UWE Bristol Harvard Referencing

To cite a website in UWE Bristol Harvard style, give the author or responsible organisation, the year of last update, the page title in italics, the descriptor [online], the full URL after "Available from:", and the date you accessed it inside square brackets.

Websites are particularly volatile sources — content changes, pages move, and organisations update their information without notice. This is precisely why UWE Bristol Harvard requires an accessed date: it signals to the reader exactly which version of a page you consulted. Where no individual author is named, use the publishing organisation as the author. If no date can be identified, write (no date).

Format: Author/Organisation. (Year) Title of page [online]. Available from: URL [Accessed DD Month YYYY].

To cite a book in UWE Bristol Harvard style, list the author's surname and initials, the year of publication in parentheses, the title in italics, the edition if it is not the first, the place of publication, and the publisher, each separated by full stops.

The book title carries italics throughout — this is one of the most common formatting errors students make. Edition information appears only when the book is not a first edition. For electronic books, add [online] immediately after the title and close the reference with [Accessed DD Month YYYY]. The word "and" is always used between author names — never an ampersand — which is another key UWE Bristol distinction.

Print Format: Author surname, initials. (Year) Title. Edition (if not first). Place: Publisher.

Electronic Format: Author surname, initials. (Year) Title [online]. Edition (if not first). Place: Publisher. [Accessed DD Month YYYY].

To cite in text in UWE Bristol Harvard, place the author's surname and publication year in parentheses at the point of reference, and add a page number after a comma when quoting directly.

The in-text citation is the reader's signpost to the full reference entry. For paraphrasing or summarising, only the author and year are required. For direct quotations, UWE Bristol Harvard requires the page number introduced as p. for a single page or pp. for a range. When sources have no identifiable author, UWE Bristol instructs you to use Anon.; when no date is available, use no date. This style does not use ibid. — You must fully cite the source every time you refer to it.

Paraphrase: (Author, Year) Direct quote: (Author, Year, p.XX) Author as grammatical subject: Author (Year) argues that...

To cite a journal article in UWE Bristol Harvard, include the author's surname and initials, the year, the article title (not italicised), the journal title in italics, the volume number, the issue number in parentheses, and the page range.

Journal articles are the most common source in academic writing, and the formatting reflects their structure: the article itself has no italics, but the journal it sits within does. For online articles, add [online] after the journal title and close with Available from: URL [Accessed DD Month YYYY]. Volume and issue numbers are presented as Volume(Issue) — for example, 14(3) — which is a concise format that helps readers locate the article within the journal's archive.

Print Format: Author surname, initials. (Year) Article title. Journal Title, Volume(Issue), pp. XX–XX.

Online Format: Author surname, initials. (Year) Article title. Journal Title [online], Volume(Issue), pp. XX–XX. Available from: URL [Accessed DD Month YYYY].

To cite a book chapter in UWE Bristol Harvard, begin with the chapter author, then the chapter title (not italicised), followed by "In:" the book editor and the book title in italics, concluding with the place of publication, publisher, and page numbers.

This format addresses a common situation in academic writing: chapters in edited volumes are written by different authors from the book's editor. The chapter title appears in plain text while the book title is italicised — the same logic that applies to articles and their journals. Note that the chapter year and book year may differ; if they do, both years must appear in their respective positions in the reference.

Print Format: Chapter author surname, initials. (Year of chapter) Chapter title. In: Editor surname, initials., ed. (Year) Title of Book. Place: Publisher, pp. XX–XX.

To cite a report in UWE Bristol Harvard style, record the authoring body or individual, the year of publication, the report title in italics, the report number if one is assigned, and the place of publication and publisher.

Reports are common in health, engineering, social policy, and business disciplines, where students often cite outputs from government departments, professional bodies, and research institutes. The publishing organisation frequently serves as both author and publisher — in such cases, the organisation appears only once at the start of the reference, not repeated at the end. For online reports, add [online] after the title and include the URL and accessed date.

Format: Author/Organisation. (Year) Title of Report. Report number (if applicable). Place: Publisher.

To cite a PDF in UWE Bristol Harvard style, identify what type of source the PDF represents — such as a report, journal article, or book chapter — and apply the formatting rules for that source type, adding [online] and the PDF's URL along with an accessed date.

