Your tutors will be expecting to see in-text citations and full references in your assignments. Don’t forget, every in-text citation must also be fully referenced in your reference list at the end of your assignment.
Anyone reading your reference list must be able to find all of the sources that you have cited in your in-text citations if they want to, so it’s important to give full details for every source.
A reference list entry should contain:
Reference lists have punctuation rules that are very different to how you normally write. Use the following guide and referencing examples to help you present your references correctly.
Put all the entries in your reference list in alphabetical order by the first authors’ surnames. Every entry in your reference list must end with a full stop.
List all the names of the authors or editors in the same order as they appear on the source.
Do not mix named people and organisations (e.g. Laws, D. and Department for Education) – use organisation names only if there are no individual people’s names given.
Write names in this format:
Lists of names should be separated by commas, with the last name on this list preceded by ‘and’. If the people named are editors, not authors, write (ed.) or (eds.) after their names.
Do not mix authors and editors. If both are listed, use authors.
Anionwu, E.
Krauss, L. M. and Cox, B.
Nye, E., Gardner, F., Hansford, L., Edwards, V., Hayes, R. and Ford, T.
Pollard, A. (ed.)
Glister, J. and Lee, J. (eds.)
This should be in round brackets and comes straight after the authors’ or editors’ names. Do not put a full-stop after the date.
(2016)
Always write the title in ‘sentence case’. This means that you only use capital letters for the first word of the title and for any proper nouns (names of things that are usually capitalised, e.g. ‘Elizabeth’ or ‘London’).
Follow this rule even if the source you’re using does not.
Depending on what sort of source you have used, you will need to either write the title in italics (slanted text) or put it into single quotation marks. The referencing examples will tell you which you should use.
Pride and prejudice
'The Darcy effect: regional tourism and costume drama'
The details you put into this section depend on the type of source you’re using.
8th edn. London: Routledge.
Revised edn. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
British Journal of Criminology, 59 (4), pp.1035-1053.
Business, Education and Technology Journal, 2001 (Fall), pp.6-21.
Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-48760522 (Accessed 14 July 2019).
DOI: 10.1787/9789264305847-en.
The referencing examples will tell you what details to use for each type of source. If you can’t find an example for the type of source you’re using, use the ‘Where to get further help’ section of this guide for more options.
For courses involving placements or professional experiences, or if you carry out research in these areas, it’s unethical to name people or organisations directly. You should change the names of people and organisations to code names.
In your research, you used Midtown High School’s Behaviour management policy and Uptown Grammar School’s Pupil code of conduct. In your assignment you might change the name ‘Midtown High School’ to ‘Secondary School A’ and ‘Uptown Grammar School’ to ‘Secondary School B’.
An in-text reference may look like this:
Strategies include working with pupils to create "personalised positive behaviour plans" (Secondary school A, 2015a)...
In an interview, a teacher from Midtown High School says something of interest. You might change the name of the teacher to ‘Teacher A1’ to show that they were from Midtown High School. A teacher from Uptown Grammar School might therefore become ‘Teacher B1’.
Use the code names in all your in-text citations and in your full reference list.
In your reference list entry, you must also remove anything from the publication details that might identify organisations or people – even if this means that you have to leave out parts of the full reference that you would normally include (for example, the URL of the source).
Secondary school A (2017) Behaviour management policy.
Rather than
Secondary school A (2017) Behaviour management policy. Available at http://www.uptown.sch.uk/upload/docs/behaviour-management.pdf (Accessed: 23 May 2019).
You will find details on how to set out secondary references in the In-text citations: guidance and examples tab, under the heading 'Citing a source that is cited in another source (secondary referencing)'.
Your reference list should only contain the details of sources that you have actually read.
If you used the following in-text citation in your essay:
(Scriven, 1991, cited in Hattie, 2012, p.143)
you would only put the Hattie source in your reference list, as you did not read the source by Scriven.
Hattie, J. (2012) Visible learning for teachers: maximizing impact on learning. Abingdon: Routledge.
Anyone who is reading your work and who wants to find the Scriven source can consult Hattie to find the reference for it.
You reference books and e-books in the same way unless the e-book has been downloaded to an e-reader (Kindle, Kobo, etc.)
You don't state the edition number if it is the first or only edition of the book.
Bell, J. (2018) Doing your research project. 7th edn. London: Open University Press.
