customary in courses in the physical

48 | Guide to assignment writing and referencing Plagiarism and collusion | 49
The author–date (Harvard) system
This chapter explains some of the more common applications of the author–date (Harvard)
system of referencing. It is based on the Style manual for authors, editors and printers,
6th edn, 2002, pp. 188–208 and pp. 220–32.
The author–date (Harvard) referencing system is a widely used referencing style at Deakin,
and is customary in courses in the physical, natural and social sciences, as well as in
humanities courses.
Note
You should always check your unit guide or consult with academic staff (unit chair,
lecturer or tutor) to make sure that this is the correct system for your unit.
You must reference all material you use from all sources, acknowledging your sources each
time you use a fact, idea or finding from someone’s work. This establishes the authority
of your work and acknowledges the researchers and writers you have drawn upon in your
paper.
It is necessary to cite your sources each time you:
• reproduce an author’s exact words (quote), that is, copy word for word directly from a
text
• use your own wording (summarise or paraphrase) to explain or discuss what someone
else has said.
If you copy an entire table, chart, diagram or graph, or if you take only some of the data
contained in such sources, you must provide a reference.
Sources such as journals, books, encyclopedias, computer programs and software,
information from the Internet, reports, newspapers, interviews, radio and television must be
cited in the body of your paper and detailed in a reference list at the end. Information from
Deakin study guides and readers must also be acknowledged.
The author–date system consists of two elements:
1. in-text citations in the body of the paper
2. a reference list at the end of the paper giving full bibliographic details for the in-text
citations.
Part 1 of this chapter deals with in-text citations. It gives examples of a range of common
types of sources that you are likely to use in your assignments.
Part 2 of this chapter shows how to present reference list entries for in-text citations.
Part 1: In-text citations
In your paper, every time you summarise, paraphrase or quote from a source you need to
provide an in-text citation.
The in-text citation consists of the family name of the author/s, the year of publication and
sometimes a page number.
Page numbers must be included in the in-text citation when quoting directly or paraphrasing
ideas or data from specific pages or sections of a work.
Burdess (2007, p.16) describes students in a university tutorial as workers, empty vessels, trappists or
drones.
One, two or three authors
The family name of the author/s and date can be in parentheses, or the family name of the
author/s and date can be included as part of the sentence.
Reading widely is the best way to improve vocabulary (Hay, Bochner & Dungey 1997).
or
Hay, Bochner and Dungey (1997) explain that reading is the best way to improve vocabulary.
The word ‘and’ is used when the family names are part of the sentence, but an ampersand
(&) is used when the names are in parentheses.
If a work is written by two or three authors, the in-text citation provides the family names of
the authors in the order in which they appear on the title page of the work.
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More than three authors
If a work has more than three authors, use only the family name of the first listed author
followed by the expression ‘et al.’ (meaning ‘and others’).
Ellis et al. (2004) explain that learning will improve if students are made aware of how discussions can
help them achieve the learning objectives of various units and if they are shown how to best take part in
both online and face-to-face discussions.
or
Learning will improve if students are made aware of how discussions can help them achieve the learning
objectives of various units and if they are shown how to best take part in both online and face-to-face
discussions (Ellis et al. 2004).
Note: In the reference list entry, provide the names of all the authors in the order in which
they appear on the title page of the work.
Secondary sources
When one author (secondary) cites another (primary), provide both primary and secondary
authors’ family names in the in-text citation.
Donato (cited in Cotterall & Cohen 2003, p. 158) explains the concept of scaffolding, which supports
learners as they extend their competence and skills.
In the example above, you have read Cotterall and Cohen, who refer to Donato, but you have
not read Donato yourself.
Note: In the reference list, provide details of the source you have read, i.e. Cotterall and
Cohen.
Chapter or article in an edited book
In a book that consists of chapters or articles written by different authors, acknowledge only
the author of the chapter or article used.
In the next example, Purvis has written a chapter in a book edited by Saunders.
Purvis (1994) claims that writing and reading …
Note: The entry in the reference list should appear under the name of the author of the
chapter.
Group or organisation as author
Sometimes an author is a group, an organisation or a government body. Cite the full name
of the group the first time and give the acronym in brackets. Use the acronym in subsequent
references.
According to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission [HREOC] (1997) children of Aboriginal
parents …
Note: In the reference list, give the bibliographic details under the full name of the group or
organisation, i.e. Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. A cross reference from
the acronym to the full name of the organisation should also be given.
No author indicated
Works that do not indicate the name of an author are cited in text by title (and year of
publication, plus page number, if appropriate).
English for academic purposes (1987) provides authentic texts for students to practise study skills for
higher education.
