Referencing systems

There are two main systems of linking references in the text to the full bibliographical details at the end of your work.

• Numeric (sometimes called Vancouver or Footnote)
• Harvard

Numeric System – in the text

Cited publications are numbered in the order in which they are first referred to in the text.

They are identified either in brackets or as a superscript number:

• ‘In a recent study, Smith (5)...’ or
• ‘In a recent study, Smith⁵...'

Harvard System – in the text

Cited publications are referred to in the text by giving the author's name and year of publication, in either of the forms shown below (depending on the sentence structure):

• In a recent study, Smith (2002) ...
• In a recent study (Smith, 2002) ...

Next: Introducing quotations

Updated: 28 October, 2008 | Effective Learning Service | Legal