Cross, A., Borthwick, A., Beswick, K., Board, J. and Chippindall, J. (2016) Curious learners in primary maths, science, computing and DT. London: SAGE.
Don't use et al. in your full references: write all the authors out in full. Remember your reference list is not included in your word count.
Information about Cite them right 12th edition. January 2023.
We are aware that the latest edition of Cite them right, published in 2022, has changed the way that editors' names should be written in reference lists for this type of source.
You may choose whether to use this guidance or the new guidance. However, your references for this type of source should be consistent across your reference list. If this is the case, you should not lose any marks. Be aware that, if you are using a reference management app with "Cite them right 12th edition" as the output style, your references will be formatted in the new way, and you should check any that you may have entered manually or created with an earlier edition or Birmingham Newman Harvard style.
Use this guidance:
You don't state the edition number if it is the first or only edition of the book.
When you use several chapters or sections of this type of book or e-book, each chapter or section needs its own reference list entry.
Chakraborti, R. (2010) ‘Constructing character’, in Cavanagh, D., Gillis, A., Keown, M., Loxley, J. and Stevenson, R. (eds.) The Edinburgh introduction to studying English literature. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, pp. 129-138.
Worrall, N. (2016) 'Commentary', in Chekhov, A. The cherry orchard. Translated by M. Frayn. London: Bloomsbury Methuen.
You use the authors of the chapter or section that you have used in your in-text citation:
(Chakraborti, 2010, p.131)
(Worrall, 2016, p. xxiv)
Some journals do not split volumes into issues, and some don't use volume numbers at all. Just use the details that are available in your reference.
Wijtvliet, W. and Dyevre, A. (2021) 'Judicial ideology in economic cases: evidence from the general court of the European Union', European Union Politics, 22(1), pp. 25-45.
A DOI ('Digital Object Identifier') is a permanent reference for an online document. If the article you are referencing has a DOI, use this instead of volume/issue and page numbers.
Staring-Derks, C., Staring, J. and Anionwe, E.N. (2015) 'Mary Seacole: global nurse extraordinaire', Journal of Advanced Nursing, DOI: 10.1111/jan.12559.
When you use a DOI, don't state the date you accessed the document.
Sometimes you may find an article that has not yet been peer-reviewed or published in a journal that you wish to use. These are called pre-prints. Pre-prints are common in scientific and healthcare related disciplines, where the results of new research are highly anticipated or may be needed quickly, but may be found in other disciplines too.
On the other hand, you can also find copies of articles that have already been published, but a copy has also been archived by the university where the author works. Sometimes, you may also contact the author of an article and ask for a copy to use. These copies are called post-prints.
You are free to reference pre-print and post-print copies of articles in your work, but you should always make sure that your copy of the article is real and from a legitimate source. Pre-prints and post-prints may not have the journal publisher's formatting or page numbers.
If the author sent you the document directly, you can replace the URL and Accessed date with:
Mac an Ghaill, M. and Haywood, C. (2018) 'Performance and surveillance in an era of austerity: schooling the reflexive generation of Muslim young men', British Journal of Sociology of Education [Post-print]. Available at: https://newman.repository.guildhe.ac.uk/id/eprint/17211/ (Accessed 9 December 2022).
Ikueze, S. and Ejesu, O. A. (2022) 'Journalism and the representation of truth in Nigerian postcolonial literature', African Journalism Studies [Pre-print]. Author-supplied copy.
You must still use page numbers for quotations and paraphrases in in-text citation for pre-print and post-print copies of articles. This means that if the part of the article you are citing is on page 4 of the document in front of you, this is what you should use in your in-text citation.
(Mac an Ghaill, and Haywood, 2018, p.4)
Use the full title of the Act of Parliament in your in-text citation, and add a section number when you quote or paraphrase a specific part.
Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panels are responsible for "serious child safeguarding cases in England which raise issues that are complex or of national importance" (Children and Social Work Act 2017, s.13).
Children and Social Work Act 2017, c. 16. Available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2017/16/contents (Accessed: 17 March 2020).
For an online news article, use the following:
If there is no named author, the name of the news source moves from its position after the title of the article to the 'first position' in front of the date.
Stanford, P. (2022) 'Pope Benedict XVI: obituary', The Guardian, 31 December. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/31/pope-benedict-obituary (Accessed: 4 January 2023).
