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Referencing and avoiding plagiarism

In your academic writing it is essential that you acknowledge the source of any research, information, ideas, opinions, theories or other material which is not your own. Effective referencing shows evidence of the reading you have done and also ensures that you avoid accusations of plagiarism.

At York St John University the referencing method used is the Harvard System, sometimes called the Author-Date method. The Harvard System is widely used by academic institutions, although there may be variations between institutions. The version presented here is the one adopted by York St John University, so this is the form you should use. Above all, be consistent.

Providing accurate references also helps other researchers by making it easy to trace the sources you have used.

Exceptions to the rule

Students studying psychology and history should be aware that the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences and the Faculty of Arts require referencing in those subjects to adhere to the following rules:

History students

• History referencing guidelines - endnote/footnote system

Psychology students

• British Psychological Society style guide - Please see in particular Section 9: Citation of sources

Bibliography

• British Standards Institute (1990) BS5605:1990 Recommendations for citing and referencing published material. London, BSI.
• Edge Ahead Centre [n d] Edge ahead : skills guide : Harvard referencing. [Internet], Ormskirk, Edge Hill University. Available from <http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/Sites/LearnServ/HelpSup/guides/Harvard_Referencing.pdf>[Accessed 9 August 2007].
• Learning Support Services (2004) A guide to Harvard referencing. [Internet], Leeds, Leeds Metropolitan University. Available from <http://www.lmu.ac.uk/lskills/open/sfl/content/harvard>[Accessed 9 August 2007].
• Pears, R. & Shields, G. (2005) "Cite them right : the essential guide to referencing and plagiarism". Newcastle upon Tyne, Pear Tree Books.