Citing and Referencing Management

Understanding Referencing Styles
Academic writing requires proper citation and referencing to acknowledge sources and avoid plagiarism. While the Harvard (author-date) style is widely used across UCC, different academic disciplines and publishers use different referencing styles.  Arts and Humanities often use MLA or Chicago; Social Sciences often use APA or Harvard; Science subjects might use IEEE or Vancouver. Always check which style to use with your Lecturer/School. Requirements can vary between modules, and you may need to use different styles for different assignments throughout your studies. 

Beyond Citations: Complete Style Systems
Some  referencing styles give a structure for more than just citations. For example APA can guide the entire layout of your academic work including margins, font size, line spacing, heading styles, and page formatting. 

Important Reminders
Always check which style to use with your Lecturer/School. Requirements can vary between modules, and you may need to use different styles for different assignments throughout your studies.
 

Make It Easy with Reference Management Software
Reference management tools like Zotero, Mendeley, and EndNote can automatically format your citations and references in any style you need. This means you can easily switch between Harvard for one assignment and APA for another without manually reformatting everything.

Getting Started
For a comprehensive and practical guide to citation styles, with detailed examples, this book is an invaluable look-up tool:

Pears, R. and Shields, G.J. (2025) Cite them right: the essential referencing guide. 13th edition. London New York Oxford New Delhi Sydney: Bloomsbury Academic (Bloomsbury study skills).

 Cite any information source, from ancient texts to social media posts

· Examples are given in Harvard, APA, Chicago, IEEE, MHRA, MLA, OSCOLA, and Vancouver referencing styles

· Simplified advice on referencing online publications

· Diverse range of sources covered, including translated and non-English publications, graffiti, packaging, wills, medical images, statues, PowerPoint presentations and more guidance on plagiarism and how to avoid it.

Copies are available in the Library:

ZoteroBib (zbib.org) is a free, easy-to-use citation generator developed by the team behind Zotero. It helps you build a bibliography quickly, without creating an account or installing software.

How to use ZoteroBib 

• Go to https://zbib.org
• Enter a source (book, article, website, etc.) in the search bar using a title, DOI, URL, ISBN, or other identifier.
• Click "Cite" and ZoteroBib will automatically pull the citation information.
• In the "Citation Style" dropdown, select your citation style, e.g., "Harvard (Cite Them Right)" APA, MLA or your preferred style..
• Copy the formatted reference or export the full bibliography to your document.

Why it's helpful:

• Fast and free, with no login required.
• Supports a wide range of source types.
• Lets you switch between different referencing styles.

Note: Always double-check your citations for accuracy. Automated tools can sometimes miss details or format elements slightly differently than your department requires.

Harvard referencing is an author-date citation style widely used across academic disciplines, especially in the social sciences, health sciences, and business. It involves:

• In-text citations that include the author's surname and year of publication, e.g. (Smith, 2020).
• A reference list at the end of the document with full details of each source cited.

There is no single official version of Harvard referencing, so the exact formatting may vary slightly between schools. Always follow your department’s preferred style. The book Cite Them Right by Richard Pears and Graham Shields (hard copies located in the Boole Library on Q+3 floor at 808 PEAR) is very useful. You can also consult the UCC's Harvard referencing guide.

APA style is a referencing system developed by the American Psychological Association. It is widely used in the social sciences, including psychology, education, and sociology.

The APA provide online tutorials and webinars. 

Watch Basics of Seventh Edition APA Style:

This tutorial is designed for writers new to APA Style. Learn the basics of seventh edition APA Style, including paper elements, format, and organization; academic writing style; grammar and usage; bias-free language; mechanics of style; tables and figures; in-text citations, paraphrasing, and quotations; and reference list format and order.

Visit the APA for more support: https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/tutorials-webinars

MLA style is a referencing system developed by the Modern Language Association, commonly used in the humanities, especially in subjects like literature, language, and cultural studies.

The MLA Style Center, the official site of the Modern Language Association offers in-depth guidance, FAQs, sample papers, and a free citation generator: https://style.mla.org/

Purdue OWL - MLA Formatting and Style Guide includes detailed examples of in-text citations, works cited entries, and formatting rules: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/

The Chicago style is a referencing system developed by the University of Chicago Press, widely used in the humanities (especially history, philosophy, and the arts) and some social sciences:  

The official site for The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) includes a searchable Quick Guide with citation examples for both Notes and Bibliography and Author–Date systems. It also offers FAQs, style tips, and citation examples:

https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html
Note: Full access requires a subscription, but the Quick Guide is free and very useful for students.

IEEE style is a numeric citation system developed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. It is widely used in engineering, computer science, and technical disciplines.

Key features:

• In-text citations appear as numbers in square brackets, e.g. [1], corresponding to a numbered reference list at the end of the document.
• References are listed in the order they appear in the text, not alphabetically.
• The reference list includes abbreviated journal titles and detailed technical information

Consult the 

• IEEE Reference Style Guide for Authors
• IEEE Style Manual