Why Referencing Matters
Referencing is not just a bureaucratic requirement — it is the foundation of academic integrity. Proper citations give credit to the scholars whose work you are building on, allow readers to verify your sources, and demonstrate the breadth of your research.
Incorrect or inconsistent referencing is one of the most common reasons students lose marks unnecessarily. The good news: once you understand the logic of each style, it becomes second nature.
APA Style
APA (American Psychological Association) style is used primarily in psychology, social sciences, education, and nursing. It uses an author-date in-text citation system.
Reference List: Smith, J. (2021). Academic writing skills. Oxford University Press.
Key features of APA: running head, abstract, level headings, and a References page (not Bibliography).
MLA Style
MLA (Modern Language Association) style is used in humanities, particularly literature, languages, and cultural studies. It uses an author-page in-text citation.
Works Cited: Smith, John. Academic Writing Skills. Oxford UP, 2021.
MLA uses a Works Cited page, not a References or Bibliography page.
Harvard Style
Harvard referencing is widely used in the UK and Australia across business, law, and social sciences. Like APA, it uses an author-date system, but the formatting differs in several ways.
Reference List: Smith, J. (2021) Academic Writing Skills. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Note: There is no single "official" Harvard style — different universities have their own variants. Always check your institution's specific guidelines.
Which Style Should You Use?
- Psychology, Social Sciences, Education, Nursing: APA
- Literature, Languages, Humanities: MLA
- Business, Law, Economics (UK/Australia): Harvard
- Medicine, Biology: Vancouver or AMA
- History: Chicago/Turabian
Always check your assignment brief or module handbook first. Your institution's requirement overrides everything else.
Common Referencing Mistakes
- Mixing citation styles within the same document
- Citing sources in the text that do not appear in the reference list
- Using the wrong edition of a style guide
- Incorrectly formatting DOIs and URLs
- Not including page numbers for direct quotes
Tools to Help
- Zotero — free, open-source reference manager
- Mendeley — reference manager with PDF annotation
- Cite This For Me — quick online citation generator
- MyBib — free bibliography generator
- Microsoft Word — built-in citation and bibliography tool
"A reference manager will save you hours of formatting time. Set one up at the start of your course, not the night before your deadline."
