University of KwaZulu-Natal Library

HARVARD (AUTHOR-DATE) STYLE:

ELECTRONIC AND AUDIO-VISUAL MATERIALS
Referencing guide

This guide is designed to be used in conjunction with the Author-Date (Harvard) Style: Print
sources: Referencing guide.

A reference must be provided every time you paraphrase, summarise, quote or copy any
information from any source, no matter in what format.

ONLINE FULL-TEXT SOURCES

a) Basic format for online journal and newspaper articles

There are two views about referencing online journal articles, particularly if the articles are
in pdf format. One view is to indicate the web address (URL), the other is to leave it out and
treat like a print article. Please check with your lecturer for their preference.

Follow the format of references for books and periodicals etc. in the Harvard (Author-Date)
Style: Print sources: Referencing guide for students and make the following additions:
 Provide the URL of the item. If the URL is very long, provide the URL of the database
provider, or, the DOI number if available
 If the URL does not fit onto one line, it can be broken after a forward slash (/). A full
stop is not necessary at the end of the URL (as it affects the URL as an access
point)
 Day, month and year, in brackets, on which the source was accessed
 Observe punctuation very carefully.

Note that HTML items often do not have page numbers. Many style guides suggest using ‘n.pag’
to indicate the lack of pagination or indicating the length of the item e.g 10p. Within the text it is
feasible to indicate the number of the paragraph or to allocate page numbers and place them in
square brackets. PDF reflects a scanned version of the original so should include original
pagination.

Basic format for articles via a direct link to the journal / newspaper

Follow the format of references for periodicals, newspapers, etc. in the Author-Date Style: Print
sources referencing guide for students and make the following additions:
 A short form of the URL or a DOI if available
 Day, month and year, in brackets, on which the source was accessed.

Examples
Chinsembu, K. 2005. My ten years of teaching science in Africa, Science in Africa, 45, Nov.
Available: http://www.scienceinafrica.co.za/ [Accessed 15 April 2006].
 Bohn H.F., Gunther F., Speck T., Bohn H.F., Speck T., Fink S., & Speck T. (2015). A
passionate free climber: Structural development and functional morphology of the adhesive
tendrils in passiflora discophora, International Journal of Plant Sciences, 176, 294-305.
Available: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/680231 [Accessed 15 April 2016].

Parker, F. 2012. Wikipedia stages blackout to fight anti-piracy bill, Mail and Guardian
Online, 18 January. Available: http://www.mg.co.za [Accessed 18 January 2012].

b) Electronic and Online books

Follow the details for a print book as far as possible or, author and date, followed by book title
and name of publisher or e-book supplier. Add the format after the title. The URL (or DOI, if
available) and accessed date is added at the end. If the book is located within an electronic
database (see 2nd example), add the name of the database (or URL if preferred).

Examples
Hadland, A. (ed.), 2005. Changing the fourth estate: Essays on South African journalism,
[Online] HSRC Press. Available: http://www.hsrcpress.ac.za/
product.php?productid=2092&cat =2&page=1 [Accessed 16 January 2012].

Achebe, C. 2006. Things fall apart, [Online]. ProQuest LLC. African Writers Series.
Available: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?ctx_ver=Z39.88-
2003&xri:pqil:res_ver=0.2&res_id=xri:ilcs&rft_id=xri:ilcs:ft:aws_prose:Z000851092:
0 [Accessed 16 January 2012].

Shipe, W.F. 2000. History of food production and preservation, in: Ullmann’s encyclopedia
of industrial chemistry, [Online]. 7th ed., 2003. Wiley Interscience. Available:
www.mrw.interscience.wiley.com/ueic/ [Accessed 3 July 2003].

c) Freely accessible web sites and pages within sites

Owner of webpage. Year of publication. Title, [Online] Available: web address (URL)
[Accessed date].

Examples

Coca Cola. 2011. Coca Cola creates a sea change, [Online]. Available:
http://www.cocacola.co.za/ NewsReleases.aspx?article=38 [Accessed 22 November
2011].

Union of Concerned Scientists. 2007. Union of Concerned Scientists, [Online]. Available:

http://www.ucsusa.org/ [Accessed 17 January 2008].