For an article from a print newspaper, replace the online publication details with:
Bayes, H. (2015) 'Can theatre break down social barriers about mental health?', The Stage, 21 May, p.6.
You can use this guidance to reference most documents published online as PDFs by organisations, and for printed reports and short documents.
Save the Children (2021) Annual report 2021: together, we power possible. Available at: https://www.savethechildren.org.uk/content/dam/gb/reports/annual-report-2021-save-the-children.pdf (Accessed: 4 January 2023).
If you are referencing a printed document, replace the online publication details with the following:
Lemos, G. (2005) The search for tolerance: challenging and changing racist attitudes and behaviour among young people. York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
Use this guidance when you need to reference sources provided to you as part of your studies, either in person or uploaded to Moodle. This includes lectures, presentations, handouts and other materials created by lecturers and other students.
Do not use this guidance to reference text extracts or scans from books or journal articles or other published sources. Use the appropriate guidance for the type of source instead.
If the source is not available online, replace the online publication details with the word 'Unpublished'. Remember to end your reference with a full stop.
Chen, L. (2019) 'Apiary construction: part 1' [Lecture]. BKU401: Introduction to Beekeeping. Birmingham Newman University. 16 October. Available at: https://moodle3.newman.ac.uk/19-20/mod/page/view.php?id=9999 (Accessed: 22 October 2019).
Springer, P. (2017) '5 key readings on recreation and social policy' [Handout]. PEU663: Recreation and Society. Birmingham Newman University. Unpublished.
Use this example to reference webpages, unless your source is
For these, use the separate examples in this guide.
You can usually find the title of a webpage on the browser or tab heading.
Doyle, A. (2019) Behavioural based job interview questions. Available at: https://www.thebalancecareers.com/behavioral-job-interview-questions-2059620 (Accessed: 14 August 2019).
Runnymede Trust (no date) Common cause networks. Available at: hhttps://www.runnymedetrust.org/projects-and-publications/parliament/common-cause-network.html (Accessed: 10 March 2021).
Please note that, at this time, Birmingham Newman Library does not recommend using and citing information generated by AI systems in your work unless you have expressly agreed with your tutors that it is OK to do so.
If the AI system provides you with a shareable link to a session containing multiple prompts, use the automatically-generated session title or the first prompt of the session (in full) in your reference list entry.
Do not change the automatically generated name of any session unless it would create confusion about which session you are referring to. Remember that you can add a letter (a, b, c etc.) after the year to distinguish between references from the same ‘author’ in the same year.
ChatGPT (2023) Van Eyck vs Coolidge. 12 September. Available at: https://chat.openai.com/share/92c3873d-a1c6-4254-b74e-5bbcffada2c1 (Accessed 18 September 2023).
ChatGPT (2023a) Sun-themed poetry workshop [prompt provided by Ben Moore]. 18 September. Available at: https://chat.openai.com/share/9272556d-5d5b-4452-bf8c-401e01b263b7 (Accessed 18 September 2023).
If the system does not give you a shareable link to a session, or does not allow for sessions containing multiple prompts, you will need to provide a reference list entry for every prompt and response that you use in your work that is provided by the AI system.
Interrail Chatbot (2023a) Tell me about overnight trains. 15 September.
Interrail Chatbot (2023a) Do I always need to reserve a seat? 15 September.
You should only use this guidance if you are referencing the collection as a whole. For individual plays, poems and stories, see the guidance under each source type under 'Written sources (online or print) A-Z' on this page.
You don't state the edition number if it is the first or only edition of the book.
Wu, D. (ed.) (2012) Romanticism: an anthology. 2nd edn. Oxford: Wiley Blackwell.
Rowling, J.K. (2015) Harry Potter and the chamber of secrets. Narrated by Stephen Fry. Available at: http://www.audible.co.uk (Downloaded: 19 June 2018).
Bills are draft laws discussed and debated in Parliament. If they become law, you must use the referencing guidance for ‘Acts of Parliament’ instead.
Bills can be published by either the House of Commons or House of Lords.
Anonymity (Arrested Persons) Bill (2017) Parliament: House of Lords. Bill no. 30. Available at: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/lbill/2017-2019/0030/lbill_2017-20190030_en_1.htm (Accessed: 21 August 2019).
Craig, M. (2022) 'Why we can’t tackle the environmental emergency without tackling racism', The Runnymede Trust blog, 8 November. Available at:https://www.runnymedetrust.org/blog/why-we-cant-tackle-the-environmental-emergency-without-tackling-racism/ (Accessed: 5 January 2023).
