Geography and environmental science: Citing references

Citing a whole book 

In-text citation:

(Barry and Chorley, 2010)

Reference list:

Barry, R.G. and Chorley, R.J. (2010) Atmosphere, weather and climate. 9th edn. London: Routledge.
 
Citing a book chapter in an edited work

In-text citation:

(Dunford and Smith, 1998, p.205)

Reference list:

Dunford, M. and Smith, A. (1998) 'Uneven development in Europe', in D. Pinder (ed.) The New Europe: economy, society and environment. Chichester: Wiley, pp. 203-222

E-books

Where an e-book looks like a printed book (usually PDFs) with publication information and page numbers, cite it in the same way as a printed book (above). If the e-book is only available online and doesn't have pagination, add the DOI or web address, along with the 'accessed date', to the full reference. Where specific pagination details are not available, use the information you have e.g. %, loc, chapter/page/paragraph.

Please note that the journal issue number within a volume (if needed) is within brackets. For online journal articles, you may cite as a print article, with no need to give the DOI or URL, unless the article is only available online.

Journal article (available in print and online)

In-text citation:

(Wasson and Hyde, 1983)

Reference list:

Wasson, R.J. and Hyde, R. (1983) 'Factors determining desert dune type', Nature, 304(5924), pp. 337-339.

Journal article (available online only)

If the journal is ONLY available online, you should include the DOI or the URL in the full reference. Articles with a DOI do not need the accessed date recorded, whereas articles with a URL do need the accessed date recorded. Online-only journal articles may not have page numbers or reference numbers, or pagination for each article will begin with '1'. The rules for in-text citations are the same as for print articles.

Article with a DOI:

Deppeler, S.L. and Davidson, A.T. (2017) 'Southern ocean phytoplankton in a changing climate', Frontiers in Marine Science, 4, article number 40. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2017.00040.

Article without a DOI:

Farrell, L.G. (2013) 'Challenging assumptions about IT skills in higher education', Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, 6. Available at: https://journal.aldinhe.ac.uk/index.php/jldhe/article/view/173 (Accessed: 23 June 2021).

You should only cite webpages if you are certain of their quality and suitability for inclusion in academic work. See the link at the bottom of the page for more information about evaluating webpages. 

Where citation of a web-based source is necessary, adopt the following format and citation order in the Bibliography:

Author/Organisation [if identifiable] (year) Title of article/webpage [in italics]. Available at: http: // internet address (Accessed: Day Month Year). 

The citation in the text should be by author and date, as with other sources, though problems can occur where there is no obvious author (see below).     

Can't identify the author?

If no person is named as the author, but you can identify the organisation responsible for the website, then use their name as the author e.g. World Health Organization. If this is not possible, use the page title or an abbreviation thereof.

Citation in the text:    “….. (World Health Organization, 2024)

Reference in the bibliography:    

World Health Organization (2024) Cholera. Available at: https://www.who.int/health-topics/cholera (Accessed 17 January 2024).

Can't tell what date it was created or updated?

Look for an updated date at the foot of the page. If you can’t find one, you may state (no date) in place of the year of publication/creation.

When citing someone’s work in your assignments you should include the author(s) and year of publication in brackets in the text, e.g.

(Gibson, 2010)

When you quote, paraphrase or draw on a specific idea, argument or point made by someone else, you must include page numbers, e.g.

(Gibson, 2010, p. 15)

The citation must be within the sentence to which it refers, usually either at the beginning or end of the sentence, unless a comparison is being made, in which case the authors concerned must be cited as appropriate within the sentence.

When referring to edited, multi-authored books, just cite the author(s) of that chapter and only include the editor(s) in the full reference in the bibliography.

If two or more sources are cited within a sentence then they should be cited in date priority, e.g. (Williams, 1949; Evans, 1969; Jones, 1999).

If there are two references for the same author in the same year then use a letter postscript, e.g. 2009a, 2009b, etc in your citation and in the reference list/bibliography.

All the items you've cited in the text of your assignment should be listed at the end in the 'Reference list' (bibliography). They should be listed in alphabetical order by author's surname.