Musical director Jonathon Welch has received further recognition by a Melbourne university (‘Singing his
praise’ , The Age, 25 April 2008, p. 11).
Note: When a work is referred to by title in text, list the work by title in the reference list.
For newspaper articles and encyclopedia entries where no author is indicated, provide
details of the source in text only. No entry in the reference list is needed.
No date
If no year is given for a source, use n.d. (which stands for no date) after the author’s name.
In a detailed analysis, Jones (n.d.) argues …
Two publications by the same author in the same year
If an author has published two works in the same year, a lower-case letter is used after the
date to distinguish between the two.
McDonald (2007a) first suggested …
However it has also been noted that … (McDonald 2007b).
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Part 2: Reference list
The purpose of the reference list is to enable readers to locate sources. Therefore, details
must be correct and complete. Each in-text citation and the related reference list entry
should be identical in spelling and year.
Points to note:
• The reference list should contain all the works cited in the paper and no works that
are not cited.
• A work is listed only once in the reference list, regardless of how many times it is cited
in text.
• Works should be listed in alphabetical order by family name of author or authors.
Numbers and subheadings are not used.
• A work with no author indicated is ordered alphabetically according to the first major
word of the title (disregarding a, an or the at the beginning of the title).
• Full details, that is, the key elements of a publication, should be provided.
Book
Author, A year, Title of book, Publisher, City.
Burdess, N 2007, Good study, Pearson Education, Sydney.
Evans, K & King D 2006, Studying society: the essentials, Routledge, New York.
Wallace, A, Schirato, T & Bright, P 1999, Beginning university: thinking, researching and
writing for success, Allen & Unwin, St Leonards, NSW.
Note: The state or country should be provided for a relatively unknown place of publication.
Work other than first edition
Author, A year, Title of book, edition number, Publisher, City.
Marshall, L & Rowland, F 2006, A guide to learning independently, 4th edn, Pearson
Education, Frenchs Forest, NSW.
Electronic sources
The principles for in-text citation of print sources also apply to electronic sources. All
electronic sources should therefore be cited according to the name of the author/s. As for
print sources, cite by title if there is no author.
Films, DVDs, videos, CD-ROMs, television and radio programs
Films, DVDs, videos, CD-ROMs, television and radio programs are referred to by title in-text
(in italics) with the year of production given.
Communication between characters in Star Wars (1977) would indicate that …
When using a quote or comment from a film, DVD, video, CD-ROM, television or radio
program, refer to the person by name within your paper and give the title and year either in
parentheses or as part of your sentence.
Recently, Kevin Rudd indicated … (The 7.30 Report 2008).
Short quote
A short quote is a sentence or part of a sentence (fewer than about 30 words) from a source,
which is reproduced exactly. Single quotation marks are used at the start and end of the
quote. Author, date and page number for the quote must be given.
It can be argued that ‘good writers are necessarily good readers’ (Hay, Bochner & Dungey 1997, p.110).
or
Students experience writer’s block because ‘they have not given sufficient thought to reviewing course
content and developing their ideas’ (Clay 2003, p. 47).
Block quote
A block quote refers to a longer quote, more than about 30 words, set off from the body of
the paper by indenting. Quotation marks are not required. Author, date and page number for
the quote must be given.
Morley-Warner (2001) discusses how university students can learn to acquire and convey the appropriate
academic tone in their assignments. She suggests that students should focus on how journal articles in
their subject are written and structured. She describes another benefit of this process:
You will also gain a sense of the complexity of being an apprentice writer in an academic culture, or rather
cultures, where expectations may vary from discipline to discipline, even subject to subject and where you can
build a repertoire of critical thinking and writing skills that enable you to enter the academic debates, even to
challenge. (Morley-Warner 2001, p. 6)
Reading is central to study at university. It is through reading that …
Note: The examples given are placed under subheadings to show each
form. In a reference list they would be all together in alphabetical order
with no subheadings.
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Chapter or article in an edited book
Author, A year, ‘Chapter title’, in B Editor (ed.), Title of book, edition number
[unless first edition], Publisher, City, page numbers.
Purvis, R 1994, ‘Writing essays’, in D Saunders (ed.), Making the grade, Blackwell, Oxford,
pp. 141–53.
Watts, M 2006, ‘Team term papers and presentations’, in WE Becker, M Watts & SR Becker
(eds), Teaching economics: more alternatives to chalk and talk, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham,
UK, pp. 151–70.
Book with no author indicated
Title of book, edition number [unless first edition] year, Publisher, City.
Style manual for authors editors and printers, 6th edn, 2002, rev. Snooks & Co.,
John Wiley & Sons, Milton, Qld.
e-book
Author, A year, Title of book, Publisher, date retrieved, database name or <URL>.