E-readers often don’t use page numbers. Use the information your e-reader gives you (for example 'loc' (location) or percentage).
Woolf, again, pokes fun at the lofty, overwrought style of Victorian biography (Woolf, 2012, loc 1239).
Woolf, V. (2012) Orlando: a biography. Available at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Orlando-Biography-Virginaia-Woolf-ebook/dp/B006T5JTSY (Downloaded: 11 March 2021).
If you use the PDF version of the book from RNIB Bookshare, then you can reference it as a standard book or e-book, as the page numbers for your in-text citations will be identical to those in the file. However, for other accessible versions use the guidance below, and note the differences for presenting your in-text citations.
Anthony, D. (2009) Partnership working [EPUB]. Abingdon: Routledge.
Mullany, L. and Stockwell, P. (2016) Instriducting English language [MS Word]. 2nd edn. Abingdon: Routledge.
Collins, P.H. and Bilge, S. (2016) Intersectionality [Braille]. London: Wiley.
Most accessible formats will not follow the page numbers of the standard editions of books and will often not have traditional page numbers. For your in-text citation, you have two options:
(Anthony, 2009, 54%)
(Mullany and Stockwell, 2016, loc 4535)
(Collins and Bilge, 2016, s.4 p.6)
You don't state the edition number if it is the first or only edition.
Translators' names are written differently to the usual way you write names in references.
Schweitzer, A. (1911) J.S.Bach. Translated by Ernest Birmingham Newman. New York: Dover Publications.
Murakami, H. (2003) Norwegian wood. Translated by J. Rubin. London: Vintage.
Older texts, such as classic plays and novels and important scientific or philosophical works, are often reprinted in new editions.
You should add the details of the editor to your references because
You don't state the edition number if it is the first or only edition.
Editors' names are written differently to the usual way you write names in references.
Mill, J. S. (1982) On liberty. Edited by G. Himmelfarb. London: Penguin.
When referencing an edited book, use the publication date of the edition you are using, not the publication date of the original.
If the article is published in a periodical that does not have volumes and issue numbers (e.g. newspapers) replace these details with:
Hagopian, P (2019) 'The war that never ended'. Review of The Vietnam war reexamined, by Michael G. Kort. History Today, 69(2), pp.99-101.
Fox, M. (2022) 'The fine print'. Review of Index, a history of the, by Dennis Duncan. The New York Times Sunday Book Review, 27 February, p.1.
If the book review is published online, you can replace the print publication details with either the DOI or URL publication details. Use the guidance for Online journal articles with a DOI or News article (online or print) to help you.
Only follow this guidance if you wish to reference the actual code of a program or application.
If you want to reference the content of a program or application, use the 'mobile and computer apps' example.
If the program you are referencing is a physical item (e.g. a CD-ROM), rather than online or a downloaded file, replace the online publication details with:
Shiny Frog Ltd. (2019) Bear (Version 1.6.15) [source code]. Available at: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/bear/id1016366447 (Downloaded 12 August 2019).
Sega Enterprises (1987) Alex Kid in Miracle World [program code]. ROM cartridge. Tokyo: Sega Enterprises Ltd.
If no developer or organisation is listed, use the title of the app in your in-text citations and as the first part of the full reference.
Conole, G. (2010) 'Current challenges in learning design and pedagogical patterns research', Seventh international conference on networked learning. Denmark, 3-4 May. Available at: http://www.lancs.ac.uk/fss/organisations/netlc/past/nlc2010/abstracts/Conole.html (Accessed: 22 July 2010).
If the paper is in a printed edition of the conference proceedings, you should substitute the online publication details with:
Morgan, J. I. (2013) 'Exploring the benefits of a brief health psychology intervention in the workplace', Contemporary ergonomics and human factors: proceedings of the international conference on ergonomics and human factors. Cambridge, 15-18 April. London: CRC Press, pp.441-442.
The 'special cases' section of this guide shows you how to create code names for organisations and people that must remain confidential.
Do not add any other details.
Secondary school A (2015) Behaviour management policy.
Remember to also substitute the code name into the title of the document if necessary:
Primary school B (2018) Safeguarding at primary school B.
Rules for referencing dictionaries are slightly different for online and print versions.
