Referencing and avoiding plagiarism

The three main referencing styles

Author/Date System
Harvard, APA, Chicago* and MLA

These referencing styles consist of two parts: an in-text citation and a reference list at the end of the assignment. (*NB: with Chicago referencing, you can also use the footnote style).

In-text citation (Harvard)

Cite the source you are referring to as follows:

“Sometimes studying efficiently is not about putting in more hours – lots of hard work doesn’t necessarily translate into good grades. It is about spending more time on the right things.” (Williams and Reid, 2011)
Reference list (Harvard)

Cite your references in alphabetical order of author, as follows:

Books

Bryman, A. (2016) Social research methods. 5th edn. Oxford: Oxford University Press

Williams, K. and Reid, M. (2011) Time Management. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.
Journals

Cordell, S. (2011) ‘Virtuous Persons and Social Roles’, Journal of Social Philosophy, 42(3), pp. 254–272.
Websites

Office for National Statistics (2019) Investments, pensions and trusts. Available at:
https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/investmentspensionsandtrusts (Accessed: 5 Dec 2019).
Numerical System
Vancouver and IEEE

These referencing styles consist of two parts: an in-text citation and a referencing list at the end of the assignment. In a numeric style, you number your citations consecutively, so the first reference is numbered (1), the second (2), and so on. If you cite reference number (1) again later, you use the number (1) again.

In-text citation (Vancouver)

Cite the source you are referring to as follows:

“Sometimes studying efficiently is not about putting in more hours – lots of hard work doesn’t necessarily translate into good grades. It is about spending more time on the right things.” (1)
Reference list (Vancouver)
Books

(1) Williams K, Reid M. Time management. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan; 2011.

(2) Bryman A. Social research methods. 5th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2016.
Journals

(3) Cordell S. Virtuous Persons and Social Roles. Journal of Social Philosophy. (2016); 42(3): 254–272. Available from: DOI 10.1111/j.1467-9833.2011.01535.x.
Websites

(4) Office for National Statistics. Investments, pensions and trusts. Available from:
https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/investmentspensionsandtrusts [Accessed 5th December 2019).
Footnote System
MHRA and OSCOLA

These referencing styles consist of three parts: in-text numbering, footnotes (placed at the bottom of the page on which the number appears) and a reference list at the end of the assignment.

In-text citation (MHRA)

Cite the source you are referring to as follows:

“Sometimes studying efficiently is not about putting in more hours – lots of hard work doesn’t necessarily translate into good grades. It is about spending more time on the right things.” 1

Footnote (MHRA)

1. Kate Williams and Michelle Reid, Time Management. (New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011)

Reference list (MHRA)

Cite your references in alphabetical order of author as follows:

Books

Bryman, Alan, Social research methods, 5th ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016).

Williams, Kate, and Reid, Michelle, Time Management. (New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011).
Journals

Cordell, Sean, ‘Virtuous Persons and Social Roles’, Journal of Social Philosophy, 42 (2016), 254–272.
Websites

Office for National Statistics, Investments, pensions and trusts (2019)
https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/investmentspensionsandtrusts [Accessed 5 December 2019].

Always check which referencing style you should be using
For a more comprehensive online resource, please visit https://www.citethisforme.com.

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