Bournemouth University Harvard Referencing

To cite a website in BU Harvard style, use the organisation or author's name, the year the page was published or last updated, the title of the webpage in italics followed by [online], the place of publication, the publisher, the full URL, and the date you accessed it.

Websites are one of the most commonly cited sources in academic work. BU Harvard treats the organisation responsible for the website as the author. You should not insert the URL directly into the body of your text. Instead, place the in-text citation as (Organisation Year) and save the full URL for the reference list. When no publication year is visible, use the year you accessed the page, preceded by ca., for example, (ca. 2024).

To cite in text using BU Harvard style, place the author's surname and the year of publication in brackets at the point where you refer to the source. If you quote directly, add a page number after the year.

In-text citations are the mechanism that links your argument to its evidence. BU Harvard uses the Author-Date method, meaning you never use footnotes for referencing. The citation can appear in two positions: integrated naturally into the sentence or placed at the end of the relevant phrase, always before the full stop. This system works the same for print and online sources.

The basic structures are:

Integrated: Author (Year) argued that...

Parenthetical: ...(Author Year).

Direct quote: ...(Author Year, p.XX).

To cite a book in the BU Harvard style, list the author's surname, initials, year of publication, the title in italics, the edition if it is not the first, the place of publication, and the publisher.

Books form the core of academic reading lists. BU Harvard does not require a URL for print books, but if you use an e-book, you add [online] after the title. The edition is only included if it is not the first. You should omit superfluous terms from the publisher name, such as Co., Inc., or Publishers, but always keep the words Books or Press.

Reference structure: Author's Surname, INITIALS., Year. Title. Edition (if not first). Place of publication: Publisher.

To cite a journal article in BU Harvard style, list the author's surname, initials, year, the article title, the journal title in italics, followed by [online], the volume and issue number, page numbers, and a URL with access date for online sources.

Journal articles are the primary source of peer-reviewed research. The journal title is italicised, but the article title is not. For articles accessed through a library database, the DOI or database URL should be included. If an article is listed as In Press and has no volume or issue number yet, you must include the full URL. Page numbers should be included where available.

Reference structure: Author's Surname, INITIALS., Year. Title of article. Journal title [online], volume (issue), pages. Available from: URL [Accessed Date].

To cite a PDF in BU Harvard style, identify the original source type of the document (such as a report, journal article, or webpage) and reference it in that format, adding [online] after the title and including the URL and access date.

BU Harvard does not treat PDF as a source type in itself. A PDF is simply a format in which a document is delivered. A PDF of a journal article is referenced as a journal article; a PDF of an organisational report is referenced as a report. The key distinction is: always reference the original document type, not its file format. You add [PDF] in square brackets after the title only when the document exists exclusively as a standalone PDF with no other format.

Reference structure (standalone PDF): Author's Surname, INITIALS., Year. Title [PDF]. Place: Publisher. Available from: URL [Accessed Date].

To cite an image in BU Harvard style, give the photographer or artist's surname and initials, the year, the title of the image, the type of image in square brackets, the place of publication, the publisher, the URL, and the date accessed.

Images are referenced as though they were direct quotations from a published work. When you include an image in your work, you should label it with a figure number and a brief caption that includes the in-text citation, for example: Figure 1. Coastal erosion at Bournemouth (Downer 2009, p.10). If you have amended the image, use amended from. If the image is your own, use personal collection. The type of image (photograph, illustration, painting, etc.) is placed in square brackets after the title.

Reference structure: Photographer/Artist's Surname, INITIALS., Year. Title of image [type of image]. Place: Publisher. Available from: URL [Accessed Date].

To cite a chapter in an edited book in BU Harvard style, give the contributing author's surname and initials, year, the title of the chapter, then In: followed by the editor's details, the book title in italics, edition, place of publication, publisher, and the page numbers of the chapter.

This format applies specifically to contributions within an edited book, where different authors write separate chapters compiled by an editor. The chapter title is not italicised. The book title is italicised. You cite the contributing author in the text, not the editor. If the chapter was originally published in a different year, include the original date of publication after the editor's details.

Reference structure: Contributing Author's Surname, INITIALS., Year. Title of chapter. In: Editor's Surname, INITIALS., ed. Title of book. Edition. Place: Publisher, page numbers.

To cite a report in BU Harvard style, list the author or organisation, year, the report title in italics, followed by [online] for online versions, the place of publication, the publisher, the report number if given, and the URL with access date.

Reports are frequently produced by government bodies, research institutes, charities, and corporations. When no individual author is identifiable, the publishing organisation is used as the author. The report number is included after the publisher if stated. For print reports, no URL is needed.