Weaver, RK 2000, Ending welfare as we know it, Brookings Institution Press, retrieved
23 May 2008, <http://books.google.com/books?id=0S8Rezane-QC&printsec=frontcover&sig=
zFBmcWxnvqyl9lsGPS1IUsKbrTA&source=gbs_hpintrst#PPP1,M1>.
Gerwick, CG 2007, Construction of marine and offshore structures, CRC Press, retrieved
17 April 2008, ENGnetBASE.
Journal article
Author, A year, ‘Title of article’, Title of Journal, volume number, issue number, page numbers.
Clay, G 2003, ‘Assignment writing skills’, Nursing Standard, vol. 17, no. 20,
pp. 47–52.
Journal article retrieved via database
Author, A year, ‘Title of article’, Title of Journal, volume number, issue number,
page numbers, date retrieved, name of database.
Roberts, GE 2004, ‘Municipal government benefits, practices and personnel outcomes:
results from a national survey’, Public Personnel Management, vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 1–22,
retrieved 18 July 2004, Business Source Premier database.
Journal article retrieved online (not from database)
Author, A year, ‘Title of article’, Title of Journal, volume number, issue number,
page or paragraph numbers if available, date retrieved, <URL>.
Richardson, JS 2004, ‘Content area literacy lessons go high tech’, Reading Online, vol. 8,
no. 1, retrieved 1 August 2004, <www.readingonline.org/articles/art_index.asp?HREF=/
articles/Richardson>.
Newspaper article with author
Author, A year, ‘Title of article’, Title of Newspaper, day, month, page numbers.
Deveny C 2008, ‘Dyslexics may take a different route, but we get there in the end’, The Age,
9 April, p. 15.
Newspaper article retrieved from database
Author, A year, ‘Title of article’, Title of Newspaper, day month, page numbers, date retrieved,
name of database.
Priest, A 2007 ‘Expression of the interesting’ The Australian, 10 October, p. 34,
retrieved 29 April 2008, Newsbank database.
Group or organisation as author
Name of group or organisation year, Title, Publisher, City.
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2000, Labour mobility Australia, cat. no. 6209.0, ABS,
Canberra.
Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission 1997, Bringing them home: report of the
National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from
their Families, HREOC, Sydney.
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Sample reference list
References
Burdess, N 2007, Good study, Pearson Education, Sydney.
Cotterall, S & Cohen, R 2003, ‘Scaffolding for second language writers: producing an
academic essay’, ELT Journal, vol. 57, no. 2, pp. 158–66.
Dykes, B 1992, Grammar made easy, Hale & Iremonger, Sydney.
Gaspar, M & Shepherd, M 2007, Guide to assignment writing and referencing, 2nd edn,
Deakin University, retrieved 20 April 2008, <http://www.deakin.edu.au/current-students/
study-support/study-skills/handouts/index.php>.
Hindsight 2006, radio program, ABC National Radio, Melbourne, 31 August.
HREOC—see Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission.
Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission 1997, Bringing them home: report of the
National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from
their Families, HREOC, Sydney.
Watts, M 2006, ‘Team term papers and presentations’, in WE Becker, M Watts & SR Becker
(eds), Teaching economics: more alternatives to chalk and talk, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham,
UK, pp. 151–70.
Internet document
Author A year, Title, name of organisation or person responsible for site, date of retrieval, <URL>.
Drislane, R & Parkinson, G, n.d., Online dictionary of the social sciences, Athabasca
University & ICAAP, retrieved 16 March 2007, <http://bitbucket.icaap.org/>.
Gaspar, M & Shepherd, M 2007, Guide to assignment writing and referencing, 2nd edn,
Deakin University, retrieved 20 April 2008, <http://www.deakin.edu.au/current-students/
study-support/study-skills/handouts/index.php>.
National Health and Medical Research Council 1997, Acting on Australia’s weight: a
strategic plan for the prevention of overweight and obesity, Australian Government
Publishing Service, retrieved 23 April 2008, <www.nhmrc.gov.au/publications/synopses/
n21syn.htm>.
Films, DVDs, videos and CD-ROMs
Title of program year, type of recording, Producer, City.
Essay writing made easy 1996, video recording, Deakin University Course Development
Centre, Geelong, Vic.
Sunday too far away 1975, motion picture, South Australian Film Corporation, Adelaide.
Television and radio programs
Title of program year, type of recording, Broadcaster, Place, Date.
Hindsight 2006, radio program, ABC National Radio, Melbourne, 31 August.
More than enough rope 2008, television program, ABC 1, Sydney, 21 April.
Further reading
Style manual for authors, editors and printers, 6th edn, 2002, rev. Snooks
& Co., John Wiley & Sons, Milton, Qld.
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