Contents

1.Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

2.WhatshouldIincludeinreferences? . . . . . . . . . . . 2

3.UsingtheHarvard (Author-date) system: how should I quote references in my text? . . . . . . . . . . . 3

4.UsingtheHarvard (Author-date) system: how should I cite references at the end of my text? . . . 3

A)    Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

B)    Chapter/section of a book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

C)    Journal article . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

D)    Electronic information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

1. Electronic books (e-books)

2. Internet pages

3. CD-ROMs

4. E-mail

5.Virtual Learning Environments (e.g. Blackboard, WebCT, etc.)

6. Computer programmes

E)    Parliamentary publications   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

1. House of Commons and House of Lords Papers

2. Hansard

3. Bills

4. Acts of Parliament

5. Command Papers

F)    Non-parliamentary or departmental

publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

G)    EU publications   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

H)    Legal material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

1. Law Reports

2. Statutes

3. Statutory Instruments

J)     Reference material (dictionaries, encyclopaedias, serial bibliographies and indexes) . . . . . . . . . . . 10

K)    Reports   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

L)    Conferences   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

1. Full conference proceedings

2. Conference papers

3. Papers from conference proceedings published on the

Internet

1. Introduction

Whatisreferencingandwhyshouldyou reference? When writing a piece of work, whether essay, seminar paper, dissertation or project it is essential that detailed and precise information on all sources consulted is included in the text and in the reading list at the end of the piece. This allows the reader to locate the information used and to check, if necessary, the evidence on which any discussion or argument is based. References and citations should, therefore, enablethe user to find the source of documents as quickly and easily as possible. You need to identify these documents by making reference to them — both in the text of your assignment (called in-text referencing) and in a list at the end of your assignment (called the reference list or end-text referencing). The reference list only includes sources cited in the text of your assignment as in-text references. It is not the same thing as a bibliography, which uses the same format or reference system as a reference list, but also includes all material used in the preparation of your assignment. Thus, a bibliography will repeat everything in your reference list and will also include all of the other sources which you read or consulted but did not cite. By providing references you: demonstrate the breadth of your researchallow the reader to independently consult and verify your sources of information avoid plagiarism.  

Whatisplagiarism? Plagiarism is using someone else’s words or ideas without properly acknowledging them or, put another way, presenting someone else’s words or ideas as your own. It is a serious academic offence and will lead to work being disregarded or disciplinary action being taken. Plagiarism can be deliberate or inadvertent and even if you reference an author but your words are considered ‘too close’ to the original work you can be accused of plagiarism. The simplest way to avoid plagiarism is by providing a correct reference to the original source of information or statement. The national Plagiarism Advisory Service, based at Northumbria University, offers advice and guidance on all aspects of plagiarism prevention and detection.Their information is freely available on their website at:http://www.jiscpas.ac.uk
Whichreferencingsystemshouldyouuse? There are two principal methods of referencing at British universities: the Harvard system (also known as the Author- date system) and the British Standard (also known as theNumeric system). Other systems such as the Vancouver (also known as the Uniform Requirements system — for medical and scientific references) and the Modern Language Association of America (MLA) styles are also used, particularly for specific subject areas (for more information on these see section  ‘Further reading’ on p. 20).Your first step should be to find out which method is recommended by your school/faculty. This guide will provide detailed examples for using the Harvard system (pp. 3–16) and a separate section on the use of the British Standard system (p. 17).