When using the words, thoughts or images of others, summarising, paraphrasing or using quotations you must acknowledge everything that you use.

Why it’s important:

  • to support your ideas and arguments
  • to show the variety and breadth of your research
  • to help the reader trace your source material
  • to acknowledge your sources and avoid plagiarism
  • to meet the assessment criteria – done correctly, it can get you a higher mark!

Examples of how to reference in your bibliography or reference list are listed below. Please ask if the format you need is not shown and we will add it for you.

Act of Parliament

Title of the Act, Year, chapter. Available at: URL (Accessed: date).

  • use c. # for chapter e.g. c. 12.

Advert

Blog

Author (Year) ‘Title of the blog message’, Title of the website, day month. Available at: URL (Accessed: date).

Book

Reference online books in the same way as the printed version

Author (Year) Title of the book. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher.

  • use Edition only when it is not the first e.g. 4th edn.
  • Revised with no edition number e.g. Rev. edn.
  • Revised with Edition number e.g. 4th rev. edn.
Reprint of a book

Include the year of the original publication AND the reprint year:

Author (Year – original) Title of the book. Reprint, Place of publication: Publisher, Year of Reprint.

More than one author

Author, Author and Author (Year) Title of the book. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher.

  • use the first author followed by et al. (meaning ‘and others’) when there are four or more authors
No author

Title of the book (Year) Place of publication: Publisher.

Edited book

Editor (ed.) (Year) Title of the book. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher.

  • use (eds.) for more than one editor
Chapter in an edited book

Author of the chapter (Year) ‘Title of the chapter’, in Editor (ed.) Title of the book. Place of publication: Publisher, page(s).

Exhibition

Title of the exhibition (Year) [Exhibition]. Location. Date(s) of exhibition.

  • Location e.g. Tate Modern
  • Date(s) of exhibition e.g. 13 February 2014-26 May 2014

Film

Title of the film (Year) Directed by … [Film]. Place of distribution: Distribution Company.

  • Directed by e.g. Directed by Wes Anderson

Government Publication

Government Department (Year) Title of the publication. Available at: URL (Accessed: date).

Graffiti

Title or description (Year) [Graffiti] Location. Day month.

  • Location e.g. Fazeley Street, Birmingham
  • Day month is the date that you viewed it e.g. 28 March

Handout from your teacher

Teacher (Year) ‘Title of the handout’, Module code: Module title. Swanshurst School. Unpublished.

Image

In a book

Author (Year) Title of the book. Place of publication: Publisher, page(s), format.

  • format e.g. diagram, fig., illus., table
Online

Photographer (Year) Title of the image. Available at: URL (Accessed: date).

Journal article

Where a print version exists, reference online journal articles in the same way as the printed version

Author (Year) ‘Title of the article’, Title of the Journal, volume(part, month, season or date), page(s).

  • volume number(part, month …) e.g. 14(3), 14(September)
  • if there is no volume number, use (month), (season) or (date) e.g. (Spring), (6 May)
When online only

Author (Year) ‘Title of the article’, Title of the Journal, volume(part, month, season or date), page(s). Available at: URL (Accessed: date).

Leaflet

Author (Year) Title of the leaflet, [Leaflet obtained in …], date.

  • if there is no (Year), use (no date)
  • [Leaflet obtained in …] e.g. [Leaflet obtained in Brook Birmingham]
  • date is when you obtained the leaflet e.g. 28 March 2014

Lyric

Lyricist (Year) Title of the song. Place of distribution: Distribution Company.

Newspaper article

Where a print version exists, reference online newspapers in the same way as the printed version

Author (Year) ‘Title of the article’, Title of the Newspaper (Section), day month, page(s).

  • use (Section) only if it is not the main section e.g. (Society), (G2)
No author

Title of the Newspaper (Year) ‘Title of the article’, day month, page(s).

When online only

Author (Year) ‘Title of the article’, Title of the Newspaper, day month. Available at: URL (Accessed: date).

Personal communications

Email

Sender (Year) Email to …, day month.

  • Email to … e.g. Email to Jane Smith
Interview

Interviewer (Year) Interview with …, day month.

  • Interview with … e.g. Interview with Jane Smith
Letter

Sender (Year) Letter to …, day month.

  • Letter to … e.g. Letter to Jane Smith
Skype

Speaker (Year) Skype conversation with …, day month.

  • Skype conversation with … e.g. Skype conversation with Jane Smith
Telephone conversation

Caller (Year) Telephone conversation with …, day month.

  • Telephone conversation with … e.g. Telephone conversation with Jane Smith

Play

Title of the play by … (Year) Directed by … [Location. Day month].

  • Title of the play by … e.g. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
  • Directed by … e.g. Directed by Roxana Silbert
  • [Location. Day month] e.g. [Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon. 28 March]

Podcast

Author (Year) Title of the podcast [Podcast]. Day month. Available at: URL (Accessed: date).

Radio Programme

Title of the Programme (Year) Name of the Channel, day month.

Online

Title of the Programme (Year) Name of the Channel, day month. Available at: URL (Accessed: date).

  • use the day month of the original transmission

Sacred texts

The Bible

Book of the Bible Chapter: verse, Holy Bible. Version of the Bible.

  • do not italicise the name of the book
The Qur’an

Qur’an Surah: verse (Year) Translated by … Place of publication: Publisher.

  • do not italicise the name of the book
  • Translated by … e.g. Translated by Abdel Haleem
The Torah

Torah Book Chapter: verse.

  • do not italicise the name of the book

Social networking sites

Facebook

Author (Year) Title of the page [Facebook] day month. Available at: URL (Accessed: date).

  • use the day month of when the message was posted
Instagram

Author (Year) [Instagram] day month. Available at: URL (Accessed: date).

  • use the day month when the message was posted
Twitter

Author (Year) [Twitter] day month. Available at: URL (Accessed: date).

  • use the day month when the message was posted

TV programme

Title of the Programme (Year) Name of the Channel, day month.

An individual episode

‘Title of the episode’ (Year) Title of the Programme, Series number, episode number. Name of the Channel, day month.

Online

Title of the Programme (Year) Name of the Channel, day month. Available at: URL (Accessed: date).

  • use the day month of the original transmission

Webpage

Author (Year) Title of the webpage. Available at: URL (Accessed: date).

No author

Title of the webpage (Year) Available at: URL (Accessed: date).

No author, title or date

URL (no date) (Accessed: date).

This is unlikely to be a suitable source to use for your coursework.

Wiki

‘Title of the Wiki article’ (Year) Title of the Wiki site. Available at: URL (Accessed: date).

YouTube

Author (Year) Title of the video. Available at: URL (Accessed: date).