...the definition of 'hero' suggests a character should have "superhuman strength, courage or ability" ('Hero', 2014)
'Hero' (2014) Oxford English dictionary. Available at: https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/86297 (Accessed 19 August 2019).
...the definition of 'hero' suggests a character should have "superhuman qualities" (Concise Oxford Dictionary, 1999, p.666)
Concise Oxford Dictionary (1999) 10th edn. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Kirk, G. S. (2019) 'Homer', Britannica academic. Available at: https://academic.eb.com/levels/collegiate/article/Homer/106285 (Accessed: 20 August 2019).
For printed encyclopaedias, replace the online publication details with:
Griffin, M.D. (2003) 'Demonology', New catholic encyclopedia. 2nd edn. London: Gale.
If there is no author listed for an article, use the title of the article (in 'single quotation marks') in both in-text citations and as the first part of the reference list entry.
If the article you are referencing comes from a wiki (an online source that can be continuously and anonymously updated by many people), use the separate example in the written sources A-Z.
Department for Education (2018) Information sharing: advice for practitioners providing safeguarding services to children, young people, parents and carers. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/721581/Information_sharing_advice_practitioners_safeguarding_services.pdf (Accessed: 9 July 2018).
For printed reports, replace the online publication details with:
Department for Education (2018) Information sharing: advice for practitioners providing safeguarding services to children, young people, parents and carers. London: Department for Education.
Please note: this guidance should be followed by third year (level 6) students studying our Law (LL.B.) programme at Birmingham Newman. It is not the same as the style in Cite them right. If you are a first or second year Law student, or studying a different programme, your tutors may expect your references to law reports to be presented differently. If you need guidance, please check with your module leader.
You do not need a volume number if only one volume of the law report series was published in that year.
Donoghue v Stevenson (1932) AC 562.
R v Ghosh (1982) QB 1 1053.
J Lauritzen AS v Wijsmuller BV (The Super Servant Two) (1990) Lloyd's Law Reports 1 1.
Law Reports from the United Kingdom since 2002 use a 'neutral citation', which are independent of the printed law report series. Cases are given a citation that includes the year they were heard, the court they were heard in and a case number. You can use these citations to search for cases in our online databases.
For cases after 2002, you must use the neutral citation in your reference list entries. You may use neutral citations for cases before 2002, where they are provided, if you wish.
Chalcot Training Ltd v Ralph (2020) EWHC 1054 (Ch).
R (on the application of Miller) v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union (2017) UKSC 5.
Your in-text citations must be set out as follows:
If you are just summarising a case or referencing it in passing, you may not need to put a page or paragraph reference to it.
(R v Ghosh, 1982, at 1055)
(Chalcot Training Ltd v Ralph, 2020, [30])
Be careful when using paragraph references that the number you give is from the case you are reading. On LexisNexis, where quotations are made by the judge from other cases, they often have the paragraph number from the quoted case embedded in them.
Case names can quickly become expensive when it comes to your word count. You can save words by using abbreviated case names, but you must follow these rules:
The first time you cite the case, you should write out the citation in full, e.g:
When you cite the case again, you can just use the first party to the case's name on its own (e.g. (Donoghue, 1932)), unless:
Make sure that the abbreviated name is in italics to signal it is a case, rather than the author of another source's name.
These types of source are called 'ephemera', as they are short-lived and not scholarly or literary.
Ephemera often don't have all of the details that you would usually need for a reference. You should think carefully about the reasons you want to include these sources in your work.
Birmingham City Council (2016) Summer 2016 in Birmingham. [Leaflet obtained at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery]. 4 June 2016.
If there is no author or organisation listed, use the title of the source in your in-text citation and at the start of your reference list entry.
Legal name fraud (2016) [Poster seen in Northfield, Birmingham]. 12 June 2016.
We recommend that you to talk to your Module Leader before you include ephemera in your assignment. They may suggest you include a copy of the material in an appendix to your assignment, rather than giving it a full reference.
This style is only used for referencing content in an application. Use the 'computer programming or source code' example if you need to reference the code of an app.
Shiny Frog Ltd. (2019) Bear. Apple i-phone edition (Version 1.6.15) [Mobile app]. Available at: Apple App Store (Downloaded 12 August 2019).
If there is no developer or organisation listed, use the title of the app in your in-text citations and as the first part of the full reference.
