Edge Hill University Harvard Referencing

To cite a website in Edge Hill University's Harvard style, write the author or organisation name in block capitals, the year, the page title in italics, followed by [online], the URL, and the date accessed.

To cite a book in Edge Hill University's Harvard style, write the author's surname in capitals followed by initials, the year, the title in italics, the edition (only if it is not the first), the place of publication, and the publisher.

To cite a journal article in Edge Hill University's Harvard style, write the author's surname and initials in capitals, the year, the article title (not italicised), the journal title in italics, the volume, the issue in brackets, and the page numbers.

For a print journal article: AUTHOR, Year. Title of article. Title of Journal. Volume (Issue), pp. X–Y. For an online journal article, add [online] after the journal title and include the full URL and access date. Journal articles are used extensively in nursing, psychology, social work, sport science, and education. The DOI (Digital Object Identifier) link is preferred over a long database URL because it is persistent and always directs the reader to the correct source. You can create a DOI URL by adding https://doi.org/ before the DOI number.

In-text format: (Abbas and Chrisp, 2023) or Abbas and Chrisp (2023)

To cite in text in Edge Hill University Harvard style, place the author's family name and the year of publication inside round brackets, or introduce the author's name in the sentence followed by the year in brackets.

This is called the author-date method. A parenthetical citation sits inside or at the end of a sentence: (Turner, 2023). A narrative citation introduces the author directly: Turner (2023) argues that… For direct quotations, include the page number after the year, separated by a colon: (Turner, 2023: 45). For secondary citations where you have not read the original, acknowledge both sources in the text: Cook (1959, cited in Stakelum, 2023: 25). Only the source you actually read — Stakelum — appears in the reference list.bibguru+1

To cite a PDF in Edge Hill University's Harvard style, identify the underlying source type first — a PDF is simply a file format, not a source type — and then apply the correct reference format with [online] and the URL.

If the PDF is a journal article accessed online, use the journal article format. If it is a government report, use the report format. If it is a book chapter, use the chapter format. The key difference is that you add [online] after the title or source identifier, and include the URL to the PDF and the access date. Students frequently download PDFs of reports, guidelines, and policy documents from government and NHS websites, and these must be referenced as their original source type rather than simply as "a PDF file."

In-text format: (NICE, 2023) or National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2023)

To cite a chapter in an edited book in Edge Hill University Harvard style, begin with the chapter author's details, state the year, give the chapter title (not italicised), then use "In:" followed by the editor's initials and surname in capitals, "ed." or "eds.", the book title in italics, and the page range of the chapter.

To cite a quote in Edge Hill University's Harvard style, place short quotations of three lines or fewer inside single speech marks in the running text and include the author's surname, year, and page number in brackets immediately after.

For quotes longer than three lines, present the text as an indented block with a line space above and below. Do not use speech marks for long block quotations. Include the page number at the end in brackets: (Author, Year: page). The page number is mandatory for all direct quotations. This rule distinguishes quoted material from paraphrase and enables the reader to locate the exact passage. In nursing and education, tutors check page numbers closely to confirm that students have accurately reproduced the source rather than misrepresenting it.

In-text format (short): 'direct words' (Author, Year: page) In-text format (long block): indented text (Author, Year: page)

To cite multiple authors in the Edge Hill University Harvard style, list all names connected by "and" for two or three authors in both the text and the reference list.

For four or more authors, use only the first author's surname followed by "et al." in the in-text citation. However, in the reference list, you must always list every author regardless of how many there are. The abbreviation "et al." comes from the Latin et alia, meaning "and others," and Edge Hill Harvard always includes the full stop after "al." as it is an abbreviation. Listing all authors in the reference list is important for academic transparency. Researchers need to know who produced the work and be able to identify all contributors when they locate the source themselves.

To cite a website with no identified author in Edge Hill University's Harvard style, use "Anon" as the author or, for a named website or organisation, use the website or organisation name as the author.

The Edge Hill guide states that if you cannot identify an individual author, a corporate author, or an organisation, you should use "Anon" as a substitute. However, many websites belong to clearly identifiable organisations such as the BBC, Shelter, or the NHS, and these organisations' names replace the individual author. Edge Hill also advises caution: if a source cannot be attributed to a verifiable author, its academic credibility may be limited, and you should consult your tutor before using it.

To cite a news article in Edge Hill University's Harvard style, for a print article, state the author, year, article title, the full newspaper title in italics, the day and month, and the page number.

For an online news article, add [online] after the newspaper title, include the day and month, and add the URL with the access date. News articles are often cited in social work, criminology, politics, and public health assignments to illustrate current affairs or media framing of social issues. Online articles are now the most common form accessed by students. Unlike academic journals, newspaper articles do not carry volume or issue numbers, so the day and month are necessary to identify exactly which edition was consulted.

To cite a report in Edge Hill University Harvard style, use the issuing organisation or author name in capitals, the year, the report title in italics, followed by the place of publication and publisher, with a URL and access date for online reports.

Reports are produced by government departments, health bodies, charities, and international organisations. They differ from academic journal articles in that they often lack a named individual author. In such cases, the name of the department or organisation takes the author position. Government publications, NHS reports, Ofsted reports, and NICE guidelines all follow this format. For online reports, include the full URL and the date you accessed the document. The report number or command paper number, where given, should be included after the title.

To cite a YouTube video in Edge Hill University Harvard style, write the author or channel name in capitals, the year, the video title, followed by [online video], and the full YouTube URL with the access date.

