LibGuides: Citing references: Writing citations

Writing citations: the principles

To produce a citation for any kind of material in any style, you will need four pieces of information:

author/s and/or editor/s
date of publication
title
publication details (e.g. edition, where published, who by, number of volumes)

Here are some examples of how those details might work for different kinds of source material.

Material	Author	Date	Title	Publication details
Book	Cottrell, S.	2005	Critical thinking skills	Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan
Journal article	Weingart, S.N., Zhang, L., Sweeney, M, & Hassett, M.	2018	Chemotherapy medication errors	The Lancet Oncology, 19(4), pp. e191-e199
Computer software	IBM	2020	SPSS (Version 27.0) [Computer program]	IBM. Available at: https://www.ibm.com/uk-en/analytics/spss-statistics-software. (Accessed: 27 May 2021)
TV programme	Panorama	2008	The Challenge of the Sixties	BBC4. 15th May. 17:45.
Map	Ordnance Survey	1956	Map of Roman Britain, Scale sixteen miles to one inch	Southampton: Ordnance Survey
Work of art	Cedar, M.	1938	Mars at Night. [Sculpture]	Manor Art Gallery, Manchester

Watch our video on Finding bibliographic details

In this short video we offer some tips for finding all the details you need for a complete reference.

Putting the reference details into the correct style

Provided you have these details and know which referencing style to use, you should be able to correctly write a citation for any source you need to use. The style of referencing you need to use will affect: how and where you place brief citations (in the body of the text, in footnotes, or replaced by a number that acts as a signpost to the reference list); the order details should be arranged in; what punctuation you use. Getting it right shows that you are being thoughtful about your studies and can work with accuracy and academic rigour.

There are many different styles of referencing, and it is important to make sure that you are using the preferred style for your School/Department. Remember that if you are taking modules in different departments, they may require a different style.

Which style should I use?

We have compiled a list of styles used in Schools and Departments across the University, but please check your Course handbook carefully for any changes.

Referencing styles in use in the University
A list of Schools and Departments and their preferred referencing styles.

We also have some general guidance about some some of the different styles:

Find out more about different referencing styles
General guidance and sources of help for styles in use in the University.

Need help citing specific types of publication?

We have compiled a list of examples in the Harvard style which will help you when citing different types of publication:

Citation examples

Example of adapting a reference for different citation styles

A journal article in the Harvard referencing style:

Gulddal, J. (2020) 'That deep underground savage instinct: narratives of sacrifice and retribution in Agatha Christie's Appointment with Death', Textual Practice, 34(11), pp. 1803-1821.

A journal article in the Chicago referencing style:

Gulddal, Jesper. "That deep underground savage instinct: narratives of sacrifice and retribution in Agatha Christie's Appointment with Death." Textual Practice 34, no. 11 (2020): 1803-1821.