Partner Institutions Library Support Guide

At UEL most schools require that you follow the Harvard style referencing system.

You will find that there are various different versions of Harvard referencing available, but the one we follow here is Cite the Right.  This is the standard Harvard referencing style guide at UEL,  Most courses in the School of Psychology use APA style, but a small number use Harvard style referencing..  On Law courses you may be asked to use OSCOLA. 

IMPORTANT: Check with your tutors to find out which style of referencing you are expected to use. 

Why do I need to reference?

When starting any research, it is important to record the details of all the sources you consult. These details will not only allow you to create accurate references, but also help you easily locate the information again if needed. Accurate referencing ensures that you properly acknowledge your sources, protecting you from plagiarism and demonstrating academic integrity. It also reflects good scholarly practice by showing that your work is built on appropriate research and informed by existing knowledge, which in turn strengthens the credibility and presentation of your writing.

What is Harvard referencing? 

Harvard referencing is a system used to acknowledge when you incorporate the ideas and written work of other authors into your own academic writing.

There are two main elements to Harvard referencing: citing and the reference list. 

Citations: 

Citations are included within the text of your work to indicate when you have drawn upon the ideas, arguments, or writing of an author or authors, whether directly quoted, summarised, or paraphrased. An in-text citation typically includes the author or editor of the source, the year of publication, and, where relevant, a page or paragraph number. Each in-text citation must correspond to a full reference in your reference list.

Reference List:  

A reference list gives full details of all the sources you used in your academic work. It should include complete bibliographic information for each source.  For each reference you will need to use the following:

• Author or editor,
• Year of publication/broadcast/creation,
• Title,
• Details of how and when the source was published.

Examples of how to reference different types of sources are provided below.

Your reference list should appear at the end of your assignment or academic work, and it must include every source you referred to when writing. This ensures that your research is clearly supported and that proper credit is given to the original authors.

A reference list gives full details of all the sources you used in your academic work. It should include complete bibliographic information for each source.  For each reference you will need to use the following:

• Author or editor,
• Year of publication/broadcast/creation,
• Title,
• Details of how and when the source was published.

Examples of how to reference different types of sources are provided below.

Your reference list should appear at the end of your assignment or academic work, and it must include every source you referred to when writing.  It is important to be clear, consistent and correct, make sure you include all the relevant details. This ensures that your research is clearly supported and that proper credit is given to the original authors.

Important: This is standard guidance only for Cite them Right Harvard Referencing - check with your tutor/module guide to find out which style of referencing you are expected to use.

Below is a list of common sources that you may use in your research.

Click on the tab for the relevant source of information and check how to reference correctly both in-text and in your reference list.

Newspaper article online