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Most of students in colleges and universities today had to deal with Harvard format paper writing at least one during the learning process. This referencing style is becoming more and more popular both in UK and abroad, which is why knowing its basic elements is essential for scholars worldwide. This entry reviews the main parameters of a well-written Harvard format paper for all those who might need to refresh their memory.
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Harvard Referencing Style: Definition
Harvard referencing is a citation style that implies mentioning the sources used in the text of your paper. Basically, every sentence or excerpt that contains a paraphrased idea or a quote from the source must contain a citation at the end of it. This way, it is obvious for the reader what source to refer to.
Check Your Local Style Guide
While other referencing styles have very specific requirements to formatting that are unified across the country, Harvard style is rather flexible. Its definition does not go beyond citing sources parenthetically, so the standards of formatting and punctuation may vary in different institutions. Thus, make sure to check the style guide at your college or university and follow it carefully.
What to Cite
Students tend to think that the more in-text citations the paper contains, the more credible it looks to the teacher. In fact, citations should only be used when they are relevant.
General Format
There are three major cases when in-text citations are provided in Harvard style, and they all differ slightly in the elements to be included.
- When an idea from the source is paraphrased, the authors’ name and year of publications are provided in the citation.
- When an idea from the source is paraphrased, but the author’s name has been mentioned in this sentence, only the year of publication is given in the citation.
- When a direct quotation from the source is provided, the citation requires author’s name, year of publication and source’s page on which this quotation can be found.
Reference List
All the sources that are cited across the text are to be listed on the References page. Traditionally, they should be arranged alphabetically, and contain all the information about the source. Namely, you need to include the full source’s title, year and place of publication, publishing company, and name of the author.
Harvard Formatting Sample PDF
Harvard Referencing and Formatting Key Parameters
When you are working on an academic paper, you must possess a variety of skills and capabilities to meet your grading requirements. Apart from sharing the latest evidence on your topic or subject, you will also need to know how to reference and cite your sources correctly. One of the basic skills you must possess relates to the use of Harvard referencing.
As a student or an academic writer, you can enjoy a wide variety of citation formats and styles. However, in all situations, you will have to follow the recommendations and requirements from either your professor or the journal in which you would like to publish your article. Harvard referencing is definitely one of the most popular and widely accepted styles. Here are some unique features of Harvard referencing and formatting:
- One of the greatest things about Harvard referencing and formatting is that it is easy to learn. You do not need any special skills to use its principles in practice.
- Any Harvard referencing and formatting guide provides easy-to-follow recommendations for every kind of sources you can use in your paper. In most cases, you will have to include author’s name, date of publication, title of the publication, as well as the publisher and its location.
- You will need to include in-text citations for every piece of information you take from an external source. An in-text citation must include author’s name and year. Page numbers must be used for direct quotations.
- In the Harvard style of referencing, you will have to use Times New Roman, 12-point font, single or double spacing. Follow the requirements provided by your tutor or course supervisor. Write in an easy but professional manner, to make your text understandable for the reader.
Harvard style has been extensively used in hundreds of academic and scholarly publications. However, it is always important to be consistent in using in-text citations and references in Harvard style writing. The more you use it in practice, the easier it will be for you. You will quickly learn how to include author-date citations in the body of the text and link them to the references included at the end of your paper.
Even when you are working on a draft of your work, you should use proper formatting and style. Otherwise, you may find it difficult to revise the initial draft and make it perfect. Use credible sources and cite them properly according to the basic conventions of Harvard style.
Read more here: MLA Essay Format APA Essay Format Oxford Referencing
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