To cite a video in Edge Hill University's Harvard style, the format depends on how the video was distributed — whether it is a film on DVD, a streamed film, or a television broadcast.

For a streamed film: Title, Year [online]. DIRECTOR dir. Country of origin: Production company. Streaming service name. Available from: URL [Accessed date]. For a DVD: Title [DVD], Year. DIRECTOR dir. Country: Production company. The title comes first — not the director — because films are alphabetised by title in the reference list. The director's name is written in block capitals and is preceded by "dir." to clarify their role. This format is used in film studies, media, cultural studies, and nursing ethics modules where documentary films are assigned as learning resources.

To cite an online image in Edge Hill University's Harvard style, write the artist or creator's name in capitals, the year, a description or the title of the image, followed by [online image], and the URL with the access date.

The format for an online image is: ARTIST, Year. Description or title [online image]. Available from: URL [Accessed date]. If the creator is unknown, begin the reference with the subject or title of the image. For an image reproduced in a book, use the format: ARTIST, Year. Title [material type]. In: AUTHOR, Year. Title of book. Place: Publisher. Images are commonly cited in education, art, design, health promotion, and social sciences. Note the material type in square brackets (e.g., [oil on canvas], [photograph], [online image]) because this helps identify the nature of the source.

To cite a podcast in Edge Hill University Harvard style, write the presenter or producer's name in capitals, the year, the episode title (not italicised), the podcast series title in italics followed by [podcast online], the broadcast date, and the URL with the access date.

The Edge Hill Harvard guide lists podcasts as a distinct source type in its 2023 reference list. Podcasts are increasingly used as primary sources in media studies, social science, education, and health communication research. The episode title must be distinguished from the series title because individual episodes carry separate content and dates. If no individual presenter is named, use the production organisation as the author. Always confirm the URL is to the specific episode rather than the podcast series homepage.

To cite an Act of Parliament in Edge Hill University Harvard style, list the title of the Act and its year together — without a comma between them — followed by the chapter number, and then the URL and access date for online versions.

Acts of Parliament have no author. The title and year together form the complete name of the Act, which is why no comma separates them. In the in-text citation, cite the full title in brackets without a year in parentheses: (The Equality Act 2010). This citation format differs from all other source types because the year is part of the title. Legislation is cited in social work, nursing, law, criminology, education, and business law modules.

To cite a law report (case law) in Edge Hill University Harvard style, use the names of the parties involved in the case, the year of reporting in square brackets, the volume number, the abbreviated law report series, and the first page of the report.

Case law citations do not follow the standard Harvard author-date format because legal convention governs their presentation. The party names form the identifier in place of an author's surname. The year in square brackets indicates when the case was reported. Law reports are cited in modules covering social care law, employment law, criminal justice, and health law. Where a case was accessed online, a URL and access date are added to the reference.

To cite a thesis or dissertation in Edge Hill University's Harvard style, write the author's surname and initials in capitals, the year, the thesis title in italics, the unpublished designation with the qualification level, and the awarding institution.

To cite a published conference paper in Edge Hill University's Harvard style, write the author's details, year, paper title, then "In:" followed by the conference title, date of the conference, and location, and conclude with the publisher details and page numbers.

To cite a dictionary in Edge Hill University's Harvard style, use the publisher as the author if no individual editor is named, followed by the year, the title in italics, the edition, the volume number if applicable, and the place of publication and publisher.

If an individual editor is identifiable, list their name as you would for an edited book. When citing a specific definition, include the word defined in the text and the page number in the in-text citation. Online dictionaries are treated like websites: include [online], the URL, and the access date. Dictionaries are most commonly cited in linguistics, nursing practice, law, and philosophy modules where a precise definition of specialist terminology is required to establish the conceptual framework of an argument.

To cite an interview within a broadcast in Edge Hill University Harvard style, begin with the interviewee's surname and initials in capitals, the year, "Interview", then "In:" followed by the programme name, the broadcasting organisation, date, and time.

To cite lecture notes in Edge Hill University's Harvard style, write the lecturer's surname and initials in capitals, the year, the lecture title, followed by the module code and module title, state [online via VLE], the institution, and then the URL with the access date.

To cite a social media post in Edge Hill University's Harvard style, write the author or organisation name in capitals, the year, the text of the post (or its title if it has one), followed by the platform name in square brackets, the date of posting, and the URL with the access date.

For Facebook posts, if the post has no title, use the first 20 words of the text followed by […] in square brackets. For X (formerly Twitter) posts, use the full text of the post. Social media posts are increasingly cited in media studies, public health, politics, and social work research. They provide evidence of public discourse, institutional communication, and real-time policy announcements that may not yet exist in formal publications. Always screenshot social media posts when you cite them because they can be deleted.

To cite ChatGPT in Edge Hill University Harvard style, treat the tool as a software product produced by OpenAI, state the version used if known, identify it as a [large language model], record the prompt you used, and include the URL with the date accessed.

Edge Hill University's current referencing guide does not yet contain an explicit entry for AI-generated content. However, the guide's general principles apply: every source of information used in an assignment must be cited. Based on emerging UK academic conventions and guidance from institutions such as Harvard University Library, the OpenAI organisation is credited as the author, the date of the response is the access date, and the prompt should be disclosed. Many tutors at Edge Hill require students to declare AI use separately in an assignment cover sheet, so always check your module handbook before citing AI-generated content.guides.library.harvard+1

To cite an eBook in Edge Hill University Harvard style, follow the book format but add [eBook] or [Kindle eBook] after the title, include the edition if it is not the first, and add the URL and access date.