Referencing is the academic practice of acknowledging the sources you have used in your work. Sources may be other people's words and ideas.
Referencing demonstrates your ethical use of information, the range of your research and reading, provides authority to your arguments, enables others to find materials cited, and avoids accusations of plagiarism.
Plagiarism is the use of another person's work without proper acknowledgment. Most plagiarism is unintentional and the result of poor academic practice. It's is important to reference when directly quoting or paraphrasing another person's work.
Referencing styles are sets of rules governing referencing practice. They prescribe the type, order and format of information in a reference. There are 3 main types of referencing style: in-text, footnote and endnote. Always check what referencing style is required by your department or assessment, as there may be local interpretations.
Harvard is the referencing style used in the Departments of Economics and Philosophy at the University of Warwick. The Department of Psychology uses the APA (American Psychological Association) referencing style. Both APA and Harvard are Author (Date) referencing styles.
There is a official APA referencing style (it is currently in the 7th edition), but there is no definitive version of Harvard. Most universities and/or schools/departments have their own local version of Harvard, and you should use the referencing style approved by your school/department.
At the University of Warwick, each department has their own Harvard referencing style, which is available on the library website. It covers the referencing rules for the main resource types. For resources not covered in the departmental guides, you are advised to consult Cite Them Right which is available as an online learning platform, and a print and ebook in the library.
Further information and referencing styles are available in the Referencing section of the Library website. Advice and support about referencing is available from your Research and Academic Support Librarian.
Online interactive tutorials introducing the general principles of referencing and plagiarism:
Avoiding Plagiarism - an introduction to plagiarism and the consequences of plagiarism for students from the University of Warwick Library.
Introduction to Referencing - an introduction to referencing using the Harvard referencing style from the University of Warwick Library.
Cite Them Right Online - an alternative introduction to plagiarism and referencing from Cite Them Right Online.
Cite Them Right Online is the University of Warwick Library's new interactive referencing tool. It has rules and tutorials for referencing all major resource types across 8 major referencing styles including APA, Chicago, Harvard, IEEE, MHRA, MLR, OSCOLA and Vancouver.
Watch the short video to find out how Cite Them Right Online can help you.
To access Cite Them Right Online, click on Login > Login via your Institution > University of Warwick.
Referencing software allows you to manage references, insert citations and create a bibliography, in your referencing style.
EndNote
EndNote is referencing software from Clarivate. EndNote Desktop supports many Harvard referencing styles. EndNote is available from Warwick IT Services, and is supported by Warwick Library.
Please see the EndNote LibGuide for further information.
Discover a range of library and study skills guides including how to study at university, how to think critically, and how to write essays and prepare for examinations.
Discover how to avoid plagiarism, how to use the APA and Harvard referencing styles, and how to manage references with EndNote referencing software.
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