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Citing & Referencing
Citing & Referencing
Citing & Referencing
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Citing & Referencing

CITING AND REFERENCING AT BUV

At British University Vietnam (BUV), we follow a multi-university partnership model, which means your referencing style depends on which awarding body governs your programme.

Know Your Programme & Referencing Style

Because BUV partners with multiple UK universities, your module leader or programme handbook will specify the correct referencing style.

Awarding Institution
Most Common Style
Notes
University of Staffordshire
Harvard (Cite Them Right)
Used by most Business, Computing, and Social Science students.
Bournemouth University
Harvard (BU version)
Very similar to Cite Them Right; check with your lecturer.
University of Stirling
Harvard or APA
Often uses APA for Psychology and Education modules.
University of London
OSCOLA (Law), Harvard, or APA
Law programmes use OSCOLA; others use Harvard/APA.

Basic Structure of a Harvard-Style Reference

The Harvard referencing style follows a clear structure so readers can easily identify and locate your sources. While minor variations exist between institutions, the following elements are common across most versions — especially the Cite Them Right standard used at BUV.

Core Components of a Harvard Reference

  • Author(s)
    The person or organisation who created the work.
  • Year
    The year the source was published.
  • Title
    Name of the book, article, chapter, or report. Italicised for books and journals.
  • Edition (if not first)
    e.g., “2nd edn”, “3rd edn”. Only include if applicable.
  • Publisher
    The company or institution that published the work.
  • Place of Publication
    City where the publisher is based (required in some variants).
  • Pages (for chapters/articles)
    Page range for book chapters or journal articles. e.g., pp. 45–67.
  • URL / Access Date (online sources)
    Include the full web address and date you accessed it. Format: Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).

Example: Journal Article (Online)

Smith, J. and Nguyen, T. (2023) ‘Digital marketing trends in Southeast Asia’, Journal of Business Innovation, 15(2), pp. 112–130. Available at: https://doi.org/10.xxxx/jbi.2023.12345 (Accessed: 5 November 2025).
Pro Tip: Always check your module guide or ask your lecturer which variant of Harvard to use. At BUV, we follow the Cite Them Right version as used by Staffordshire University.

The Harvard System – Key Rules

Rule Explanation & Example
Author-Date System In-text: (Burns, 2008) or Burns (2008) argues…
Alphabetical Order Reference list is ordered by author surname
e.g., Adams, Burns, Chen, Davis
Italics for Titles Book and journal titles are italicized
Smith, T. (2024) Digital Marketing Trends, Journal of Marketing, 12(3), pp. 45–60.
No Footnotes/Endnotes Use only in-text citations and a full reference list at the end
Do not use footnotes for references

Tip: Use the Academic Writing Checklist to verify your references before submission.

In-Text Citations

These are brief references within the body of your assignment that point the reader to the full source in your reference list. 

Basic Format (Paraphrasing)

Include the author’s last name and year of publication.

✅ (Smith, 2023)
✅ Jones (2022) argues that digital marketing is effective.
Direct Quote

Use single quotation marks and include the page number.

✅ Smith (2023, p. 45) states that ‘digital marketing is evolving rapidly’.
✅ (Smith, 2023, p. 45)
Multiple Authors
  • Two: (Smith & Jones, 2023)
  • Three: (Smith, Jones, & Williams, 2023)
  • Four or more: (Smith et al., 2023)
Same Author, Same Year

Use lowercase letters to differentiate sources.

✅ (Smith, 2023a)
✅ (Smith, 2023b)
No Author

Use the organisation name or italicised title.

✅ (Ministry of Education, 2022)
✅ (A Guide to Citation, 2017, pp. 189–201)

In-Text Citation Practice Sheet

Practice Harvard-style in-text citations with instant feedback.

Click to Start Tool →

Full Reference List

This is a comprehensive, alphabetical list at the very end of your document, providing full bibliographic details for every source you cited in your text. This allows readers to easily find and verify your sources. 

Placement

On a separate page at the end of your assignment.

Only include sources cited in your text.

Alphabetical Order

Order by author’s last name (or title if no author).

Use hanging indent for each entry.

Book Format

Author, A. (Year) Title of Book, Edition. Place: Publisher.

Journal Article

Author, A. (Year) 'Title of article', Title of Journal, Volume(Issue), pp. Page range.

Website Format

Author/Organization (Year) Title of Webpage. Available from: URL [Accessed: Day Month Year].

Harvard Referencing: Common Source Types

Click a source type to see the correct Harvard format.

Book
Chapter in Edited Book
Journal Article
Online Journal
Website

Book Format

Author(s) Last name, Initial(s). (Year). Title. Edition (if not the first). Place of publication: Publisher.

Smith, J. (2023). Academic Writing: A Practical Guide. 2nd ed. London: Sage.

Chapter in Edited Book

Chapter Author(s) Last name, Initial(s). (Year). 'Title of chapter'. In: Editor(s) Initial(s). Last name(s) (ed(s).). Title of book. Edition (if not the first). Place of publication: Publisher, Page range.