Union of Concerned Scientists. 2007. Nuclear power in a warming world: executive

summary, [Online]. Available: http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/solutions/
nuclearandclimate.html [Accessed 17 January 2008].

United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. 2009. Climate change:
coping with the humanitarian impact, [Online]. Available: http://ochaonline.un.org/
News/ClimateChange/GrowingVulnerability/ tabid/ 4982/language/en-US/Default.aspx
[Accessed 19 May 2001].
 Social media
University of Cape Town. 2011. Michelle Obama's visit to UCT inspires young learners,
[Facebook update, June 27]. Available: https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/
uct.ac.za [Accessed 8 July 2014].

d) Other online sources

Blogs
Author(s) name, initial(s). Year of publication. Title of blog message, Title of blog. [Online],
date of posting. Available: URL [Accessed date].

Example
Moodley, R. 2011. Librarians without borders, LibrarySpace Blog. [Online]. Weblog post
15 Sept. Available: http://libwebteam.blogspot.com/search/label/Rani%20Moodley
[Accessed 17 January 2012].

Personal e-mail
Not included in a List of works cited, only the text. An e-mail address belonging to an
individual is included only with the permission of the individual.

Listserv e-mail lists

Author(s) name, initial(s). Year of publication. Subject of message, Name of listserv.
[Online]. Date of message. Available: listserv URL [Accessed date].

Example
Mathers, P. 2006. Computing short courses, Lis-link. [Online]. 2 May. Available:
[email protected] [Accessed 17 June 2006].

Youtube
International Rescue Committee. 2007. Bringing water to Pakistan’s earthquake-ravaged
communities, [Video online]. Available: http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=qrz_wifeazm [Accessed 16 August 2007].

AUDIOVISUAL SOURCES - including microforms, audio- and videocassettes, CDs, DVDs,

images etc.
 Follow the format of references for books in the: Author-date style: Print sources
referencing guide for students and make the following additions:
 The type of format is given before publication details
 For online items, provide the URL and indicate the date the item was accessed
 Indicate the number of parts to the item where appropriate eg number of slides or
DVDs.

Basic format

Author(s)name, Initial(s) (or composer, writer, performer, director, etc). Year of publication.
Title, Type of format. Place of publication: Name of publisher or recording company.
Identifying number (where relevant).

Examples
Audiocassettes
Austen, J. 2009. Emma, [Audiocassette]. Bath: BBC Audiobooks.

CD-ROMs
 Boxill, B. 1998. Affirmative action, in: Craig, E. (ed.), Routledge encyclopedia of philosophy,
[CD-ROM]. London: Routledge.

ClipArt
As little information is usually available about ClipArt pictures, right click on the image, and
choose Preview/Properties in order to obtain the name (often a jpg number) and other details.
Provider of image. Date image created. File name, [Electronic image]. Date accessed.

Example
Microsoft ClipArt. 2005. j0459623.jpg, [Electronic image]. [Accessed 16 April 2001].

Film/DVD/Video
Director name, initial(s). Year of distribution. Title of Film, [format] Place of Distribution:
Distribution Company. Give the publication medium in square brackets after the title, e.g.
[film], [DVD], [video].

Examples
Handel, G. F. 1988. Messiah, [DVD]. Batavia: Video Treasures.

Bolt, S. 1993. The art of Claude Lorraine, [Videocassette]. London: British Broadcasting
Corporation.

Spurlock, M. 2005. Supersize Me: A film of epic proportions, [Film]. Beverly Hills: Roadside
Attractions.

Microforms (microfilms and microfiche)

Stobie, B. S. 1978. The role of the audit report and an assessment of its function in modern
corporate reporting, [Microfiche]. Unpublished thesis (M. Acc.), University of Natal.
Department of Accounting. 6 fiche.

Photographs and images

Sycholt, A. Man-made veld fire, with Kamberg Mountain visible in the distance, [Photograph].
in: Sycholt, A. 2002. A guide to the Drakensberg, Cape Town: Struik, p.15.

Wood, N. 2003. London eye, [Image online]. Available: http://www.nickwoodphoto.com/

html/ALL- LONDON-EYE/wheel-photos- p4/LE-L-091.html [Accessed 4 June 2007].

Slides
University of Essex Library. 1975. The literature of economics, [Slides]. Colchester:
University of Essex. 24 slides.

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