Why Referencing Matters More Than You Think
Beyond avoiding plagiarism, correct referencing demonstrates academic literacy. Examiners notice referencing quality immediately — it signals whether you can engage with academic discourse at the required level.
Harvard Referencing: The Core Principles
Harvard is an author-date system. In-text citations appear as (Author, Year) or (Author, Year: Page) for direct quotes. The reference list at the end is arranged alphabetically by author's surname.
Journal Articles
Format: Author Surname, Initials. (Year) 'Article Title', Journal Name, Volume(Issue), pp. Page Range.
Example: Bourdieu, P. (1986) 'The forms of capital', Handbook of Theory and Research for the Sociology of Education, 1(1), pp. 241–258.
Books
Format: Author Surname, Initials. (Year) Book Title. Edition. Place of Publication: Publisher.
Example: Creswell, J.W. (2014) Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods Approaches. 4th edn. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications.
Websites
Format: Author/Organisation (Year) Title of Page. Available at: URL (Accessed: Date).
Example: UCAS (2024) How to Write a Personal Statement. Available at: https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/applying-to-university/writing-personal-statement (Accessed: 15 September 2024).
Secondary Sources (Citing a Citation)
Avoid secondary sources where possible. When unavoidable: use "cited in" — e.g. (Vygotsky, 1978, cited in Johnson, 2005: 45). Only the secondary source appears in the reference list.
Common Mistakes
Missing page numbers for direct quotes; inconsistent use of et al. (use for 3+ authors after first full citation); not alphabetising the reference list; using "ibid." (not used in Harvard); forgetting to include access dates for websites.