Referencing correctly

A student’s desk covered in books and papers

Introduction

It is very important to reference all the sources you use when writing your essays at Queen Mary. It is important to do this so that you can demonstrate the body of knowledge on which your opinions are based. It will also enable those reading your work to access your sources, should they wish to do so, and it ensures no-one can accuse you of plagiarism (cheating by claiming someone else's work as your own). Many students think that the process of referencing will be quite easy, but then later realise it can be more time-consuming and complicated than they thought. Test your knowledge by working through the short series of interactive exercises below.

Objectives

• Become familiar with the most widely used system of referencing
• Discover how to reference websites and articles in periodicals correctly
• Learn what some common Latin abbreviations mean and when they are used in referencing

Activity 1: Using the Harvard system

Although the Harvard system is the most widely used, it is always a good idea to check with your department or lecturer which style of referencing they prefer. Some disciplines (Medicine for example) often prefer the Numeric (also called the Vancouver) system of referencing.

Instruction

Decide which of the following statements are true about the Harvard system of referencing and which are false

1.) The Harvard system is different from the APA (American Psychological Association) system and the ‘Author-Date’ system.

True
False

2). You should use the cover of the book you are citing to as the source of your reference.

True
False

3). The following is the correct order for a reference of a book using the Harvard system:

Author, Date. Title. Edition. Publisher; Place.

True
False

Activity 2: What you should include in a reference

In this activity, you will consider the elements that should be included in a reference for a website, and some general referencing conventions.

Instruction

Which elements should be included in a reference for a website? Can you think of four or five and write them in the text box below?

2). Imagine that on 5th May 2009, you visited the following website as a source of material for one of your essays: http://www.fightingpaperwork.com. The title of the article was ‘Fighting Paperwork’. According to the website it was written in 2007 by Brian Briggs.

Write the reference in the correct style as you would write the list of references at the end of your essay.

3). The following list of references is in the wrong order. Can you put them in the correct order? Write your answers in the box below (you can cut and paste if you prefer).

Hills, D., (1998). Rational management: an end to confrontation. Public Service, Volume 2. Sept/Oct., pp. 60-67.
Williams, K., et al., (2006). Inside the Civil Service. Cambridge: CUP.
Hills, B., (2004). Budgets and Bureaucracy. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Ramon, P., (1999). Cutting through the red tape. Public Service, Volume 1. May/June, pp. 18-23.
Hills, D., (2000). To the Top. New York: Serpent’s Tooth.
Cutler, J., (2002). Managing Cultures. 2nd ed. London: Swallow Press.

Activity 3: Latin abbreviations and referencing an article in a journal

Latin abbreviations are often used in referencing and can be very useful. In this activity, you will learn about the correct Latin expressions to use when referencing multiple authors and when the publisher is unknown. In addition, you will learn about the correct way to reference an article in a journal.

Instruction

Choose the correct option from the drop down menu

1). Which of the following Latin abbreviations is used in a reference for more than three authors of a single work?

2). Sometimes it is not possible to identify the publisher of our source material. In such cases, we can inform the reader that the name is unknown by using one of the following abbreviations. Which one is correct?

3). Which of the following is the correct order to reference an article in a journal?

For further information and a comparison of the Harvard and the Vancouver referencing systems, go to the following URL:
http://www.library.qmul.ac.uk/medicine/referencing.htm and use the QM Citation Wizard. In addition, you can register at the Language and Learning Unit on a module in academic writing, for face-to-face advice and support.

Would you like to review the main points?

The Harvard system of referencing is the most widely used at universities in the U.K., but not in all disciplines, and it is always advisable to make certain which system you are expected to use. The Harvard system is also known as the A.P.A. or 'Author-Date' system. The title page of the book you are using as your source should contain most of the information you need to include. The correct order of the essential information is: Author, Date. Title. Edition. Place; Publisher. When referencing an online source you should include as much information as possible. You should definitely include: Author or Editor, year. Title [online]. Available at: [Accessed Date]. You can also include the Place of publication and Publisher, if known. References must be ordered alphabetically by the author's surname in your list of references. If more than one author share the same surname then the first name initial determines the correct alphabetical order. When the same author appears more than once in the list, then the date of publication determines the correct order.

Latin abbreviations can be useful when referencing, for example: et al. can be used to refer to more than three authors of a single work; (s.n.) is used when it is not possible to identify the publisher; (s.l.) is used if the place of publication cannot be found; if neither the publisher nor the place of publication can be traced, then use (s.l.): (s.n.). Finally, the correct order for a reference to an article in a journal is: Author, Date. Article title. Journal title, volume (issue or edition), pages.

If you still have queries about referencing correctly, you might like to follow one, or all, of these other links to comprehensive guides, which have been written for students studying at other universities:
Leeds Metropolitan University: A Guide to Harvard Referencing
Bournemouth University Library's Guide to Citing References
Trinity College Dublin: How to Cite...
Coventry University: Harvard Reference Style
Middlesex University: Referencing and Citation Style