How to reference
Discover how to reference different sources of information accurately and consistently in a range of styles.
Go to: Using different referencing styles | Referencing for researchers
You’re likely to use a range of information sources in your assessments and research, including books, book chapters, journal articles, and websites. The guidance on this page will help you to reference these sources accurately and consistently, in a specific style.
Referencing is an important part of academic integrity. For more information on why referencing is important, visit Why reference?
Using different referencing styles
For information on the most common referencing styles, with examples, visit our referencing styles guide or choose an individual style below.
Study resource: Referencing styles
Select your style
APA (American Psychological Association) referencing is a style laid out in the APA Publication Manual and the APA style blog.
It is used in many science and social science subjects.
APA referencing guide
Chicago referencing, developed at the University of Chicago, is a referencing style outlined in the Chicago Manual of Style.
It has two variants, an author date variant, and a notes and bibliography variant.
Chicago referencing guide
Harvard referencing originates from Harvard University in the US.
It is an author-date style which is subject to some variation between schools and departments.
Harvard referencing guide
IEEE (The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) referencing is a style typically used across engineering and computer science subjects.
IEEE is a numerical referencing style.
IEEE referencing guide
The Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities (OSCOLA) guides the accurate referencing and citation of authorities, legislation, and other legal materials.
Law students should use the following guides:
Further support available for using OSCOLA
Vancouver referencing was developed by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).
It is a numerical referencing style typically used in medicine and health science fields.
Vancouver referencing guide
Alternatively, the Cite them right online resource provides detailed guidence on referencing in a variety of formats:
Cite them right online
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Referencing for researchers
If you are a postgraduate research student (PhD or equivalent), and you would like additional support with referencing for longer research projects, visit our Referencing your Research Moodle course:
Referencing your research (Moodle)
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