Reference structure (online): Author/Organisation, Year. Title of report [online]. Place: Publisher. Report number. Available from: URL [Accessed Date].

To cite multiple authors in BU Harvard style, use both surnames for two authors, and only the first author's surname followed by et al. for three or more authors in the in-text citation. In the reference list, always list all authors in full.

The et al. rule only applies to in-text citations. The reference list always contains the full names of every author, regardless of how many there are. When two authors share the same surname, include their initials in the in-text citation to avoid confusion. The order of authors in the reference list must match the order stated in the original source, not alphabetical order.

To cite a direct quotation in BU Harvard style, place short quotes within double quotation marks in the body of the text with the author, year, and page number in brackets. Indent longer quotations as a separate block.

BU Harvard distinguishes between short and long quotations. A quote less than one line is placed inline with double quotation marks. A longer quotation should be indented, single-spaced, and placed in double quotation marks as a separate paragraph. In both cases, the page number must be included. For webpages and online newspapers where no page number exists, this detail is not required.

Structures:

Short quote (inline): ...(Author Year, p.XX).

Long quote (block): Indented block followed by (Author Year, p.XX).

To cite a YouTube video in BU Harvard style, use the name of the person or organisation who uploaded the video, the year, the video title followed by [video, online], and the full URL with the date accessed.

BU Harvard treats online videos like other online materials. If an author or uploader is identified, use their name. If no individual is listed, use the channel name or organisation. The medium type [video, online] is placed in square brackets after the title. The place and production company are included if identifiable, but are not required for YouTube uploads where this information is not given.

Reference structure: Originator, Year. Title [video, online]. Place: Producer (if given). Available from: URL [Accessed Date].

To cite a thesis in BU Harvard style, include the author's surname, initials, year, the thesis title in italics, the designation and type (e.g., Thesis (PhD)), and the name of the awarding institution.

Theses are treated as distinct unpublished or institutional works in BU Harvard. The degree type is specified in brackets after the word Thesis, for example Thesis (PhD) or Thesis (MSc). For theses accessed via an online repository, include the URL and access date.

Reference structure: Author's Surname, INITIALS., Year. Title of thesis. Thesis (type). Name of institution.

To cite legislation in the BU Harvard style, cite Acts of Parliament by their full short title and year in the body of the text, without The at the beginning and without punctuation between the title and the year.

Legislation is handled differently from all other sources in BU Harvard. Acts of Parliament are not placed in the main reference list. They appear in a separate list of legislation after the main references. You do not italicise legislation titles in BU Harvard. The same format applies whether you found the legislation in print or accessed it online via a source such as legislation.gov.uk.

In-text structure: Human Rights Act 1998 Reference list structure (separate legislation list): Human Rights Act 1998

To cite a lecture in BU Harvard style, include it as a personal communication in the text only, giving the lecturer's initials and surname, their title or role, and the date of the communication.

Lectures are classified as person-to-person communications in BU Harvard. They are not considered published material because they do not provide recoverable data that other readers can independently verify. Lectures downloaded from the university's virtual learning environment (such as myBU) are also treated as personal communications, not published sources. For this reason, lectures do not appear in the reference list. They are cited in the main text only.

In-text structure: (personal communication, Day Month Year)

To cite an online news article in BU Harvard style, give the author's surname and initials (or the newspaper's name if no author is identified), the year, the article title, the newspaper name in italics, followed by [online], the full date, the URL, and the date accessed.

News articles are a frequently used source in journalism, media studies, politics, and social science essays. When no author is named on a newspaper article, the newspaper's title takes the author position in both the in-text citation and the reference list. Note that the article title is not italicised, while the newspaper name is.

Reference structure: Author's Surname, INITIALS. (or Newspaper title,) Year. Title of article. Title of newspaper [online], Day Month Year. Available from: URL [Accessed Date].

To cite an annual report in BU Harvard style, treat it as an organisational report: list the organisation as author, the year, the title in italics with [online], the place of publication, the publisher, and the URL with an access date.

Annual reports are produced by companies, charities, public bodies, and government departments to document financial and operational performance over a given year. In BU Harvard, they follow the same structure as any other report. The organisation is both the author and the publisher in most cases. The year in the reference refers to the publication date of the report, not the period it covers.

Reference structure: Organisation, Year. Title of annual report [online]. Place: Publisher. Available from: URL [Accessed Date].

To cite a GOV.UK page in BU Harvard style, use the relevant government department as the author, include the year, the page title in italics followed by [online], the place of publication as London, the publisher as HM Government or the specific department, and the full URL with the date accessed.

