University of KwaZulu-Natal Library
HARVARD (AUTHOR-DATE) STYLE:
PRINT SOURCES
Referencing guide
There is no definitive ‘Harvard’ or Author-date system of referencing; there are as many variations as
institutions that use this referencing system. Here is one version. The important thing is to be consistent
with layout, punctuation etc.
Please check with your lecturers/discipline in case they have their own version.
Use this guide in conjunction with the Harvard (Author-Date) style: Electronic and Audio-Visual
materials.
WHAT is referencing?
When doing an assignment, details about the sources of information (references) used need to be provided.
There are two parts to referencing an assignment:
1. within-text referencing: brief details of sources of information used are
written within the body of the assignment
2. list of works cited (also called Bibliography, Reference list): details of sources of
information used, which appear at the end of the assignment.
1. Within the text of the assignment, brief details are given about the sources of information used.
Basic format: (Surname of the author followed by year of publication and page number. Note
that some lecturers prefer to leave out page numbers).
Here is an example of referencing within the text:
“As was inevitable in such circumstances, a whole set of other inequalities were perpetuated
by apartheid even if they were not legally enshrined” (Robertson 2004, 20).
OR
Robertson (2004, 20) indicates that the effects of apartheid on South African society
were all encompassing; from employment to education, health and poverty.
2. The List of works cited or bibliography at the end of the assignment provides full details about all
the sources of information used and is written in alphabetical order by surnames. (Where an author
is not obvious, use the title).
Here is an example of references in a list of works cited:
Hefer Commission lures ANC factions into the open. 2003. Mail and Guardian Online, 17
October. Available at: http://www.mg.co.za [Accessed 24 November 2003].
Hofmeyr, I. 2011. South Africa and India: shaping the global south. Johannesburg:
Wits University Press.
Robertson, D. 2004. The Routledge dictionary of politics. 3rd ed. London: Routledge.
Stemmet, J. 2002. Apartheid under siege, 1984 – 1988: actions and reactions. Bloemfontein:
University of the Orange Free State.
Westcott, M. 2011. Land of hope, land of contrasts. Management Today, 29(2), 48–51.
WHY is referencing important?
• to acknowledge the work or words of others
• to avoid plagiarism (using someone else’s ideas as if they were your own). Plagiarism is a
serious offence
• to indicate the range of sources used for an assignment; how up-to-date the sources are and
whether relevant material was used
• to enable others to trace the sources listed in order to find further information.
More is preferable to less! The bottom line: when you are paraphrasing, summarising, quoting or
copying from anywhere, you must indicate where this information came from
EXAMPLES OF HOW DETAILED CITATIONS FOR DIFFERENT SOURCES SHOULD BE WRITTEN
FOR A LIST OF WORKS CITED
Certain basic details must be given and they must be written down in a particular way
A) - including dictionaries and encyclopedias
Basic format:
Surname(s) of author(s) or editor(s), Initials. Year of publication. Title of book. Edition (only
when edition is other than the 1st). Use abbreviation ed. City (of publication): Name of publisher.
Titles of books are in italics with minimum capitalization
If more than one place of publication or more than one publisher is given in the book, choose
the first. Place is always a city not a country. This information can be found in the Library’s iLink
catalogue or on the back of the title page of the book. If no city of publication is given, put [S.l.]
If no publisher is given, put [s.n.]
If no year of publication is given, put [n.d.] in place of the year
Place a full stop at the end of the reference.
Examples:
Books by up to three authors
Samuelson, P. and Nordhaus, W.D. 1987. Economics. 12th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Books by more than three authors (details of first author then … et al.)
Du Toit, D. … et al. 1998. The Labour Relations Act: a comprehensive guide. Durban:
Butterworths.
Chapters in books where different authors are responsible for the chapters (details of
chapter first then details of book in which chapter appears and inclusive page numbers of the
chapter. In such books, the overall ‘author’ of the book is known as the editor. Put ‘ed’: short for
editor after his/her name/s. The title of the book is in italics).
Dugard, J. 1994. International human rights. In: Van Wyk, D. ed. Rights and
constitutionalism: the new South African legal order. Kenwyn: Juta, 33-54.
Chapter or entry in a multi-volume book such as an encyclopedia
Olson, M. Bureaucracy. In: Durlauf, S. and Blume, L.E. 2008. The new Palgrave: a dictionary
of economics. 2nd ed. London: Macmillan. vol 1, 605-608.
Whole books that are edited or compiled
Loubser, A., Schutte, N. and Hofmeyer, I. eds. 2007. Cattle breeds of South Africa: an index
of breeds and overview of industry. Pretoria: AgriConnect.
Corporate bodies as authors - companies, institutions, organizations, etc.