Goodreads (2018) Apple i-phone edition. (Version 3.9.6) [Mobile app]. Available at: Apple App Store (Downloaded: 5 June 2018).
Do not use this guidance for Acts of Parliament (legislation), Bills (draft legislation), Statutory Instruments, speeches or written answers given by members in the Houses of Parliament. There are separate examples in this guide for these sources.
Parliament. House of Commons (2019) Road safety: driving while using a mobile phone: twelfth report of the Select Committee on Transport, 2017-2019. (HC2329). Available at: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmtrans/2329/2329.pdf (Accessed 21 August 2019).
Speeches in Parliament are published in Hansard, the official record of Parliamentary proceedings. Before 2014 written questions and answers can also be found in Hansard.
Debbonaire, T. (2016) 'The government's plan for Brexit', Hansard: House of Commons debates, 7 December, 618, c.298. Available at: https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2016-12-07/debates/CA09D9B2-9634-41C8-8979-8B9CD82DBB8F/TheGovernmentSPlanForBrexit (Accessed 12 March 2021).
Since 2014, Parliament has published written questions and answers in the Written questions and answers database, instead of Hansard. Use the following guidance for these sources from 2014 onwards.
Williams, Baroness (2019) 'Immigration: written statement', Parliament: written questions and written answers, 23 July, HLWS1766. Available at: https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Lords/2019-07-23/HLWS1766/ (Accessed: 21 August 2019).
Slater, H. (2016) E-mail to Brian Jones, 10 January.
You must seek permission from the people involved before including personal communication in your assignment, unless it has been published.
We recommend asking your Module Leader for advice and checking the 'special cases' section in this guide for advice on how to cite sources from research anonymously.
Reference a play published on its own in the same way as a book. If the play is included in an anthology or collection, follow the guidance in the ‘Plays published as part of an anthology or collection’ section of this guide.
You don't state the edition number if it is the first or only edition of the book.
If the play has an editor or is a translation, you should add these details to the reference. See the examples 'books translated from a foreign language' and 'books with author(s) and editor(s) named' for full details.
Hare, D. (1995) Skylight. London: Faber and Faber.
Pinter, H. (1993) The caretaker. Edited by Margaret Rose. London: Faber and Faber
Sophocles (1995) Electra. Translated by George Young. Edited by Thomas Crofts. New York: Dover Publications.
Reference a play in an anthology in the same way as a chapter from an edited book.
You don't state the edition number if it is the first or only edition of the book.
Bond, E. (2018) ‘Dea’, in Bond, E. Plays: 10. London: Bloomsbury Methuen Drama, pp.1-91.
Shakespeare, W. (2005) 'The merry wives of Windsor', in Wells, S. and Taylor, G. (eds.) The Oxford Shakespeare: the complete works. 2nd edn. Oxford: Clarendon Press, pp.511-536.
You must put the Act and Scene number for a play in your in-text citation as well as the page number (or line number in some plays, such as those by Shakespeare).
This means you will set out your in-text citation in the following way:
'I wanted to say I’m not guilty.' (Hare, 1995, 1.2: p.15).
'I am all the daughters of my father's house,' (Shakespeare, 2010, 2.4: 128).
Reference a poem in an anthology in the same way as a chapter from an edited book.
You don't state the edition number if it is the first or only edition of the book.
Shelley, P.B. (1998) 'Ode to the West Wind', in Wu, D. (ed.) Romanticism: an anthology. 2nd edn. Oxford: Wiley Blackwell, pp. 859-861.
Heaney, S. (1975) 'Come to the bower', in Heaney, S. North. London: Faber and Faber, p24.
Reference a poem found online in the same way as a webpage.
Braithwaite, E.K. (2005) Bread. Available at: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/52763/bread-56d2318008d8f (Accessed: 12 March 2021).
Birmingham City Council (2019) Council moves forward with effort to rezone site of proposed Sherman Industries concrete facility [Press release], 14 May. Available at: https://www.birminghamalcitycouncil.org/2019/05/14/ (Accessed: 21 August 2019).
If the press release is a printed document, do not include any details after the day and month.
Bureau van Dijk (2018) Virgin Atlantic company report. Available at: http://fame.bvdep.com (Accessed: 12 July 2018).
MarketLine (2015) Amazon UK Ltd. Available at: http://web.ebscohost.com (Accessed: 20 October 2015).
You reference sections or definitions from a reference book in a similar way to a chapter or section of an edited book.
