4.4.1 Styles

Some commonly used referencing styles include:

• Harvard style (generally recommended style at Anglia Ruskin University)
• APA style (psychology)
• OSCOLA (law)

The referencing style you are expected to use will differ depending on which subject you are studying. It is highly recommended that you check which style to use in your module guide or with your lecturer/module leader before you begin your work.

Whichever style is chosen, it is essential to use it consistently throughout your assignment.

Harvard style

Harvard style podcast [2:12 minutes]. Click for a transcript of this audio guide.

The Harvard system of referencing was first used at Harvard University but is not directly associated with it. It is an author-date system. It does not use footnotes or numbering of references.

At the end of your piece of work a bibliography or reference list should be produced of all of the items that you have cited and referred to. The list should be in alphabetical order of the author’s surname and the format and punctuation must be consistent. You should also provide the author’s name and the date that the work was published when you refer to an item within the text of your own piece of work. This is called an in-text citation.

The in-text citation enables a reader to then check your reference list or bibliography for the full details of that item. Further guidance on citations and references can be found within Pilot 4.4.

The Harvard system is not published as a definitive work in any particular manual, but there is an Anglia Ruskin Harvard System of Referencing Guide which has many useful examples to look at.

Activity

Using the Harvard System of Referencing Guide, select the links below to practice referencing using the Harvard referencing style. Drag and drop the elements of the following citation examples to format them correctly. [NB: You will need to allow ActiveX controls in your browser]:

Book referencing exercise

Journal referencing exercise

Website referencing exercise

 

Now you have completed this module, test your knowledge with our Pilot Quiz.