International Committee of the Red Cross. 1993. International review of the Red Cross:
humanitarian law and human rights. Geneva: International Committee of the Red Cross.
No author: Start your reference with the title
Reports and financial statements of companies
African Oxygen Limited. 1990. Financial statements 1989. Johannesburg: African Oxygen.
Conference papers – published (similar to a chapter in a book)
Put in the full title, date and place of the conference. At the end of the reference put in the pages
for the paper.
Nass, C. 2001. Why researchers treat on-line journals like real people. In: Katashev, S.P.
and Katashev, S. eds. Annual meeting of the Council of Science Education. San
Antonio, Tex. 6-9 May, 2000. San Antonio: Council of Science Education, 122-134.
Conference papers, speeches, posters – unpublished
Add to the author, date and title details, information about the occasion at which the paper,
speech, poster was presented.
Hoskins, R. 2007. ICTs as an information and library management tool. Keynote address
delivered at the 5th ELITS KZN [Education Library Information Technology Services
KwaZulu-Natal] Provincial Conference held in Port Shepstone, 08-10 August.
B)
Because all issues of a periodical have the same title, the volume, issue and page numbers
are vital in order to identify the exact location of an article (if they are provided) Volume
number is written before the issue/part number (if there is one)
The details of the article are written down first, the details of the journal in which the article
appears come last
If there is no author, begin with the title
Titles of periodicals are in italics and each proper word of the journal title starts with a capital
letter
Publisher details are not required for periodical references
For newspapers, use the day and month instead of volume and part number.
Basic format:
Surname(s), initial(s) of author/s. Year. Title of article. Title of the Periodical volume number
(issue or part number): inclusive page numbers. If there is no author, start with the title.
Examples:
Journal or magazine articles
Buiter, W.H. 2002. Fiscal theory of the price level: a critique. Economic Journal, 112(4),
459-480.
Newspaper articles
Sparks, A. 2012. The danger of Obama’s rightist challengers. The Mercury, 18 January,
11, col.2.
Cruise liner fuel leak fears. 2012. Daily News, 17 January, 3, col 1.
C)
(i) Theses and dissertations
After the thesis title, add ‘unpublished thesis’ and the type of degree
Abbreviations may be used for the names of academic degrees, eg. PhD. etc.
If it is helpful, add a department or school after the name of the institution.
Basic format:
Surname(s), initial(s) of the author. Year. Title of the item. Type of item and degree. Institution,
Name of Department, Division, Centre, Unit, etc.
Example:
Subban, C.R. 2011. A gender analysis of music videos on MTV Base Africa. Unpublished
thesis (M.A.). University of KwaZulu-Natal. School of Applied Social Studies.
(ii) Lecture notes
After the title of the notes, add the course code, name and ‘unpublished lecture notes’ at end.
Williams, B. 2008. Introduction to management, HRMG2HR: Introduction to Human
Resources, University of KwaZulu-Natal, unpublished lecture notes.
(iii) Interviews and personal communications such as conversations
Information about unpublished interviews and personal communications such as
conversations are usually given in the text only. Letters may be cited in the text only, or
entered in the List of works cited.
Basic format:
Surname(s), initial(s) and status of person interviewed. Year. Details of time, place and
interviewer.
Examples:
Ackerman, R.D. Chairman of Pick ‘n Pay Holdings Ltd. 1990. Interviewed by the author in
Pietermaritzburg, 7th April.
Commissions of inquiry and government committees
Chairperson of the commission or committee is the author.
Example:
Katz, M.M. 1994. Commission of Inquiry into certain aspects of the tax structure of
South Africa: interim report. Pretoria: Government Printer.
Reports of government departments
South Africa. Department of Justice. 2002. Annual report. Pretoria: Government Printer.
Statutes and acts of parliament (South Africa)
Arranged alphabetically in a separate list.
Basic format:
Name of country. Name of act Number of act, Year.
Example:
South Africa. Companies Act 61, 1973.
White papers
South Africa. Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism. 1996. White paper: the
development and promotion of tourism in South Africa. Pretoria: Department of
Environmental Affairs and Tourism.
E) (Cases) (South Africa)
Arranged alphabetically in a separate list.
The names of the parties involved are italicized.
No punctuation is necessary apart from a full stop at the end.
Basic format:
Party v Party Year (Volume number) Abbreviation of country’s law reports page number
(Court division).
Example:
Smith v Hughes 1996 (4) SA 340 (O).
Some useful, comprehensive, online guides to variations of the Harvard referencing system can be
found at:
Anglia Ruskin University: http://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/referencing/harvard.htm
University of Exeter: http://education.exeter.ac.uk/dll/studyskills/harvard_referencing.htm
University of Limerick: http://www3.ul.ie/~library/pdf/citeitright.pdf
