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Academic Writing

Referencing Guide

Foundational
18 minutes
Updated: 12 Mar, 2025

Master academic referencing with our comprehensive guide to Harvard, APA, MLA, and other citation styles required by UK universities.

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Why Reference Citation Styles Common Sources Citation Tools Resources

Why Referencing Matters

Referencing is a fundamental aspect of academic writing that serves several important purposes:

  • Acknowledges sources — Gives credit to the original authors whose ideas or words you're using
  • Avoids plagiarism — Clearly distinguishes between your ideas and those from other sources
  • Supports arguments — Strengthens your points by showing they're backed by credible sources
  • Demonstrates research — Shows the breadth and quality of your reading and research
  • Enables verification — Allows readers to find and check your sources

Academic Integrity Warning

Failing to reference properly is a form of academic misconduct that can have serious consequences, including reduced marks, failed assignments, or even disciplinary action. Universities use plagiarism detection software (like Turnitin) to identify unreferenced material, making it essential to cite all sources correctly.

The specific referencing style you need to use will typically be specified in your assignment brief or course handbook. If it's not specified, check with your lecturer or supervisor. Different departments and disciplines often prefer different citation styles, so never assume one style fits all your courses.

Common Citation Styles in UK Universities

UK universities use various citation styles, with preferences often differing by discipline. Below are the most common styles you're likely to encounter:

Harvard
APA
MLA
OSCOLA
Vancouver

Harvard Style

Commonly used in: Business, economics, social sciences, and humanities at many UK universities

Harvard is an author-date system where you include the author's surname and publication year in parentheses within your text, with full details in an alphabetically ordered reference list at the end.

In-text citation

Research indicates that student engagement increases with active learning strategies (Smith, 2022).

Smith (2022, p. 45) argues that "active learning strategies significantly improve student engagement."

Reference list entry - Book

Smith, J. (2022) Active Learning in Higher Education. London: Academic Press.

Reference list entry - Journal article

Jones, A. and Brown, B. (2021) 'Improving student engagement through technology', Journal of Educational Technology, 45(2), pp. 112-128.

Reference list entry - Website

University of Manchester (2023) Academic Writing Guidelines. Available at: https://www.manchester.ac.uk/academic-writing (Accessed: 15 March 2025).

APA Style (7th Edition)

Commonly used in: Psychology, education, and social sciences

APA is another author-date system but with specific formatting requirements. It's particularly focused on the date of publication and uses a "References" section rather than a "Bibliography."

In-text citation

Research indicates that student engagement increases with active learning strategies (Smith, 2022).

Smith (2022) found that "active learning strategies significantly improve student engagement" (p. 45).

References entry - Book

Smith, J. (2022). Active learning in higher education. Academic Press.

References entry - Journal article

Jones, A., & Brown, B. (2021). Improving student engagement through technology. Journal of Educational Technology, 45(2), 112-128. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx

References entry - Website

University of Manchester. (2023, January 15). Academic writing guidelines. https://www.manchester.ac.uk/academic-writing

MLA Style (9th Edition)

Commonly used in: Literature, arts, humanities, and cultural studies

MLA uses author-page citations in the text and a "Works Cited" list alphabetized by author's last name. It emphasizes the author's name rather than the date.

In-text citation

Research indicates that student engagement increases with active learning strategies (Smith 45).

Smith argues that "active learning strategies significantly improve student engagement" (45).

Works Cited entry - Book

Smith, John. Active Learning in Higher Education. Academic Press, 2022.

Works Cited entry - Journal article

Jones, Alice, and Benjamin Brown. "Improving Student Engagement Through Technology." Journal of Educational Technology, vol. 45, no. 2, 2021, pp. 112-28.

Works Cited entry - Website

University of Manchester. "Academic Writing Guidelines." University of Manchester, 15 Jan. 2023, www.manchester.ac.uk/academic-writing.

OSCOLA (Oxford Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities)

Commonly used in: Law and legal studies

OSCOLA is a footnote citation system specifically designed for legal writing. It uses superscript numbers in the text that correspond to footnotes containing the citation details.

In-text citation with footnote

The court established that negligence requires the breach of a duty of care.1

1 Donoghue v Stevenson [1932] AC 562.

Bibliography entry - Book

Smith J, Legal Principles and Case Law (2nd edn, Oxford University Press 2022)

Bibliography entry - Journal article

Jones A and Brown B, 'Precedent in UK Law' (2021) 45 British Law Journal 112

Vancouver Style

Commonly used in: Medicine, biomedicine, and health sciences

Vancouver uses a numbered citation system where sources are numbered in the order they first appear in the text, with full details in a reference list at the end.

In-text citation

Research shows that antibiotic resistance is increasing globally (1).

Smith et al. (2) demonstrated that new antimicrobial approaches are needed.

References entry - Book

1. Smith J. Medical microbiology. 3rd ed. London: Medical Press; 2022.

References entry - Journal article

2. Jones A, Brown B, Davies C. Antimicrobial resistance patterns in hospital settings. J Med Microbiol. 2021;45(2):112-28.

