Harvard Solent Referencing Guide

This is a general guide to using Solent's referencing style - Harvard Solent (a name and date system).  It is based on the British Standards.

Many courses have their own convention for how to reference your work. If your tutor has given you guidance on referencing, follow that instead.

What does referencing involve?

There are two parts to referencing: i) marking in your assignment when you are using another person’s words or referring to another person’s ideas (in-text referencing) and ii) listing the details of all these references at the end of your assignment. All references in the body of your assignment must match up with a full reference in your final reference list. This must include the information that your reader will need to easily find each work you are referring to.
 

The reference list at the end of your work demonstrates the depth of your research. It also acknowledges your sources of information which, together with your in-text references, protects you against the serious charge of plagiarism (passing off others’ ideas as your own). Every quotation or mention of another person’s ideas, theories or data must reference the source it is taken from. So keep records of all the sources you use in your work as you go!
 

This guide will:

• explain how to quote, paraphrase or summarise content from sources within your work - and how to insert the in-text references for these.
• outline how to include a reference list (or bibliography) at the end of your work
• provide examples of how to reference the different sources you are likely to use and refer to.
   

You can access examples of how to reference different information sources via the A-Z list of all examples:
 

Harvard Solent reference examples

The Referencing video, which is also embedded below, offers an introduction to referencing and why it is important to your assignments.

We have also produced a written version of this guide using the script of the video which you can access below as a PDF:

This LibGuide covers Solent University's interpretation of the British Standard Harvard referencing style.  Whatever approach you take, you must be consistent in the style of your references.

Please note that Harvard is a popular style of referencing but there are other styles you could use.  Please check with your lecturer as to which style you are expected to follow.

Reference list

BRITISH STANDARDS INSTITUTION, 2010.  BS ISO 690:2010 Information and documentation - guidelines for bibliographic references and citations to information resources.  London: British Standards Institution