An Introduction To The Harvard Referencing System

GERARD HANNANSource:

Dr. Brian Clancy MIC/ULLearner Support Unit.

Your Sources

• Read your sources carefully – make sure you understand them.

• Generally, you should support each point in your essay with some reference to the reading you have done.

Your Sources

• Don’t copy exact words from your sources unless you– A) use quotation marks– B) make clear who wrote them– C) for your essay you will be required to use the

Harvard system of referencing

References

• References are usually included in your word count

• Make sure that you reference your ideas - you cannot have too many references

• ‘In your own words’ = paraphrase

• A paraphrase must be referenced!

What Is Referencing?

• There are two essential elements to referencing:

• Citing (referring to sources within the essay text)• Reference list (the list at the end of the essay)

• When citing, you must reference either when you quote directly or indirectly from another author

‘Harvard’

• ‘Harvard’ is an author, date, page number system– For example, Smith (1976: 35)– For example, (Smith, 1976: 35)

• You must include this information in text when citing from author either directly or indirectly

Author Prominent V Information Prominent

• This can be done when you want to draw attention to the research you have read: Gallagher (2005: 3) maintains that ‘borrowing from different disciplines presents methodological difficulties as well as strategic dangers.’

• If you are focusing on a point or theme of a particular author, you include your citation at the end of the sentence:Research which draws on a variety of different disciplines, frequently encounters strategic as well as methodological difficulties (Gallagher, 2005: 3).

Insert Year And Page Number Where Necessary

• Russell argues that Smith over complicates the issue and is unclear in terms of his definition of the problem.

• Davidson defines a causal theory of reference as a set of hypotheses concerning the causal chains that define the semantic values of the expressions of a given language.

• It has been argued that Joyce's style is one of scrupulous meanness in his literary work.

Errors

• Russell (1975) argues that Smith (1970) over complicates the issue and is unclear in terms of his definition of the problem.

• Davidson (1989: 24) defines a causal theory of reference as ‘a set of hypotheses concerning the causal chains that define the semantic values of the expressions of a given language.’

• It has been argued that Joyce's style is one of ‘scrupulous meanness’ in his literary work (Wilhelm, 2006: 345).

Guidelines: Direct Quotation• Only use direct quotation sparingly

• Only use direct quotation if you need to quote from an authoritative text

• Direct quotation can also be used to clarify any point that might appear confusing if paraphrased

• You may also wish to use a quote because it has a punch line value and cannot be improved upon

Quotation (1)

Teachers in Irish primary schools constantly grapple with the values behind music education. To successfully underpin such values, it is necessary to examine current and past philosophies in music education. Articulation of such values and philosophies can sometimes prove quite challenging. Swanwick (1999: 2) empathises with this difficulty stating that past approaches to music education do not ‘provide a rationale for teachers or other musicians who know that what they do is significant but don’t know how to articulate what it is that makes music worth doing.’ Therefore, while it is easy to pinpoint the extrinsic values of music education…

introduce quote comment

Direct Quotation Do(s)

• Use your quotations– Introduce them (state, maintain, claim, argue, etc.)– Then quote– Then comment on them to show why you’ve chosen them

• Stay in charge! Quotations should assist your essay, not rule it. Don’t lose your voice!

Direct Quotation Do(s)

• Ensure your quotation is grammatically complete.

• Ask yourself: ‘Is it really necessary?’… If in doubt, leave it out.

Quotation Don’ts

• Don’t quote for the sake of it – a good essay is more than simply quotation.

• Don’t quote in a vacuum – it will interrupt the flow of your essay.

• Don’t quote too often – use direct quotation for its ‘punch line’ value.

Quotation Don’ts

• Don’t quote at great length – remember the essay is usually 1000-1100 words

• Don’t make your quotations duplicates of the points they accompany

• Don’t forget to paraphrase

Another Example…

Smith claims that by listening to a piece of music, we simply revive memories from our past be they happy, sad, fearful or pleasant: ‘emotional responses to music is simply a matter of the revising of old emotions in memory’. However, in direct contrast, Cooke (1988) maintains that: Our reactions to music cannot all consist of memory images…(some music) has the power to make us feel in ways that we simply have not felt before. Firstly, I will discuss the writings of Jerrold Levinson…

Repetition?References? Comment on quotation?

