Subject Guide: Horticulture, Landscape & Garden Design: Referencing Tips

How do I cite something that I have included in an appendix?

If the citation is for the appendix itself, just add the appendix identifier to your text e.g. each respondent was asked to complete a questionnaire (Appendix A).

If the citation is for an item appearing within an appendix, add the appendix identifier to your citation e.g. (McLean, 2011, Appendix B) and ensure that the reference for the item appears in the appendix.

'et al.' (Latin) meaning 'and others', used for citations with four or more authors.

In-text Citation:

This was highlighted by Haskell et al. (2013)

Reference List:

Haskell, M.J., Maslowska, K., Bell, D.J., Roberts, D.J. and Langford, F.M. (2013) 'The effect of a view to the surroundings and microclimate variables on use of a loafing area in housed dairy cattle, Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 147, pp. 28-33.

If the reference list includes two or more entries by the same author(s), list them in chronological order with the earliest first e.g.

Cottrell, S. (2012) The exam skills handbook: achieving peak performance. 2nd edn. Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan.

Cottrell, S. (2013) The study skills handbook. 4th edn. Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan.

Cottrell, S. (2014) Dissertations and project reports: a step by step guide. Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan.

Cottrell, S. (2019) The study skills handbook. 5th edn. Oxford: MacMillan Education.

Can I use an abbreviated form of an organisation e.g. RCVS, instead of the full title e.g. Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons?

It is recommended that you use the full name, when available, on the first occasion you mention the organisation in your text followed by the abbreviation in brackets e.g. (Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), 2012). For subsequent citations, the abbreviation on its own is acceptable e.g. (RCVS, 2012).

However, always use the full name, when available in your reference list.

You may have a situation where you need to cite multiple publications by an author, that have been published in the same year.

Simply allocate lower case letters in alphabetical order after the publication date, to distinguish between the items in your paper.

In-text Citation:

It is important that the guidelines from The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (2017a, 2017b, 2017c) are consulted prior to starting your placement.

Reference List:

Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (2017a) Awarding organisation and higher education institution handbook. Available at:  https://www.rcvs.org.uk/news-and-views/publications/awarding-organisation-and-higher-education-institution-handbook/ (Accessed: 9 January 2018).

Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (2017b) Code of professional conduct for veterinary nurses. Available at: https://www.rcvs.org.uk/setting-standards/advice-and-guidance/code-of-professional-conduct-for-veterinary-nurses/ (Accessed: 11 January 2018).

Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (2017c) Supporting guidance. Available at:  https://www.rcvs.org.uk/setting-standards/advice-and-guidance/code-of-professional-conduct-for-veterinary-surgeons/supporting-guidance/?print=true  (Accessed: 11 January 2018).

What is the difference between a reference list and bibliography?

• A reference list is simply a list of all the sources that you have cited within your report.
• A bibliography features all the sources that you have listed within your reference list; but also includes readings that you may have consulted, but not cited.

'edn.' is the abbreviation in the Harvard style for edition; to avoid confusing with 'ed.' for editor, and 'eds.' for editors.

© TeroVesalainen (2017), CC0

It is good academic practice to ensure that all images used, are accompanied by an appropriate acknowledgement of the source e.g.

© TeroVesalainen (2017), CC0

...and a reference within your referencing list e.g.

TeroVesalainen (2017) Thought, idea, innovation, imagination, inspiration. Available at: https://pixabay.com/en/thought-idea-innovation-imagination-2123970/ (Accessed: 27 September 2018).

If you are the author of an image that you want to use in your work or assignment, it is good academic practice to acknowledge yourself as the author and include a reference for the artistic work e.g.

In-text Citation:

As illustrated in the above image (Smith, 2021), markings may vary.

Reference List:

Smith, A. (2021) Archie the dog. [Photograph] Aberdeen.

How do I reference a PDF document?

Reference a PDF document in the same way as you would reference any other online source.

In-text citation:

The annual report and accounts (Royal Bank of Scotland, 2019)

Reference List:

Royal Bank of Scotland (2019) Annual report and accounts 2018: building a simple, safe and more customer focused bank. Available at: https://investors.rbs.com/~/media/Files/R/RBS-IR/results-center/annual-report-2018.pdf (Accessed: 18 November 2019).

Direct quotations should be used sparingly within your work, and used for 'impact'.

• Use quotations marks
• Provide relevant author, date & page number(s)

In-text Citation:

"The lynx is native to both Europe and America" (Palmer, 2002, p. 219).

Reference List:

Palmer, J.D. (2002) Animal wisdom: the definitive guide to the myth, folklore and medicine power of animals. London: Element.

If you need to make changes to quotations, use the following conventions:

In some instances you may wish to acknowledge a source that is quoted in a paper/website that you are currently reading. If you cannot locate the primary source, you cannot include in your reference list. You can only cite it within your text. This is what we refer to as secondary referencing.

In-text Citation (Paper):

Grafen's argument regarding environmental enrichment (1991, cited in Newberry, 1995) supports the theory that...

Reference List:

Newberry, R.C. (1995) 'Environmental enrichment: increasing the biological relevance of captive environments', in Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 44(2), pp. 229-243.

In-text Citation (Website):

RCVS (2012, cited in Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, 2019)

Reference List:

Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (2019) Code of professional conduct for veterinary surgeons. Available at: https://www.rcvs.org.uk/setting-standards/advice-and-guidance/code-of-professional-conduct-for-veterinary-surgeons/ (Accessed: 12 November 2019).

Guidance on the Harvard style suggests that if you cannot locate an author of a website, that you should use:

a) Organisation as the author; or

b) Title of the web page as the author.

If a website has no obvious date of publication you may want to question whether it is a reputable source, on the grounds that you cannot determine its 'currency'.

The information may be inaccurate and out of date, and so you may be putting your own work at risk.

If you are sure that the source is valid and your tutor will permit your use of the (no date) convention in your citations and reference list; you can do so.

Some Harvard referencing examples in this guide have been adapted from Pears and Shields (2016).

Pears, R. and Shields, G. (2016) Cite them right: the essential  referencing guide. 10th edn. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan