THE HARVARD REFERENCING METHOD for Research Writing

THE HARVARD REFERENCING METHOD

Table of Contents

1. INTRODUCTION TO THE GUIDE ................................................................................. 2
2. BOOKS BY A SINGLE AUTHOR OR AN EDITOR ......................................................... 4
3. BOOKS WRITTEN BY MULTIPLE AUTHORS .............................................................. 5
4. INDIVIDUAL CHAPTERS IN EDITED BOOKS.............................................................. 6
5. JOURNAL ARTICLES .................................................................................................... 7
6. JOURNAL ARTICLES SUBMITTED FOR PUBLICATION (Unpublished)....................... 7
7. JOURNAL ARTICLES IN PRESS (Unpublished) ........................................................... 7
8. THESES ........................................................................................................................ 8
9. PUBLICATIONS OF CORPORATE BODIES ................................................................. 8
10. CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS ............................................................................... 9
11. REFERENCE MATERIAL (Dictionaries, encyclopaedias, etc) .................................. 10
12. UNPUBLISHED MATERIAL ..................................................................................... 11
13. GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS ............................................................................. 12
14. PUBLICATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS...................................... 12
15. VIDEOS AND FILMS ................................................................................................ 13
16. RADIO AND TELEVISION BROADCASTS ............................................................. 13
17. NEWSPAPER ARTICLES ........................................................................................ 14
18. UNISA STUDY GUIDES ........................................................................................... 15
19. PERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS (see also PERSONAL ELECTRONIC
COMMUNICATIONS) ......................................................................................................... 16
20. INTERNET SOURCES ............................................................................................. 17
21. MAILBASE / LISTSERVE E-MAIL LISTS ................................................................. 18
22. PERSONAL ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS (E-MAIL) ..................................... 19
23. CD-ROMS (Works in their own right and not bibliographic databases) ..................... 19
24. FULL-TEXT SOURCES FROM LIBRARY RESOURCES INCLUDING ELECTRONIC
JOURNALS (ONLINE AND CD-ROM) ............................................................................... 20
25. SECONDARY REFERENCING ................................................................................ 21
26. EXAMPLE OF A REFERENCE LIST ........................................................................ 21




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,1. INTRODUCTION TO THE GUIDE

The Department of Business Management within the College of Economic and Management
Sciences at Unisa uses the Harvard Referencing method. This method has been
internationally accepted and standardised. It is a widely accepted referencing method in
many higher education institutions worldwide.


Guide for referencing

This appendix includes a guide about how to cite books, chapters, journal articles, theses,
personal communication, the Internet and so forth. This guide was originally compiled by the
librarians of the Unisa School for Business Leadership (SBL) and later updated by staff
members in the Department of Business Management. A sample list of references has also
been included at the end of this guide. It is very important that you use the contents of this
guide in your assignments, research proposals and research reports when compiling a list of
references and citing sources in text. You will be penalised if you do not use the correct
referencing technique and if you do not include a list of references of a high academic
standard.


Using the guide

When writing an assignment, research report, dissertation or thesis, it is important that each
time you use someone else’s ideas from a book, article, newspaper report, conference
proceeding or the Internet, you let your reader know. This is called a ‘reference’. Failure to
provide references may expose you to charges of plagiarism and render your research
worthless.

References are cited for the following reasons:
 to indicate the source of any statements made
 to acknowledge authors’ works
 to provide sources of additional information

The information given within the different formats listed in the guide above will vary, but
enough information should be provided to allow your reader to identify your references and
distinguish them from other versions of the same material.

In the examples given in the guide and when you reference, note especially:
 the order
 use of capital letters
 use of italics or underlining (Underlining is used if where the written research is
handwritten or typed on a conventional typewriter. Use italics when typing up the
research on a word processor)
 spacing
 punctuation
 use of quotes and quotation marks “ “
 use of brackets, both round () and angle [ ]
 use of the ampersand &




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, List of references

The Department of Business Management require a single list at the end of the written work
that provides details of items actually referred to in the written work. The ‘list of references’
in this case will then simply list the reading which is relevant and which you have consulted,
and which you have referred to, in the text.




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