If you are using an online reference book, replace the printed publication details with:
McLean, I. and McMillan, A. (eds.) (2009) 'Multiculturalism', in The concise Oxford dictionary of politics. Available at: http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t86.e853> (Accessed: 12 December 2011).
Set out in-text citations for sacred texts like this:
"a time to kill and a time to heal" (Ecclesiastes 3: 3)
"And Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water. (Vayikra 8: 6)
"Thy Guardian-Lord Hath not forsaken thee, Nor is He displeased. (Qu'ran 93: 2)
For Theology module assignments, you do not need to provide a reference list entry. However, you must always provide an in-text citation.
For all other modules, reference lists for sacred texts should be set out as follows:
Holy Bible. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. New International Version.
Torah. Bamidbar 1:1.
Qu'ran 47: 5. Translated by Tarif Khalidi. London: Penguin.
Reference a short story in an anthology in the same way as a chapter from an edited book.
You don't state the edition number if it is the first or only edition of the book.
Faulkner, W. (1967) 'Pennsylvania Station’, in Faulkner, W. Uncle Willy and other stories. London: Chatto & Windus, pp.203-220.
Conan Doyle, A. (2005) 'Lot no. 249', in Luckhurst, R. (ed.) Late Victorian gothic tales. Oxford: Oxford World's Classics, pp.109-140.
Reference a short story published on their own in the same way as a book.
If the story has an editor or is a translation, add these details to the reference. See the examples 'books translated from a foreign language' and 'books with author(s) and editor(s) named' for full details.
Mansfield, K. (1920) Prelude. London: Hogarth Press.
Andersen, H.C. (2015) The tinder box. Translated by Tiina Nunnally. London: Penguin Little Black Classics.
Birmingham Newman does not follow the guidance in Cite them right for social media posts.
Use this guidance for anything published publicly on a social media site. This can include posts to closed groups on Facebook, or locked accounts on Twitter and Instagram.
To help anyone reading your assignment, you could include screenshots of social media posts and their context in an appendix. We recommend you talk to your Module Leader if you are unsure what to do.
Blackman, M. (2019) [Twitter] 14 August. Available at: https://twitter.com/malorieblackman/status/1161558270735261696?s=20 (Accessed: 28 August 2019).
Extinction Rebellion Birmingham (2019) [Instagram] 27 August. Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/B1rKF5anxjD/ (Accessed 28 August 2019).
'jøll' (2019) [TikTok], July. Available at: http://vm.tiktok.com/2r1s3F/ (Accessed: 28 August 2019).
Reference conversations in instant and private messenger services in the same way as personal communication.
You must seek permission from the people involved before including personal communication in your assignment, unless it has been published.
We recommend asking your Module Leader for advice and checking the ‘special cases’ section in this referencing guide for advice on how to cite sources from research anonymously. Again, you may decide to include screenshots in an appendix to your assignment.
Malone, S. (2018) Facebook Messenger chat with Wai Lang, 9th May.
Kolhi, V. (2019) WhatsApp chat with 'Broadbury Neighbourhood Watch', 21 December.
'notrupertgiles' (2019) Direct message on Twitter to Andrew Lovell, 16 March.
We recommend that you check with your tutor before using any of your previous work as a source for a new assignment. Some programmes or modules will have different rules about when it is or is not appropriate to self-reference.
If you use any of your own previous work that you have published or submitted for assessment at Birmingham Newman or elsewhere, you must make sure that you reference yourself. This is so you can avoid self-plagiarism.
Giles, S. (2014) 'How do Shakespeare's heroes interrogate attitudes towards masculinity?' Assignment for AA306: Shakespeare: Text and Performance, BA (Hons) English Literature, The Open University. Unpublished assignment.
Reference any work you have had published in the appropriate way for the type of source that it is (e.g. short story, news article, etc.).
Atherton, J. (2012) Rioting, dissent and the church in late eighteenth century Britain. PhD thesis. University of Leicester.
Scott, Z.A.A. (2007) The inquiring sort: ideas and learning in late eighteenth-century Birmingham. PhD thesis. University of Warwick. Available at: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.491507 (Accessed: 14 June 2014).
A wikis is a type of online source where often large groups of users, who may be anonymous, contribute to the content. This means that some information you would usually include in a reference is unavailable or not relevant.
'Book of numbers' (2018) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Numbers (Accessed: 12 July 2018).
