The Coventry University Guide to Referencing in Harvard Style: Further support

Adapt relevant principles from elsewhere in the Guide

In the CU Guide to Referencing in Harvard Style, a balance has been struck between listing every possible type of source and keeping the guidelines concise and reader friendly. Therefore, on rare occasions you may need to cite and reference an unusual type of source that is not included in the Guide (a jam jar label, for instance). Do not panic if you cannot find precise guidelines in such a case, but consider these tips

In-text citations

• Give the author or corporate author or (if the first two options are not available) the title of a source.

• Give the year (and page number(s) preceded by a colon, if relevant).
• Take a look at the examples of different source types given in this website for a list of all the pieces of information you should include in an in-text citation, in which order, and adapt these principles if necessary.

List of References

• Requires sufficient information for the reader to be able to locate the source.

• Check the relevant sections of this website for a list of all the pieces of information you should include in a List of References entry, in which order, and adapt these principles if necessary.

Secondary sources

• Both the original and the cited source should be acknowledged in the in-text citation/s as well as in the List of References.

Always remember to follow the ARC of successful referencing.

Take a look at Frequently Asked Questions

• The FAQs section gives answers to common queries about in-text citations and the List of References.

Consult the Centre for Academic Writing

If you are a student at Coventry University, you can:

• Email CAW with your query and one of our tutors will respond as soon as they are free (typically within 24 hours). Note that if you are unable to find a source and send us an email, please make an attempt to adapt relevant principles and include this in your query.

• If your query is more complex than a single question, make an appointment with a CAW Tutor (either face-to-face or online).

• Alternatively, contact us to discuss your options.

Reference Management Software

• Find further advice in the Referencing Software section

Always follow the ARC of successful citing and referencing

• Be accurate about where each source comes from, including page numbers if you quote or paraphrase, or if you summarise information on a specific page of a source. Check that other readers can locate exactly the idea, image, or numerical data you have borrowed.
• Be rigorous in checking that each and every source you have cited is included in the List of References, and that the two elements are connected because they start with the same author and date.
• Be consistent in following the same procedure throughout your work.