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. Why not test your knowledge by working through the short series of interactive exercises below?
Objectives
to become familiar with the most widely used system of referencing
to discover how to reference websites and articles in periodicals correctly
to learn what some common Latin abbreviations mean 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.
False.
All three are different ways of referring to the same system of referencing. The APA system is one kind of Harvard system and is the most widely used.
2). You should use the cover of the book you are citing to as the source of your reference.
False.
You should use the title page as the best source for your reference.
3). The following is the correct order for a reference of a book using the Harvard system:
Author, Date. Title. Edition. Publisher: Place.
False.
The last two elements are in the wrong order. It should be Place before Publisher. Here is an example to illustrate: Jones, A., 1996. Bureaucracy in Thailand. Bangkok: FreeSpirit.
Note the full-stop after the author’s initial. Also, that brackets around the date are optional.
Activity 2: What you should include in a reference
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?
You should try to include as much information as possible. And you should definitely include the following:
Author or Editor, year. Title [online]. Available at URL [Accessed Date]. You can also include the Place of publication: Publisher, if known.
2). Imagine that on 5th May 2021, 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.
One correct way of doing this, using the Harvard system, is:
Briggs, B., 2007. Fighting Paperwork [online]. Available at http://www.fightingpaperwork.com [Accessed on 05.05.2021].
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., 2015. To the Top. New York: Serpent’s Tooth.
Cutler, J., 2016. Managing Cultures. 2nd ed. London: Swallow Press.
Answer: This is the correct order for the list of references. Note that the third and fifth references are from professional journals. Note also, that there are two authors with the surname Hills, so the first name initial determines the correct alphabetical order. Also, where the author is the same, as in Hills, D., the date of publication determines the correct order.
Cutler, J., 2016. Managing Cultures. 2nd ed. London: Swallow Press.
Hills, B., 2004. Budgets and Bureaucracy. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Hills, D., 1998. Rational management: an end to confrontation. Public Service, Volume 2. Sept/Oct., pp. 60-67.
Hills, D., 2015. To the Top. New York: Serpent’s Tooth.
Ramon, P., 1999. Cutting through the red tape. Public Service, Volume 1. May/June, pp. 18-23.
Williams, K., et al., 2006. Inside the Civil Service. Cambridge: CUP.
Activity 3: Latin abbreviations and referencing 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?
Answer: the correct answer is et al. This is an abbreviation of et alia, from the Latin meaning ‘and others’. Op cit. is an abbreviation of the Latin opere citato, meaning ‘in the work cited’. Ibid. is the abbreviation of the Latin ibidem, meaning ‘in the same place’.
Note: we use ‘ibid’ when we have referred to the same work immediately before the current reference. But we use ‘op. cit.’ if the reference came earlier in the essay i.e. (ibid.:221) or (op. cit.: 221)
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?
Answer: (s.n.) is the correct abbreviation in this case. It comes from the Latin sine nomine, meaning ‘name unknown’, and we use this when it is not possible to identify the publisher. (s.l.) comes from the Latin sine loco, meaning ‘place unknown’ and it 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.).
3). Which of the following is the correct order to reference an article in a journal?
Answer: the correct order for a reference to an article in a journal is:
Here is an example, taken from task 2, exercise 3, above:
Ramon, P., 1999. Cutting through the red tape. Public Service, Volume 1. May/June, pp. 18-23.
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 URL [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 liketo follow one, or all, of these other links to comprehensive guides, which have been written for students studying at other universities: Staffordshire University Harvard Referencing – Guides and Examples
For a comparison of the Harvard and the Vancouver referencing systems, follow this link to Queen Mary library’s guide: Styles of Referencing.
Finally, always remember you can register at Queen Mary Language Centre on a module in academic writing, for face-to-face advice and support.
