannot identify a personal author

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

Element
Owner of the web
site (capitals)
Year of publication
Title of the web
page (italics)
City of publication
Publisher
URL (address of web
page)
Date you looked at
the web page

Example, including punctuation

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA. COLLEGE OF
MEDICINE,
2007.
Patient care.
[online].
Gainesville, FL:
University of Florida.
Available from:
http://www.med.ufl.edu/patients/index.shtml
[Accessed 13 December 2007].

Citation in your text:

(University of Florida. College of Medicine 2007)
Reference list/bibliography:
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA. COLLEGE OF MEDICINE, 2007. Patient care.
[online]. Gainesville, FL: University of Florida. Available from:
http://www.med.ufl/edu/patients/index.shtml. [Accessed 13 December
2007].

34

2.5 Conference papers and proceedings

2.5.1 Set of conference proceedings as a whole

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

Element
Editor(s) (capitals)
Year of publication
Theme name of the
conference (italics)
(italics)
Name of conference
(italics)
Dates on which the
conference was held
City of publication of
the conference
proceedings
Publisher

Example, including punctuation

BENNETT, R., ed.,
2003.
New challenges for corporate and marketing
communications.
Proceedings of the
Eighth International Conference on Corporate
and Marketing Communications.
7-8 April 2003.
London:
London Metropolitan University.

Citation in your text:

(Bennett 2003)
Reference list/bibliography:
BENNETT, R., ed., 2003. New challenges for corporate and marketing
communications. Proceedings of the Eighth International Conference on
Corporate and Marketing Communications. 7-8 April 2003. London:
London Metropolitan University.

35

2.5.2 One conference paper from a set of conference

proceedings

1
2
3

Element
Author(s) of the
individual paper
(capitals)
Year of publication
of the conference
proceedings
Title of the
individual paper

4
5

Editor(s) of the
conference
proceedings
(capitals)
6
Theme name of the
conference (italics)
7
(italics)
8
Name of conference
(italics)
9
Dates on which the
conference was held
10 City of publication of
the conference
proceedings
11 Publisher
12 Page reference of
the individual paper

Example, including punctuation

DOUKAKIS, I., PROCTOR, T. and PROCTOR, S.,
2003.
Creativity and advertising.
In:
R. BENNETT, ed.

New challenges for corporate and marketing

communications.
Proceedings of the
Eighth International Conference on Corporate
and Marketing Communications.
7-8 April 2003.
London:
London Metropolitan University.
pp. 54-63.

Citation in your text:

(Doukakis, Proctor and Proctor 2003)
Reference list/bibliography:
DOUKAKIS, I., PROCTOR, T. and PROCTOR, S., 2003. Creativity and
advertising. In: R. BENNETT, ed. New challenges for corporate and
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