In text Referencing
(also known as ‘Harvard’ referencing)
Introduction
In text referencing is essential to show where you have used ideas and words that are not your own. It tells your reader who/what sources you have read and used in your assignment. The use of in text referencing shields you from any charge of plagiarism.
The author-date, or Harvard, style of referencing is widely accepted in academic publications, although you may see a number of variations in the way it is used.
This style of referencing requires that you acknowledge the source of your information or ideas in two ways:
§ in the text of your work, when you refer to ideas or information you have collected during your research. Each reference is indicated by including the author and date of the publication referred to, or cited.
§ in a reference list at the end of your text, which gives the full details of the works you have referred to, or cited.
In text referencing
You may acknowledge the source of your information or ideas within the text of your work in various ways.
Quotation
You may quote the author's exact words to support your argument. You may not quote large slabs of text; take a passage like that below and quote specific words or phrases, not the whole paragraph.
Author's original text:
The Gulf War saw the application of miniaturised computer technology to warfare. It was the first war in history fought with direct support from satellite systems which assisted forces on the ground to ‘see’ the enemy. ‘Smart bombs’ were not only able to target specific buildings or objects, but also carried cameras in their noses which enabled viewers to watch them hit the targets.
Dixon, S. & Greer, V. (1998), Understanding the modern world. Heinemann, Port Melbourne, Vic.
The first example below places more emphasis on the writer, the second on the idea.
Examples:
Dixon and Greer (1998, p.59) suggest that ‘the Gulf War saw the application of miniaturised computer technology to warfare.’
‘The Gulf War saw the application of miniaturised computer technology to warfare.’ (Dixon and Greer, 1998, p.59).
Paraphrase
You may paraphrase an author's words or ideas: restating them in your own words, but without altering their meaning or providing your own interpretation of them.
Examples:
Dixon and Greer (1998, p.59) suggest that the Gulf War was the first time that satellite systems were used to target the enemy, even to the point of relaying live footage from the nose of guided ‘smart bombs’.
The Gulf War was the first time that satellite systems were used to target the enemy, even to the point of relaying live footage from the nose of guided ‘smart bombs’ (Dixon and Greer, 1998, p.59).
Summary
You may summarise - use your own words to present the key points of an author's argument or ideas, without altering the meaning.
Example:
In their discussion on the way weapons have changed, Dixon and Greer (1998, p.59) list a range of innovations from the Gulf War: tiny electronic hardware, satellite navigation and surveillance and even bombs supplying live video of their path.
Citing page numbers in-text
§ Page numbers are essential if you are directly quoting someone else’s words. Insert page numbers after the year, separated by a comma. When paraphrasing or summarising, it is a good idea to include page numbers.
§ Use the abbreviations p. for single page, and pp. for a page range, e.g. pp.11-12.
§ See the various examples above for how to do this.
To cite a website in-text
As internet sources rarely have a page number, it is impossible to cite them. Citation of websites should contain the author name(s) – person or organisation – and the date created or revised.
Examples: (The Australian, 2007) or (Hall, 2005)
Reference List
The reference list, normally headed 'References', should appear at the end of your work, and should include details of all the sources of information which you have referred to, or cited, in your text.
Please refer to the booklet produced by the AIS library on constructing a reference list (or bibliography):
References:
Harvard (author-date) style examples, (2007). [Online]. Available: http://www.lib.monash.edu.au/tutorials/citing/harvard.html [Accessed: 22/5/2013.]
For the full Monash University Harvard Style Guide see http://lgdata.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/docs/387/866106/monash-harvard-referencing-guide-2012.pdf