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Referencing & Citation Manual of Styles

A complete guide to all major academic referencing and citation styles. Understand when to use each style, how to format in-text citations and reference lists, and which disciplines require which system.

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Major Citation Styles — Complete Guide

8 referencing systems with examples, disciplines, and key rules

HAR

Harvard Referencing

Most common in UK universities

Example Format

Smith, J. (2023) "Title of article", Journal Name, Vol. 10, No. 2, pp. 45–60.

Author-date system. Author surname, initial(s), year, title in quotation marks or italics, source details. No footnotes.

Key Rules

→ In-text: (Smith, 2023)

→ Reference list: alphabetical

→ Books, journals, websites, reports all covered

→ Specific UK university variations apply

Common Disciplines

Business & ManagementSocial SciencesHumanitiesHealth Sciences

APA

APA (7th Edition)

Psychology, Education, Social Sciences

Example Format

Smith, J. A. (2023). Title of article. Journal Name, 10(2), 45–60. https://doi.org/xxxxx

American Psychological Association. Author-date. 7th edition introduced doi/URL formatting changes.

Key Rules

→ In-text: (Smith, 2023, p. 45)

→ References page: hanging indent

→ DOI/URL required for electronic sources

→ Up to 20 authors listed

Common Disciplines

PsychologyEducationSocial SciencesNursing

MLA

MLA (9th Edition)

Humanities, Literature, Languages

Example Format

Smith, John. "Title of Article." Journal Name, vol. 10, no. 2, 2023, pp. 45–60.

Modern Language Association. Works Cited page. Author-page in-text (Smith 45). 9th edition emphasizes containers.

Key Rules

→ In-text: (Smith 45)

→ Works Cited: alphabetical

→ Container system for nested sources

→ No date required in in-text

Common Disciplines

English LiteratureLinguisticsCultural StudiesFilm Studies

CHI

Chicago (18th Edition)

History, Arts, Business

Example Format

Smith, John. "Title of Article." Journal Name 10, no. 2 (2023): 45–60.

Two systems: Notes-Bibliography (humanities) and Author-Date (sciences). 18th edition updated digital source guidance.

Key Rules

→ Notes-Bibliography: footnotes + bibliography

→ Author-Date: in-text + reference list

→ Full notes vs. shortened notes

→ Ibid. for repeated citations

Common Disciplines

HistoryArts & HumanitiesBusinessSocial Sciences

VAN

Vancouver System

Medicine, Health Sciences, Sciences

Example Format

1. Smith J, Jones A. Title of article. J Med. 2023;10(2):45-60.

Numbered system. Citations in text are sequential numbers in superscript or brackets. Common in medical journals (BMJ, Lancet).

Key Rules

→ In-text: superscript number (¹) or [1]

→ Reference list: numbered sequentially

→ Abbreviated journal names (NLM)

→ Up to 6 authors, then et al.

Common Disciplines

MedicineNursingPharmacologyBiomedical Sciences

OSC

OSCOLA

Law — UK Standard

Example Format

Smith v Jones [2023] EWCA Civ 123 (Court of Appeal); Jane Smith, 'Title' (Oxford UP 2023) 45.

Oxford Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities. Footnote-based system for legal documents and academic law papers.

Key Rules

→ Footnote citations throughout

→ Separate bibliography

→ Case law, statutes, secondary sources

→ Pinpoint citations to specific paragraphs

Common Disciplines

LawLegal StudiesJurisprudenceHuman Rights

TUR

Turabian

Theses, Dissertations, Academic Papers

Example Format

Smith, John. 'Title of Article.' Journal Name 10, no. 2 (2023): 45–60.

Based on Chicago style. Designed specifically for students writing theses and dissertations. Two citation systems available.

Key Rules

→ Notes-Bibliography or Author-Date

→ Designed for student papers

→ Simplified Chicago for theses

→ Widely accepted in UK universities

Common Disciplines

All Academic DisciplinesTheses & DissertationsResearch PapersAcademic Writing

IEEE

Engineering, Computer Science, Technology

Example Format

[1] J. Smith and A. Jones, "Title of paper," J. IEEE Trans., vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 45–60, 2023.

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Bracketed numbered citations. Essential for IEEE journal/conference submissions.

Key Rules

→ In-text: [1] in brackets

→ Reference list: numbered order

→ Abbreviated author names

→ Required for all IEEE publications

Common Disciplines

Computer ScienceElectrical EngineeringSoftware EngineeringTelecommunications

Top Referencing Tips

📌

Always check your university's specific referencing guide — even within the same style (e.g., Harvard), universities often have their own variations.

🔍

Use reference management software (Zotero, Mendeley, EndNote) to manage large reference libraries and auto-format citations.

✅

Every in-text citation must have a corresponding full reference in your reference list/bibliography — and vice versa.

📅

For online sources, always include the date of access in addition to the URL or DOI, as web pages can change or disappear.

🔢

For numbered systems (Vancouver, IEEE), citations must be numbered in the order they first appear in your document.

💡

When in doubt, cite it! Over-citing is far less serious in academic writing than under-citing (which risks plagiarism).

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Harvard Reference Generator

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APA Reference Generator

Create references in the APA Referencing Style (American Psychological Association) using our wizard based system to cite

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Vancouver Reference Generator

Create references in the Vancouver Referencing Style (American Psychological Association) using our wizard based system to cite

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