Brown, A. (2022). 'The role of technology in education'. In: Johnson, M. & Williams, K. (eds.). New Perspectives on Learning. New York: Routledge, pp. 25–48.

Journal Article

Author(s) Last name, Initial(s). (Year). 'Title of article'. Title of Journal, Volume(Issue), Page range or article number.

Lee, S. (2024). 'The impact of social media on consumer behavior'. Journal of Marketing, 48(2), 125–140.

Online Journal Article

Author(s) Last name, Initial(s). (Year). 'Title of article'. Title of Journal [online], Volume(Issue), Page range or article number. Available from: URL [Accessed: Day Month Year].

Kim, Y. (2023). 'The effects of climate change on biodiversity'. Environmental Science [online], 22(1), 55–70. Available from: http://www.envscience.com/biodiversity [Accessed: 15 July 2025].

Website

Author/Organization. (Year). Title of webpage [online]. Available from: URL [Accessed: Day Month Year].

British University Vietnam. (2025). Library Services [online]. Available from: http://www.buv.edu.vn/library [Accessed: 15 July 2025].

Reference List Builder Template

Use this template to record source details as you research and build your Harvard-style reference list.

Open the Template

Other Referencing Styles You Might Encounter

Depending on your programme and awarding institution, you may need to use APA, OSCOLA, or Vancouver instead of Harvard.

APA 7th Edition

Used by: University of Stirling (Psychology, Education), some LSE-linked modules

Key features:

  • Date prominence in citations (important in fast-changing fields)
  • In-text citations: (Smith, 2023)
  • Reference list includes DOIs and full journal names
Smith, T. (2023). Title in italics: Subtitle included. Journal Name, 15(2), 112–130. https://doi.org/xx.xxxx/yyyy
Tip: Use the Bournemouth University's APA Guide as a free backup resource.

OSCOLA (Oxford Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities)

Used by: University of London Law programmes

Key features:

  • Uses footnotes instead of in-text citations
  • Detailed rules for cases, legislation, journals, and EU law
  • No reference list — all sources appear in footnotes

"All sources of information you use in an essay and report must be referenced." — Referencing Advice.pdf

¹ J Smith, 'Digital Rights in the 21st Century' (2023) 15 Oxford Journal of Law 112.
Official Guide: https://www.law.ox.ac.uk/oscola
Also includes EndNote, Zotero, and LaTeX support files.

Vancouver / Numeric Style

Used by: Health Sciences, technical reports, some research papers

Key features:

  • Superscript numbers in text: According to recent research¹
  • References listed numerically at the end
  • Common in medicine and STEM fields
According to recent research¹, digital health tools are transforming patient care.

References
1. Nguyen T, Tran L. Digital health innovations. *J Med Tech*. 2023;10(4):45–52.
Tip: Check with your module leader if this style is required. Not commonly used across most BUV programmes.
Reminder: You must use the referencing style specified by your Module Leader or awarding institution. When in doubt, ask for clarification.

Tools to Make Referencing Easier

Zotero

Collect, organize, and cite research sources. Integrates with browsers and Word/Google Docs.

Visit Zotero →
MyBib

Free online Harvard referencing generator. Simple, fast, no login required.

Try MyBib →
Mendeley

Research management tool with citation support, PDF annotation, and collaboration features.

Get Mendeley →
Word References Tab

Built-in citation tool in Microsoft Word. Supports Harvard, APA, and more.

Learn How →
Note on Cite Them Right Online:
While University of Stirling and Staffordshire students use Cite Them Right Online, BUV does not currently provide institutional access. We recommend using the free tools above and referring to our Harvard Referencing Guide based on the Cite Them Right standard.

Avoid Plagiarism & Misconduct

Understand academic misconduct and how to stay on the right side of integrity.

What Counts as Plagiarism?

  • Copying text without citation – Pasting from websites, books, or articles without quotation marks or reference.
  • Paraphrasing without credit – Rewriting someone else’s idea in your words but failing to cite the source.
  • Using AI-generated content without rephrasing – Submitting ChatGPT or Gemini output as your own work.
  • Submitting group work individually – Presenting collaborative work as if you did it alone (collusion).
  • Reusing your own past work – Re-submitting an assignment from a previous module without permission (self-plagiarism).

How to Prevent It

  • Use Turnitin to review similarity reports – Check drafts in Canvas before final submission.
  • Cite every idea that isn’t yours – Whether quoted, paraphrased, or summarized.
  • Use proper paraphrasing techniques – Change structure, vocabulary, and voice — then cite!
  • Keep a research log – Track all sources as you go: author, title, URL, date accessed.
Pro Tip: Always ask yourself: “Did I create this idea?” If not, cite it. When in doubt, check the BUV Plagiarism Guide or consult your lecturer.

➡️ Presentation Skill

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