A PDF is a file format, not a source type, so UWE Bristol Harvard does not have a separate format for PDFs. The key question is always: what is the document itself? A PDF of a government report is cited as a report; a PDF of a journal article is cited as a journal article. If the PDF is an institutional guide or standalone publication without a traditional source type, apply the format closest to what the document represents.

Format (PDF of a report): Organisation/Author. (Year) Title [online]. Place: Publisher. Available from: URL [Accessed DD Month YYYY].

To cite a thesis in UWE Bristol Harvard, include the author's name, the year, the thesis title in italics, the degree type, and the name of the awarding institution.

Theses are original research documents and carry significant academic weight, particularly in postgraduate and doctoral work. UWE Bristol Harvard distinguishes between PhD theses, master's dissertations, and undergraduate dissertations — the type of award should be specified clearly after the title. When the thesis is available through an institutional repository or a database such as EThOS, add [online] after the title and close with the URL and accessed date.

Format: Author surname, initials. (Year) Title of thesis. Type of thesis. Name of institution.

To cite a YouTube video in UWE Bristol Harvard style, give the name of the channel or account that uploaded the video, the year of upload, the video title in italics, the descriptor [online video], the day and month of upload, and the full YouTube URL followed by the accessed date.

YouTube is increasingly used in academic contexts — lecturers post supplementary content, charities publish research explainers, and public institutions host official recordings. The channel name acts as the author, not the individual's real name if it differs from the display name. If the upload date includes the day and month, include both, as this helps the reader distinguish between multiple uploads from the same channel in the same year. perlego

Format: Channel/Account name. (Year) Title of video [online video]. DD Month. Available from: URL [Accessed DD Month YYYY].

To cite a podcast in UWE Bristol Harvard style, list the presenter or producer, the year, the episode title in plain text, the podcast series title in italics, the descriptor [podcast], the day and month of release, and the URL with an accessed date.

Podcasts have grown into credible academic and professional sources, particularly in journalism, public health, social policy, and education. Because individual episodes within a series often address highly focused topics, UWE Bristol Harvard treats each episode as a discrete source — much like an article within a journal. If you are citing the podcast series as a whole rather than a specific episode, omit the episode title and date of release.

Format: Presenter/Producer surname, initials. (Year) Title of episode. Title of Podcast [podcast]. DD Month. Available from: URL [Accessed DD Month YYYY].

To cite a direct quote in UWE Bristol Harvard style, enclose the exact words in double quotation marks, and place the author's surname, year, and specific page number — introduced with "p." — inside the parenthetical citation immediately after the closing quotation mark.

Direct quotation is appropriate when the author's precise wording carries special significance or when paraphrasing would change the meaning. UWE Bristol Harvard uses p. for a single page and pp. followed by a space before the range for multiple pages — for example, pp. 102–115. For sources without page numbers, such as websites or videos, the page element is simply omitted. Short quotations (generally under 40 words) remain within the body text; longer quotations are indented as a block and do not use quotation marks.

Format: "Exact words from source" (Author, Year, p.XX).

To cite multiple authors in UWE Bristol Harvard, list all authors in the reference list using "and" between names, but use et al. (in italics) in the in-text citation when there are four or more authors.

This is one of the most practically important rules for students working with multi-authored academic papers, which are the norm in scientific and health disciplines. For two or three authors, all surnames appear in the in-text citation: (Smith, Jones and Williams, 2020). For four or more authors, only the first surname is given, followed by et al.: (Smith et al., 2020). In the reference list itself, however, all authors must always be listed in full, regardless of the number — UWE Bristol Harvard does not truncate reference list entries.

In-text — 2 authors: (Author1 and Author2, Year) In-text — 3 authors: (Author1, Author2 and Author3, Year) In-text — 4+ authors: (Author1 et al., Year)

To cite a news article in UWE Bristol Harvard style, record the journalist's name, the year, the article title (not italicised), the newspaper or news outlet title in italics, the day and month of publication, and for online articles, the URL and accessed date.

News articles provide timely evidence of current events, public discourse, and policy announcements. They are especially common in social sciences, law, and journalism studies. The day and month of publication are essential because news outlets publish multiple items on the same day, and date precision allows readers to locate the exact article. For online news with no print equivalent, treat the outlet's website as you would any online source, but retain the newspaper-style title in italics.

Online Format: Author surname, initials. (Year) Article title. Newspaper Title [online]. DD Month. Available from: URL [Accessed DD Month YYYY].

