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ReferencingGuide Education
ReferencingGuide Education
www.brookes.ac.uk/schools/education
How to reference
Harvard referencing for Westminster Institute students
Kate Williams
Jane Spiro
Nick Swarbrick
How to reference Introduction
Students often say that lecturers give conflicting advice on how to reference
assignments, and have asked for clearer and more consistent guidelines. This
guide explains how to use the Harvard (author/date) referencing style. This style
is used by most courses and programmes in WIE, but not all. Check the style
used on each module from your Module Handbook, or Module Leader.
While individual lecturers may have their preferences for how Harvard references
should be laid out (in the use of underlining and italics for example), the guidelines
in this booklet are acceptable to all lecturers in the School on modules that use
the Harvard style.
Why reference?
When you write academic assignments, you are expected to acknowledge all
the sources you have referred to, so your reader knows where the information
you are using has come from. It is therefore important that any statements you
make in your work are supported by references to the materials you have read.
This section outlines good practice in how to use your sources in writing. It explains and
gives examples of
Acknowledgement
Paraphrase
Summary
Quotation
It shows
when it is useful to use each of these citation styles
how to use each citation style clearly and accurately
Acknowledgement
You may find that an author has provided you with an overarching idea or structure for your
assignment. You do not want to quote or summarise their work, but are actually using their
ideas to structure or inform your own.
Example 1
OR
Example 2
Your overall understanding of a subject has been influenced by a number of authors, who
all share discussion of a common theme. To support a general statement that is informed
by your reading, you want to acknowledge the writers you have read without actually
quoting them.
How to reference
A paraphrase explains a specific section, chapter or paragraph from a source, and makes it
shorter. For example, an author explains the conclusions of research in a paragraph that is too
long to quote. You wish to capture the essence of this explanation in a few lines.
Murray (2006) explains that teenage girls who have a negative self-image are less
likely to become involved in sports activities. She hypothesises that this self-image
becomes self-perpetuating, because 76% of the girls in the survey cited fitness and
physical activity as indicators of positive self-image and health. She concludes that
educators need to be aware of exercise not only from a behaviourist point of view: do
this and you will feel better - but also from an analytical point of view: what are the
blocks to doing this? (Murray 2006: 87).
A good paraphrase
is in your own words
correctly captures the key information in the source, without oversimplifying or misrepresenting
is clearly referenced to the source and the specific pages
has not been used simply to display what you know.
Summary
A summary offers a broader overview of a whole argument, a whole book, chapter or research
paper. For example, you now wish to briefly summarise the whole shape of Murrays research in
order to illustrate the kind of research being conducted in the field.
Murray (2006) surveyed 1000 teenage girls in secondary education in Oxfordshire and
Bedfordshire, to determine the link between exercise and self-image. She found that
girls who did not participate in any kind of sport had a lower self-image, even though
they cited physical fitness as one of their aspirations. Murray concludes with specific
recommendations for the educator that consider exercise both for its physical and its
psychological benefits.
A good summary
captures the essential information accurately
is clearly referenced to the source
uses your own words throughout.
Always give the page reference in your text for each quotation (author/ year/ page) so your
reader can find it easily. See the examples below.
Short quotations
Example 1
The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology report makes clear that the rise
in child obesity is too rapid to be attributed to genetic factors, and must be caused by
other factors, such as eating habits or lack of exercise. (Parliamentary Office 2003: 2).
Long quotations are useful when the words are important and you need the authority of the
original text. They are also useful where it would be difficult to summarise the information without
actually using the same words as the author.
Example 2
You dont need to list all the authors every time you refer to their work. Where there are three or
more authors you can put et al (Latin for and others) in your text. But ALL the authors should be
listed in full in your list of references at the end.
Where do I put the reference within my text?
Exactly where each reference (or citation) goes in your text depends on the emphasis you want
to give your writing, as the following examples demonstrate.
You will find both styles in your reading, and you can use both in your writing.
This is why tutors do not encourage the use of secondary sources. However, when the original
is not easy to locate (because it is out of print, or the library doesnt have it, for example) and you
decide to refer to the book in a book, you should cite it like this
Deutsch (1973) cited in Morrow and Malin (2004: 165) describes power as a relational
concept.
Deutsch (1973) is an old source (and the book was published in Australia!), but his ideas are
still relevant to the discussion of power today. You found the quotation by Deutsch in a more
recent article by Morrow and Malin, so this is the article you reference. However, before doing
so, it is important to make sure that Morrow and Malin are not distorting or misrepresenting the
quotation you are not in a position to check it out!
Morrow G and Malin N (2004) Parents and professionals working together: turning the
rhetoric into reality. Early Years. 24 (2), 163-177.
Markers may cross check your references, so it is worth checking that you have stuck to
these two simple rules before you hand your work in! List them in alphabetical order by the
first authors surname, or the name of the organisation.
A bibliography is a list of everything you have read on the subject, including background
reading whether you refer to it in your work or not. You may occasionally be asked for a
bibliography.
Tutors sometimes use the term Bibliography to mean Reading list or Suggested reading.
Here is the reference list for the sources we have referred to in the guide so far.
References
Baylis N and Morris I (2006) The skills of well-being. Tonbridge Wells: Wellington College.
