A Short Guide to the

Coventry University
Harvard Reference Style
The Coventry University’s Harvard Reference Style is the recommended format for
documenting all the sources you use in your academic writing. The golden rule when
documenting sources is to be transparent. Ask yourself whether you could find the
passage/image/publication/web site address with the information you have provided.
To download a full guide on using the CU Harvard Reference Style, visit
www.coventry.ac.uk/caw and follow the ‘CU Harvard Style’ links.
The Harvard Reference Style is a simple referencing system used internationally by scholars
and researchers. There are two elements:
I. In-text citations:
In the body of your paper, give the surname of the author and the date of publication.
(For a web site, give the organisation as the author). Also give the page number if you
quote or paraphrase.
II. List of References:
At the end of your paper, give full publication or internet information, arranged
alphabetically by (sur)name of author so that a reader can easily locate every source.
Some tutors and subject groups may require you to use an alternative referencing style. If
you are unsure, ask your module tutor. It is your responsibility to find out whether your
tutor requires you to use a different referencing style.

Harvard Reference Quickstart Style Guide by Coventry University is licensed under a

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 Part I. How to Write In-text-Citations
Cite every source which you refer to in the main body of your writing. Your in-text citations
must state the surname of the author and the year of publication. Also give the page number
if you quote a passage directly or if you paraphrase (put the idea into your own words).
For example:
Concern about climate change is becoming a ‘force for good’ in international politics
(Kennedy 2004: 88).
If you borrow an image, figure, or statistics from a printed source, you must provide an
in-text citation.
In-text citations of internet sources
Give the organisation that produced the web-site as the author (this is known as the
corporate author). If you can locate it, also give the date when the site was produced or
last updated.
If the document is not dated, in order to be accurate, write ‘n.d.’ in brackets, i.e. ‘no date’.
For example:
Manufacturing is the Midlands’ biggest industry (Coventry University 2005).
If you borrow an image, figure, or statistics from a web site you must provide an
in-text citation.
In-text citations of secondary sources
If you cite from a book or article which gives a useful quotation from another book or article,
try to find the original book or article.
Option 1
If you can find the original source, read it and cite the material from the original.
Option 2
If you cannot find the original source, complete your in-text citation of the quote in this way:
Give the surname of the author whose original work you have not read and its original
year of publication. Then write ‘cited in’ and give the surname of the author whose work
you have read (in which the reference to the first author appears). Then give the date
and page number.
For example:
Coventry boasts the ‘finest modern cathedral in Britain’
(Shah 2004 cited in Padda 2005: 8).

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 Part II. How to Write a List of References
Make an alphabetical list (according to the author or corporate author) containing all the
citations in your academic writing. This is called the List of References.
Give full publication or internet details of every source you have cited. This list goes on a
separate page at the end of your assignment. Leave a line of space between each entry
and indent every line after the first like this:
A book with one author:
Biggs, G. (2000) Gender and Scientific Discovery. 2nd edn. London: Routledge
A book with multiple authors:
Ong, E., Chan, W., and Peters, J. (2004) Advances in Engineering. 2nd edn.
London: Routledge
A chapter or essay by a particular author in an edited book:
Aggarwal, B. (2005) ‘Has the British Bird Population Declined?’. in A Guide to Contemporary
Ornithology. ed. by Adams, G. London: Palgrave, 66-99
A printed journal article:
Padda, J. (2003) ‘Creative Writing in Coventry’. Journal of Writing Studies 3 (2), 44-59
A web site
Centre for Academic Writing (2005) The List of References Illustrated [online] available from
http://home.ched.coventry.ac.uk/caw/harvard/index.htm [20 July 2005]
An electronic journal article
Dhillon, B. (2004) ‘Should Doctors Wear Ties?’. Medical Monthly [online] 3 (1), 55-88.
available from http://hospitals/infections/latest-advice [20 April 2005]

To learn more about citing and referencing your sources, contact the
Centre for Academic Writing.
Email: writing.caw@coventry.ac.uk
Tel: 024 7688 7902
Website: www.coventry.ac.uk/caw

Lanchester Library
Frederick Lanchester Annexe
Coventry University
Gosford Street
COVENTRY
CV1 5DD
Telephone: 024 7688 7575
Fax: 024 7688 7525

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Leaflets\Havardstyle.pub October 2011

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