Examples of how to write a reference in your bibliography or reference list are shown below. Please contact the library if the format you need is not listed and we will add it for you.
Title of the Act, Year, chapter. Available at: URL (Accessed: date).
– use c. for chapter e.g. c. 12.
Billboard
Author (Year) Title of the advert [Billboard at…]. Day month.
– Day month is the day that you viewed it
– [Billboard at…] e.g. [Billboard at Haden Way, Birmingham]
Magazine
Title of the Magazine (Year) Title of the advert [Advertisement]. Day month, page(s).
Newspaper
Title of the Newspaper (Year) Title of the advert [Advertisement]. Day month, page(s).
Online
Author (Year) Title of the advert [Advertisement]. Available at: URL (Accessed: date).
Television
Author (Year) Title of the advert [Advertisement on…]. Day month.
– [Advertisement on…] e.g. [Advertisement on Channel 4 Television]
Author (Year) ‘Title of the message’ Title of the Blog, day month. Available at: URL (Accessed: date).
– use the day month of when the message was posted
Reference online books in the same way as the printed version.
Standard entry
Author (Year) Title of the book. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher.
– use Edition only when it is not the first e.g. 2nd edn.
– Revised with no edition number e.g. Rev. edn.
– Revised with edition number e.g. 2nd rev. edn.
More than one author
Author1, Author2 and Author3 (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).
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.
Secondary referencing
This is when you use a source that has been referred to in another text. It is discouraged in academic writing and, therefore, should be sparingly used as you should always go back to the original text.
If you are unable to locate the original, cite the secondary reference in your text but you cannot include it in your bibliography.
Sender (Year) Email to…, day month.
– Email to…, e.g. Email to Jane Smith
Title of the exhibition (Year) [Exhibition]. Location. Date(s) of exhibition.
– Location e.g. Tate Modern, London.
– Date(s) of exhibition e.g. 18 May 2021-12 June 2022
Author (Year) Title of the page [Facebook]. Day month. Available at: URL (Accessed: date).
No author
Title of the page (Year) [Facebook] day month. Available at: URL (Accessed: date).
– use the day month of when the message was posted
Title of the film (Year) Directed by… [Film]. Place of distribution: Distribution Company.
– Directed by… e.g. Directed by W. Anderson
On a streaming service
Title of the film (Year) Directed by… [Film]. Available at: Name of the streaming service (Accessed: date).
Government Department (Year) Title of the publication. Available at: URL (Accessed: date).
House of Commons Library
Author (Year) Title of the publication (Title of the series and number). Available at: URL (Accessed: date).
Title or description (Year) [Graffiti] Location (Viewed: date).
– Location e.g. Fazeley Street, Birmingham
Teacher (Year) ‘Title of the handout’, Module code: Module title. Swanshurst School. Unpublished.
In a book
Author (Year) Title of the book. Place of publication: Publisher, page(s).
Online
Photographer (Year) Title of the image. Available at: URL (Accessed: date).
Author (Year) ‘Title of the post’ [Instagram]. Day month. Available at: URL (Accessed: date).
– use the day month of when the message was posted
Interviewer (Year) Interview with…, day month.
– Interview with… e.g. Interview with Jane Smith
Where a print version exists, reference online journal articles in the same way as the printed version.
Standard entry
Author (Year) ‘Title of the article’, Title of the journal, volume(part, month, season or date), page(s).
– volume number(part, month…0 e.g. 35(2), 35(November)
– when there is no volume number use (month), (season) or (date) e.g. (Summer), (13 June)
Online only with a Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
DOIs are used to identify specific articles. They are permanent and are unique to the article irrespective of the database in which they are stored.
Author (Year) ‘Title of the article’, Title of the Journal, volume(part, month, season or date), page(s). doi: DOI number.
Online with no DOI
Author (Year) ‘Title of the article’, Title of the Journal, volume(part, month, season or date), page(s). Available at: URL (Accessed: date).
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 All Saints Medical Centre, Birmingham]
– date is when you obtained the leaflet
Lyricist (Year) Title of the song. Place of distribution: Distribution Company.
Standard entry
Author (Year) ‘Title of the article’, Title of the Newspaper (Section or Edition), day month, page(s).
– use (Section or Edition) only when it is not the main section or edition e.g. (Society), (Birmingham edn)
No author
Title of the Newspaper (Year) ‘Title of the article’, day month, page(s).
Online
Author (Year) ‘Title of the article’, Title of the Newspaper, day month. Available at: URL (Accessed: date).
Title of the play by… (Year) Directed by… [Location. Day month].
– Title of the play by… e.g. Much Ado About Nothing by W. Shakespeare
– Directed by Roy Alexander Weise
– [Location. Day month] e.g. [Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon. 4 February]
Presenter (Year) Title of the podcast [Podcast]. Day month. Available at: URL (Accessed: date).
– use the day month of when the podcast was posted
Title of the Programme (Year) Name of the Radio Station, day month and time. Available at: URL (Accessed: date).
– use the day month and time of the original transmission
Caller (Year) Telephone conversation with…, day month.
– Telephone conversation with e.g. Telephone conversation with Jane Smith
Title of the Programme (Year) Name of the Television Channel, day month and time.
– use the day month and time of the original transmission
Individual episode from a series
‘Title of the episode’ (Year) Title of the Programme, Series number, episode number. Name of the Channel, day month and time.
Author (Year) ‘Title of the video’ [TikTok]. Day month. Available at URL (Accessed: date).
– use the day month of when the video was posted
Author (Year) Text of the tweet [Twitter] day month. Available at URL (Accessed: date).
– if over 140 characters, shorten the text of the tweet using an ellipse (…)
– use the day month when the message was posted
Standard entry
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.
Author (Year) [WhatsApp]. Day month.
– use the day month of when the message was posted
‘Title of the article’ (Year) Title of the Wiki. Available at: URL (Accessed: date).
Author (Year) Title of the video. Day month. Available at: URL (Accessed: date).
– use the day month of when the video was posted