GOV. The UK hosts publications from hundreds of government departments, agencies, and public bodies. You should use the specific department (e.g., Department for Education) rather than the generic HM Government, where the responsible body is clearly identified. GOV.UK pages are treated exactly like other webpages in BU Harvard. For policy documents and guidance notes hosted on GOV.UK, treat them as reports.

Reference structure: Department/Organisation, Year. Title of page [online]. London: Publisher. Available from: URL [Accessed Date].

To cite an interview in BU Harvard style, treat it as a personal communication and reference it in the text only, giving the interviewee's initials, surname, and role, along with the date of the interview.

Interviews are classified alongside lectures and emails as person-to-person communications. Because the content of an interview is not published or recoverable by other readers, it does not belong in the reference list. You cite it only within the text of your work. If you have conducted your own primary research through interviews, it is advisable to include transcripts or summaries as appendices.

In-text structure: (personal communication, Day Month Year, see Appendix X if applicable)

To cite a conference paper in BU Harvard style, give the contributing author's surname, initials, year, the paper title, followed by [online] if accessed online, then In: followed by the editors, the conference name including dates and location, the place of publication, the publisher, and page numbers.

Conference papers document current research presented at academic and professional events. They are cited similarly to book chapters because they are contributions within a larger edited proceedings volume. The conference title should include the date and location of the event. For papers accessed online, include the full URL and access date.

Reference structure: Author's Surname, INITIALS., Year. Title of paper [online]. In: Editor's Surname, INITIALS., ed. Title of conference, Place, Date. Place: Publisher. Pages. Available from: URL [Accessed Date].

To cite a social media post in BU Harvard style, give the author's surname and initials (or organisation name), year, the title or opening text of the post, the name of the social media platform followed by [online], the full date of posting, the URL, and the date accessed.

Social media entries include posts on platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and institutional blogs. BU Harvard notes that social media entries may only be kept on servers for a short time. It is therefore strongly recommended that you retain a screenshot of the post and consider including it as an appendix.

Reference structure: Author's Surname, INITIALS./Organisation, Year. Title of post. Platform name [online]. Day Month Year. Available from: URL [Accessed Date].

To cite an AI tool such as ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude in BU Harvard style, treat it as a software or interactive online tool: list the developer organisation as author, the year, the name and version of the tool, followed by [large language model], and the URL with access date.

BU Harvard does not yet have an officially prescribed format for generative AI citation. The most widely adopted approach in Harvard-style referencing treats the tool as an authored software output, with the developer organisation as the author. Critically, AI-generated responses are not independently verifiable by other readers because different prompts, sessions, and model versions produce different outputs. You must state in your work what prompt you used and disclose your use of AI in accordance with BU's academic integrity policies.

Reference structure: Organisation, Year. Tool name (version, if known) [large language model]. Available from: URL [Accessed Date].

To cite an e-book in BU Harvard style, follow the same structure as a print book but add [online] after the title, or the specific e-reader type, such as [Kindle edition] for books downloaded to a device.

E-books hosted on platforms such as Google Books, ProQuest Ebook Central, or publisher websites use the [online] designation. Books downloaded to a dedicated reading device use the device type, for instance [Kindle edition]. The place of publication and publisher are included if given. No URL is required for Kindle editions, but the platform is noted as the source.

Reference structures:

Online e-book: Author's Surname, INITIALS., Year. Title [online]. Edition. Place: Publisher.

E-reader download: Author's Surname, INITIALS., Year. Title [Kindle edition]. Edition. Place: Publisher.

To cite a dictionary in the BU Harvard style, use the dictionary title as the author when the work has no single identifiable editor, then provide the year, the entry title, In: the dictionary title in italics, the edition, the place of publication, and the publisher.

Dictionaries and encyclopaedias are often the co-operative work of many contributors with no single primary editor. In such cases, BU Harvard permits the use of the dictionary's title in place of a personal author name. The page number is included in the in-text citation when quoting directly. For online dictionaries, include the URL and access date in the reference.

Reference structure (no named editor): Short title/Publisher, Year. Entry title. In: Title of dictionary. Edition. Place: Publisher.

Reference structure (online): Dictionary name, Year. Entry title. Title of dictionary [online]. Available from: URL [Accessed Date].

To cite your own appendix in BU Harvard style, refer to it within the text using its label (e.g. see Appendix A) without including it in the reference list, because an appendix is your own original work and has not been independently published.

Appendices contain supplementary material you have produced yourself, such as interview transcripts, raw data, questionnaires, or supporting calculations. Because this material is not an externally published source, it does not belong in the reference list. You refer to it parenthetically in the text. If an appendix reproduces or contains material taken from external sources, those external sources must still be cited normally in the reference list.

In-text structure: (see Appendix A) or ...as shown in Appendix B.