Effective Paraphrase

1. Read and understand the text2. Make a list of the main ideas

1. Find the important words or phrases2. Express these in ‘your language’

3. Rewrite the main ideas in complete sentences4. Check your work

1. Make sure the meaning is the same2. Make sure the style is your own3. Remember to acknowledge the paraphrase as another’s work

http://www.uefap.com/writing/writframrep.htm

Effective Paraphrasing Task

• There is no contradiction between the assertion that compulsory attendance has had little effect on the number of children attending school and the argument that repeal would be a positive step toward improving education. Most parents want a high school education for their children. Unfortunately, compulsory attendance hampers the ability of public school officials to enforce legitimate educational and disciplinary policies and thereby make the education a good one.

• Roger Sipher, 1994. ‘So that nobody has to go to school if they don’t want to.’

Note

• Direct quotations always require that you include the page number.

• When paraphrasing, it is not always necessary to include the page number, e.g., when referring to an author’s central thesis or main argument.

• If unsure, include the page number.

Citing A Secondary Citation

• A secondary citation is needed when you want to mention information referred to in another source.

• You are reading Smith but s/he mentions Jones, you then want to use Jones.

• Use the original if possible (you can cheat a little here but be careful!).

• Author prominent example: Jones (1991, cited in Smith, 1997: 597)

• Information prominent example:• (Jones, 1991, cited in Smith, 1997: 597)

Secondary Citation

Schegloff and Sacks’ (1973: 295-296) work on adjacency pairs define them as two-part sequences, ordered as first part and second part. The presence of a first part requires the corollary presence of a second part, or one of an appropriate range of second parts. In other words, the first part of a pair predicts the occurrence of the second: ‘Given a question, regularly enough an answer will follow’ (Sacks 1967, cited in Coulthard 1985: 69).

Do I Have To Cite Sources For Every Fact I Use?

• No – as long as the fact is ‘common knowledge’, it doesn’t need to be cited.

• What is ‘common knowledge’?– Something that can be easily found in general

reference sources. The fact is likely to be known by a lot of people.

– For example, Barack Obama was elected President of the United States in 2008.

Referencing Websites

• What information do you need?– An author– A heading– A year (if none given, use the year in which you are

looking at the page)– Sometimes you need a homepage title– The exact URL (you can copy the address line)– The date you accessed the material

Referencing • http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/education/2013/0205/122

4329650185.html

1. At the beginning of a sentence:McGuire (2013: para. 3) argues that…

2. At the end of a sentence:…(Boland, 2011: para. 3).

3. In your bibliography:McGuire, P., 2013. ‘What use is an arts degree?’ The Irish Times. Available on-line at:

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/education/2013/0205/1224329650185.htmll (date accessed 06.02.2013).

Referencing • http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/documents/census2011profile7/Profi

le%207%20Press%20Release%20Religion,%20Ethnicity%20and%20Irish%20Travellers.pdf

1. At the beginning of a sentence:The Central Statistics Office (2012) report that...

2. At the end of a sentence:…(Central Statistics Office, 2012).

3. In your bibliography:Central Statistics Office Ireland, 2012. ‘Press release, census 2011 results:

Religion, ethnicity and Irish Travellers – ethnic and cultural background in Ireland.’ Available on-line at:http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/documents/census2011profile7/ Profile%207%20Press%20Release%20Religion,%20Ethnicity%20and%20Irish%20Travellers.pdf (date accessed 05.12.2012).

Referencing • http://www.barnardos.ie/what-we-do/work-with-children-famili

es/our-approach.html

1. At the beginning of a sentence:Barnardos (2011) maintain that…

2. At the end of a sentence:…(Barnardos, 2011).

3. In your bibliography:Barnardos, 2011. ‘Our Approach’. Available on-line at:

http://www.barnardos.ie/what-we-do/work-with-children-families/our-approach.html (date accessed 15.03.2011).

In Summary…

• Don’t use too much direct quotation – remember that paraphrase is also an option.

• If you do use direct quotation, there is a three part process – 1) introduce the quote; 2) quote; 3) comment on the quote.

• Differentiate between ‘fact’ and ‘opinion’.• Make sure you have all the necessary

information needed for the bibliography.