To cite a lecture in UWE Bristol Harvard style, include the lecturer's name, the year, the lecture title in italics, the type of format, such as [lecture notes] or [PowerPoint presentation], the module name, the institution, and the date it was delivered.

Lectures are considered unpublished personal communications within UWE Bristol Harvard, which means other readers may not be able to access them independently. Where the institution makes lecture notes or slides available on a virtual learning environment such as Blackboard, the URL and accessed date can also be included. Students should check with their module leader before citing lecture material, as some tutors may prefer that students locate and cite the original published sources that inform the lecture.

Format: Lecturer surname, initials. (Year) Title of lecture [lecture notes/PowerPoint presentation]. Module name. Institution. DD Month.

To cite an interview in UWE Bristol Harvard style, list the interviewee's name, the year, a descriptive title or the subject of the interview, the interviewer's name, and the date — and for published or broadcast interviews, the publication or programme details and URL where applicable.

Interviews present a distinct citation challenge because their accessibility varies greatly. A broadcast interview on BBC Radio or a published interview in a journal is publicly accessible and can be cited with a full URL and an accessed date. An unpublished interview you conducted yourself for research purposes cannot be accessed by others, so UWE Bristol Harvard treats it as a personal communication, appending [interview] as the format descriptor. The interviewee's consent to being named should also be considered before citing unpublished interviews.

Published interview format: Interviewee surname, initials. (Year) Title or subject. Interviewed by [Interviewer name]. Publication/Programme. DD Month. Available from: URL [Accessed DD Month YYYY].

Unpublished format: Interviewee surname, initials. (Year) Interview with [your name] [interview]. DD Month.

To cite ChatGPT or another generative AI tool in UWE Bristol Harvard, the university recommends treating AI-generated output as a personal communication or image, because the content cannot be independently replicated by another reader.

UWE Bristol explicitly acknowledges that there is no general consensus on citing generative AI. The university's current guidance states that, because AI outputs are unique to each prompt session, they function like a personal communication — the reader cannot retrieve the same content from the same source. Students must speak to their module leader before using AI in any assessment, and must critically evaluate, verify, and fully acknowledge any AI-generated content they use. Where the AI output is accessible via a shareable link, treat it more like a web page.

Recommended format (personal communication): OpenAI. (Year) Output generated by ChatGPT [AI-generated text]. Generated DD Month YYYY in response to the prompt: 'your prompt here'. Unpublished.

To cite a conference paper in UWE Bristol Harvard style, list the paper's author, the year, the paper title (not italicised), followed by "In:" the editor of the proceedings and the proceedings title in italics, then the conference location, date, publisher, and page numbers.

Conference papers represent cutting-edge research presented before formal journal publication, and they are widely used in engineering, computing, social sciences, and medicine. For papers published online, add [online] after the proceedings title and close with the URL and accessed date. A key distinction from a journal article is that the venue, date, and proceedings editor must all appear, giving the citation a more event-specific quality.

Print Format: Author surname, initials. (Year) Paper title. In: Editor surname, initials., ed. Title of Conference Proceedings. Location, DD Month YYYY. Publisher, pp. XX–XX.

To cite a database record or dataset in UWE Bristol Harvard style, include the author or organisation responsible for the data, the year, the record title, the database name in italics, the version if applicable, the [online] tag, and the URL with an accessed date.

Databases contain structured collections of data used extensively in health, science, social science, and business research. When a student cites a specific dataset rather than an article retrieved from a database, the format changes: the dataset itself is the primary source, and the database is the platform where it was accessed. For databases such as Statista, ONS, or OECD iLibrary, provide enough detail so that the reader can locate the precise dataset — not just the database home page.

Format: Author/Organisation. (Year) Title of dataset. Name of Database (version) [online]. Available from: URL [Accessed DD Month YYYY].

To cite a UK Act of Parliament in UWE Bristol Harvard, give the Act title in italics, the chapter number in italics, the website hosting the legislation, and for online sources the URL and accessed date — without an author, since legislation does not carry a personal author.

UK legislation follows a distinct citation format within UWE Bristol Harvard because it does not conform to the standard author-date structure. The Act title serves as the identifier and appears in italics in both the reference and the in-text citation — also in italics. The chapter number, which reflects where the Act falls in the statute book for that year, is included to help readers locate the specific legislation.