Ecclestone K (2007) Resisting images of the diminished self: the implications of emotional
well-being and emotional engagement in educational policy. Journal of Education Policy 22
(4), 445-470.
Furedi F (2003) Therapy culture: creating vulnerability in an uncertain age. London: Routledge.
Jotangia D, Moody A, Stamakis E and Wardie H (2006) Obesity among children under 11.
London: Joint Health Surveys Unit for the Department of Health.
Morrow G and Malin N (2004) Parents and professionals working together: turning the
rhetoric into reality. Early Years 24 (2), 163-177.
OfSTED (2005) Healthy minds: promoting emotional health and wellbeing in schools.
Available at www.ofsted.gov.uk [Accessed January 12th 2007].
See sections 4 and 5 for more examples of references for journal articles.
See sections 4 and 5 for more examples of references of books, including a chapter
from a book.
3 Title of webpage
1 Author or organisation
Your access date (you can find the date at the bottom of
5
the page when you print it)
The five points of an internet reference Reference for this web source
The reference for this web source (as
1 The author(s) of the website (organisation or person). listed in our references section) looks
2 The year the website was written or updated, if known. like this.
3 The full title of the webpage or website.
DCSF (2007) Every child matters:
4 The full internet address of the web page or website. healthy schools. Available at http://
5 The date on which you accessed the webpage or www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/health/
website. healthyschools/ [Accessed 6th May 2008]
One author
Ecclestone K (2007) Learning or therapy? The demoralisation of education.
British Journal of Educational Studies. 52 (2), 112-137.
Two authors
Morrow G and Malin N (2004) Parents and professionals working together:
turning the rhetoric into reality. Early Years. 24 (2), 163-177.
Book references
One author
Brink-Budgen R van den (1999) Critical thinking for students (2nd edition).
Oxford: How to books.
Two authors
Gard M and Wright J (2005) The obesity epidemic: science, morality and ideology.
Abingdon: Routledge.
How to reference
When you want to refer to several articles by the same author, all published in the same year,
you need to be able to show your reader which is which. You may need to do this, for example,
when referring to an author who writes regularly in a newspaper or professional journal, or in
official government documents.
To distinguish between the documents in your written text, add a lower-case letter
(a, b, c, d etc) after the year inside the brackets.
Example
In your text you might write
Ecclestone (2007b) has recently argued that despite
(and elsewhere in your essay you discuss two other articles by Ecclestone, all published
in 2007)
Conference proceedings
Crabtree H (2003) Improving student learning using an enquiry based approach. Paper
presented at BEST 2003: Creativity and Innovation in Academic Practice, Brighton, 9-11th
April. Available at https://www2.brookes.ac.uk/schools/education/conferences/ILTC_
Feb_08.html! [Accessed 21 July 2008]
Corporate documentation
Training and Development Agency for Schools (2007) Annual report and accounts 2006-07:
developing people, improving young lives. London: The Stationery Office.
E-books
Kenworthy C (2005) Digital video production cookbook. Safari Books Online. Available at
http://proquest.safaribooksonline.com [Accessed 15 July 2008].
Lecture notes
Spiro J (2007) Analysing learner needs Module P70118 Session materials Week 7,
Semester 1. Oxford: Oxford Brookes University.
Newspaper article
Curtis P (2008) Early-years writing lessons do no good. The Guardian. July 14:11.
Online discussions
Moritz, C (2008) Online discussion notes: Learner language in Module P70118 Oxford:
Oxford Brookes University. Available at www.brookes.ac.uk/matesol.ltpp
[Accessed July 4th 2008]
Personal communication
Field J (2008) Email to Stephen Wass. 15 July
Blogs
Nick (2008) Early Years: Nick. 3 March. Available at http://nicktomjoe.brookesblogs.
net/2008/03/03/trainee-student/ [Accessed 22 April 2008]
How to reference
Plagiarism is presenting another persons work as if it was your own (Carroll 2002). This
includes using another persons ideas and words without clearly acknowledging the
source. You can avoid this if you include references in your work.
If someone sets out to cheat because thats what plagiarism is then they will be subject
to the Universitys disciplinary procedures. But we are more concerned about students who
worry that they may have plagiarised by accident, or worry that their referencing or written
style is not good enough to avoid the accusation of plagiarism. If you follow our guidelines,
you will not find yourself plagiarising by accident and will be well on the way to developing
a good academic style.
Reference
Carroll J (2002) A handbook for deterring plagiarism in higher education. Oxford: Oxford
Centre for Staff and Learning Development.
AND if you are still worried after all this checking, ASK for advice from your Module
Leader, your Subject Librarians, or Upgrade.
How to reference
If you need to refer to these guidelines in anything you write, you are, of course welcome to do so.
Just remember to cite us correctly in your text!
More seriously!
We would really value your feedback.
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see included? Or left out?
We welcome your feedback.
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The contents of How to Reference: Harvard referencing for Westminster Institute students has been developed from
the guide How to Reference for Health and Social Care students at Oxford Brookes University. We have tried to ensure
the accuracy and completeness of the content and the information contained in the Guide but we do not warrant that
it is accurate, complete or up to date and we accept no liability for any use made of the Guide. This Guide is intended
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