Referencing is like the last spin of a roller coaster ride that scares the life out of us!

Even though the above-mentioned line is just a metaphor but the experience is comparatively the same. Referencing is indeed the least favorite thing of the students yet they can’t ignore it as it is the most important element of academic writing. With that being said. Let’s dig into the Harvard referencing;

What is referencing?

Referencing is the act of citing sources. The purpose of referencing is to give due credit to the sources whom you have used as inspiration while writing about a certain topic. There are two aspects of referencing;

Citation: It is when you refer to a source within a text

Bibliography: It is the list of all those sources you have used in writing. It is given in detail and comes at the end of your writing.

Types of references:

There is various type of references. The usage of these references is distributed region-wise and preferences of a respective university and teachers.

• APA referencing
• Chicago referencing
• MLA referencing
• Harvard referencing

Well, Harvard referencing is going to be the star of this article. It is the most common style of reference used in UK universities.

All the Wizardry behind the Harvard referencing!

A student can tackle any kind of references if being acquainted with enough knowledge. Let’s look at the definition of Harvard Referencing;

What is Harvard Referencing?

Apologies to pop the bubble but Harvard referencing is not related to Harvard University. Instead, the name presents the general function of Harvard references which is parenthetical references. The literal definition of Harvard means the variation of numbers in the same basic rule set.

How to do Harvard referencing like a pro?

Following are main things that you should consider while awarding Harvard references to your writing;

Harvard IN-TEXT citations:

When you read something online that is worth sharing, paraphrase it up a bit and then cite it in Harvard referencing style which requires mentioning of the name, year, and page number.

For Example; (Rupert, 2019, p.12).

Various acceptable ways to give Harvard in-text citation:

Depending on the requirement and preferences, you can mold your Harvard references in the following ways;

When you have to name the author in the text:

You can give the name of the author in the sentence, and the date and page can come in the brackets next to it

For example; Emma (2018, p. 100)

When you have to name the authors in the bracket:

When you are aiming to mention the name of the author in the brackets along with the year and page number. It comes at the ending of your sourced sentence, and before the full stop.

For example; Emma (2018, p. 121).

When you don’t know the date:

When a specific source does not have a specific date, you can always replace it with “no date”. This mainly happens with historical documents or ambiguous online platforms.

For Example; (Emma, no date)

When you don’t know the author:

When the author is unknown in your source, you can add the name of the organization that published the work. A more sophisticated name for it is the ‘corporate author’.

For example: (Grad coach, 2018)

Now, If the corporate author is unknown to you as well, then you can just add the title of the source along with the date of publishing.

For example: (Importance of references, 2004)

Common mistakes with Harvard in-text citations:

If you are using the author’s name as a subject in your sentence, then it should not come in the brackets, instead, it should be written outside the bracket.

For Example;

(Rupert, 2018) believes that = wrong citation

Rupert (2018) believes that = correct citation

Also, there is no need for the repetition of the authors as well.

For Example;

Rupert (Rupert, 2018) believes that = Wrong citation

Rupert (2018) believes that = Correct citation

Harvard Referencing List:

After knowing everything on Harvard in-text citation, what is left is to know about the Harvard referencing list. Referencing list is the complete information about every citation that you have used in your text. Each reference must have the author’s name, the date of publication, the title of the source, page numbers, the name of the publication house, and many more.

For Example; WILLIAMS, E., 1934. Importance of references in academic writing. ABC Academic magazine, 1(2), pp.5-6.

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Some Bonus Tips:

• Referencing list should be on a separate page, and at the end of your document
• The references must be organized in alphabetical order by the name of the authors, if there are no authors, they should be organized alphabetically by the name of the title.
• There should be double line spacing between the references
• Don’t miss out on any in-text citation.
• Practice makes a man perfect!