Post-1963 Online Format: Name of Act [online]. Chapter number. Website name. Available from: URL [Accessed DD Month YYYY].

In-text: Name of Act Year

To cite a social media post in UWE Bristol Harvard, give the author's name or account username, the year, the text of the post or a descriptive title, the platform type in square brackets, the day and month, and the URL with an accessed date.

Social media posts are increasingly cited in journalism, social science, communications, and political science research. The exact wording of a short post can be included in full as the title; for longer posts or threads, a short descriptive title in quotation marks is appropriate. The platform descriptor — such as [Twitter post], [Instagram post], or [LinkedIn post] — helps identify the format clearly. Because posts can be deleted or made private, the accessed date is particularly important.

Format: Author/Username. (Year) 'Text of post or title of post' [Platform post]. DD Month. Available from: URL [Accessed DD Month YYYY].

To cite an eBook in UWE Bristol Harvard, follow the same structure as a print book but add [online] directly after the title and close the reference with [Accessed DD Month YYYY].

The eBook format has become the dominant mode of academic reading, particularly through library platforms such as ProQuest Ebook Central, EBSCO eBooks, and VLeBooks. A specific challenge arises when eBooks display no fixed page numbers — this occurs particularly on Kindle and similar devices where text reflows based on font size. In such cases, UWE Bristol Harvard advises using "no page" when citing page-specific information. For eBooks accessed through a legal database such as Lexis+, include the database name and URL.

Format: Author surname, initials. (Year) Title [online]. Edition (if not first). Place: Publisher. [Accessed DD Month YYYY].

To cite an email in UWE Bristol Harvard, list the sender's surname and initials, the year, the subject line of the email as the title, the phrase "Email to" followed by the recipient's name, and the specific date.

Emails are personal communications and are therefore not publicly retrievable — a reader cannot access the email you received. For this reason, UWE Bristol Harvard treats email similarly to an unpublished personal communication. The full date (day, month, and year) is essential because email is time-stamped and the date is often central to the relevance of the message. If citing a publicly distributed email newsletter rather than a private message, treat it more like a web document if it is archived online.

Format: Sender surname, initials. (Year) Subject of email. Email to Recipient name. DD Month.

To cite a non-English source in UWE Bristol Harvard, follow the standard format for the relevant source type but include the original title first, followed by an English translation of the title in square brackets.

Citing non-English sources arises most commonly in linguistics, history, philosophy, international relations, and comparative law. If a source is written in a non-Roman script — such as Arabic, Chinese, Russian, or Japanese — UWE Bristol Harvard practice recommends transliterating the text into Roman script so that the reference is readable. For translated books, an additional element is required: "Translated from the [language] by [full name of translator]" appears after the title.

Format (original language source): Author surname, initials. (Year) Original title [English translation of title]. Place: Publisher.

Format (translated book): Author surname, initials. (Year of translation) Title. Translated from the [language] by Translator First name Surname. Place: Publisher.

To cite software in UWE Bristol Harvard, give the developer or company name, the year, the software title in italics, the version number in parentheses, the descriptor [software], and for downloadable or online software the URL and accessed date.

Software citations are common in computing, data science, engineering, and health informatics, where the specific version of a tool directly affects the reproducibility of results. Version numbers matter because software changes substantially between releases — citing version 3.0 of an analysis tool is meaningfully different from citing version 5.1. The [software] descriptor follows the same logic as [online video] or [podcast], identifying the format for the reader. Apps are treated the same way as software in UWE Bristol Harvard.

Format: Developer/Company. (Year) Name of software (Version X.X) [software]. Available from: URL [Accessed DD Month YYYY].

To cite unpublished work in UWE Bristol Harvard, follow the standard format for the closest source type but add [unpublished] as the format descriptor after the title, and include the institution or organisation holding or producing the work.

Unpublished work includes manuscripts in preparation, working papers, internal organisational reports, conference presentations not yet published in proceedings, and placement-based documents. Because unpublished sources have not gone through formal peer review or editorial processes, they carry different credibility weight in academic writing. UWE Bristol Harvard also addresses confidential material — for example, placement documents — by instructing students to anonymise identifying details using square brackets to protect the organisation's identity.

Format: Author surname, initials. (Year) Title [unpublished]. Institution/Organisation.

Confidential/anonymised format: [Anonymised body]. (Year) Anonymised Title. Location: [Anonymised publisher].