University-Specific Variations

Be aware that many UK universities have their own variations of these standard styles. For example, "Manchester Harvard" differs slightly from "Oxford Harvard" or "Leeds Harvard." Always check your university's specific referencing guidelines, which are typically available through the library website or in your course handbook.

How to Reference Common Source Types

Below are guidelines for referencing various source types using Harvard style (one of the most commonly used in UK universities), but remember to adapt these to your university's specific requirements.

Books

Required elements: Author(s), Year, Title (in italics), Edition (if not the first), Place of publication, Publisher

Single author

Smith, J. (2022) Active Learning in Higher Education. London: Academic Press.

Two or three authors

Smith, J., Jones, M. and Wilson, P. (2021) Research Methods for Students. 3rd edn. Oxford: University Publishing.

Four or more authors

Smith, J. et al. (2020) Academic Writing: A Guide for Students. Manchester: University Press.

Chapter in an edited book

Wilson, A. (2023) 'Teaching methodologies in STEM', in Brown, R. and Green, S. (eds.) Innovations in Higher Education. London: Educational Publishing, pp. 45-67.

Journal Articles

Required elements: Author(s), Year, 'Title of article' (in single quotes), Title of journal (in italics), Volume, Issue number, Page range, DOI (if available)

Print journal article

Jones, A. and Brown, B. (2021) 'Improving student engagement through technology', Journal of Educational Technology, 45(2), pp. 112-128.

Online journal article with DOI

Roberts, C., Davies, E. and Wilson, F. (2022) 'Student mental health during the pandemic', Journal of Higher Education Studies, 37(4), pp. 213-229. doi: 10.1234/jhes.2022.123456

Websites

Required elements: Author/Organization, Year, Title (in italics), Available at: URL, (Accessed: date)

Website with an organization as author

University of Manchester (2023) Academic Writing Guidelines. Available at: https://www.manchester.ac.uk/academic-writing (Accessed: 15 March 2025).

Website with individual author(s)

Smith, J. and Jones, A. (2024) Tips for Academic Success. Available at: https://www.academicsuccess.com/tips (Accessed: 10 February 2025).

Other Common Sources

Government report

Department for Education (2023) Higher Education Outcomes Report 2023. London: HMSO.

Conference paper

Johnson, L. (2022) 'Digital transformations in learning', Proceedings of the International Conference on Education Technology, Birmingham, UK, 5-7 June. London: Education Society, pp. 78-85.

Thesis

Williams, S. (2021) Student engagement in online learning environments. PhD thesis. University of Leeds. Available at: http://etheses.leeds.ac.uk/12345 (Accessed: 12 January 2025).

Lecture notes/presentation

Brown, R. (2025) Research methods: Week 3 lecture slides [PowerPoint presentation]. EDUC101: Research Methods. University of Bristol. Available at: https://blackboard.bristol.ac.uk (Accessed: 15 February 2025).

Free Citation Tools

Creating citations manually can be time-consuming and prone to errors. Fortunately, there are several excellent free citation tools that can automatically generate citations in your required style. These tools allow you to easily adapt to different university referencing requirements without needing to learn each style in detail.

BibGuru Citation Generator

BibGuru is a free citation generator that supports all major citation styles including Harvard, APA, MLA, Chicago, Vancouver, and OSCOLA. It's particularly useful for UK students as it includes UK-specific citation styles. Unlike many other tools, BibGuru requires no sign-up or login to use.

Key benefits:

  • Free with no registration required
  • Supports university-specific variations (like Manchester Harvard)
  • Auto-fills citation details from URLs, DOIs, ISBNs, or titles
  • Allows export in multiple formats
Try BibGuru Citation Generator

Other Free Citation Tools

While we recommend BibGuru for its ease of use and no-signup requirement, here are some other excellent free citation tools:

Tool Features Best for
ZoteroBib No account needed, browser-based citation generator Quick, one-off reference lists
Cite This For Me Free basic version with many styles, including UK-specific ones UK university styles and style switching
Mendeley Reference Manager Full reference management software (free account required) Long-term projects with many references
Zotero Comprehensive reference management with browser integration Dissertation or thesis work

Important Note on Citation Tools

While citation tools are incredibly helpful, they're not infallible. Always double-check generated citations against your university's specific guidelines, especially for unusual source types. It's particularly important to verify that the tool is using the correct version of your required citation style, as styles are periodically updated.

Helpful Resources

Reference List Checklist

Checklist

A comprehensive checklist to ensure your reference list is formatted correctly

Download Checklist

Avoiding Plagiarism Guide

Guide

Learn how to avoid unintentional plagiarism in your academic writing

Download Guide

BibGuru Citation Generator

External Tool

Free citation generator with no registration required - works with all UK university styles

Visit Website

Cite Them Right Online

External Resource

Comprehensive guide to referencing (may require university login)

Visit Website

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