You should only use this referencing style for original online content shared by its creator or an official distributor.
You must not reference content found on the Internet that the person who posted it did not have permission to share.
'Porter Brook' (2019) No-one asked vol. 1. 2 August. Available at: https://soundcloud.com/user-325713513/mix-june-19 (Accessed: 30 August 2019).
'How to ADHD' (2019) Why people pleasing doesn't make people happy (and what to do instead). 9 May. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BanqlGZSWiI (Accessed: 30 August 2019).
Wernet, L. (2014) Spring feelings. Available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/farbenflut/13546763753/in/gallery-flickr-72157695356899955/ (Downloaded: 13 June 2017).
Use this guidance if you are referencing an illustration, diagram, table or figure etc. independently of the rest of the source. This means that if, for example, you are citing text from the source as well, there is usually no need to create a separate reference list entry for the illustration, diagram, table or figure, etc.
If the item you are referencing is in a chapter of an edited book or another source, such as a journal article, use the guidance for referencing that type of source, adding the page number and description after the publication details.
Pinkey's illustration for the first edition cover of Roll of thunder, hear my cry (Watson and Montgomery, 2009, plate 10) deomonstrates...
Montgomery, H. and Watson, N.J. (eds.) (2009) Children's literature: classic texts and contemporary trends Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, plate 10, illustration.
Pritchett, M. (2019) 'Lunatic' [Cartoon]. The Telegraph, 3 September.
Use this guidance for 'feature length' films and documentaries not made for TV. For television broadcasts use the guidance for ‘television and radio programmes’.
For films streamed from an online service (such as Netflix or Box of Broadcasts) add access details after the distributor's name:
Grey Gardens (1975) Directed by David and Albert Maysles [Film]. United States: Portrait Films.
Rashomon (2001) Directed by Akira Kurosawa [DVD]. London: BFI video.
The birds (1963) Directed by Alfred Hitchcock [Film]. Los Angeles: Universal Pictures. Available on: Netflix UK (Accessed: 20 July 2018).
Chennai express (2011) Directed by Rohit Shetty [Film]. United Kingdom: IG Interactive Entertainment. Available at: https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/ondemand/index.php/prog/05F3BF0E?bcast=116695478 (Accessed 10 Mar 2021).
You do not use writers' or directors' names for your in-text citation for films and documentaries. Instead, use the name of the film or documentary (in italics) and the year:
(Grey Gardens, 1975)
(Rashomon, 2001)
You may also choose to use a 'timestamp' if your reference needs to highlight a particular part of your film or documentary:
(The birds, 1963, 1:03:32)
(Chennai express, 2011, 00:04:52)
Chic (2017) [Glastonbury Festival, 25 June].
Glass, P. (2012) Einstein on the beach. Philip Glass Ensemble conducted by Michael Riesman; choreography by Lucinda Childs. [Barbican Theatre, London, 12 May].
If you streamed or downloaded the source from an online service (such as Spotify or Apple Music), remove the [format] element and add access details after the distributor's name:
The Beatles (1965) Rubber soul [CD]. London: Parlophone.
Shostakovich, D. (1962) Symphony no. 7 [Vinyl]. New York Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Leonard Bernstein. New York: Columbia Masterworks.
Shah, N. (2013) Love your dum and ma. Apollo. Available on: Spotify UK (Accessed 12 March 2021).
If you streamed or downloaded the source from an online service (such as Spotify or Apple Music), remove the [format] element, but add access details after the distributor's name:
Tempest, K. (2016) 'Lionmouth door knocker', Let them eat chaos [CD]. London: Fiction Records.
Saint-Saëns, C. (2005) 'The aquarium', Carnival of the animals. London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Barry Wordsworth. London: London Symphony Orchestra. Available on: Spotify UK (Accessed: 2 September 2019).
For original digital images shared online, use the guidance for ’audio, video, or images shared online’.
You should reference the photograph only if you are talking about it as a source (for example as a work of art in itself or as a specific view). If you are referring to the subject as a separate source, you should reference the source that you are writing about (for example if you are referring to a sculpture by Hepworth that you have seen in a photograph, reference the sculpture, not the photograph).
Martin, P. (1907) Tram accident in Carver Street [Photograph].Winson Green: Midland History Resource Centre.
'Headlines and trendlines' (2022) Think with Pinker [Podcast]. 27 January. Available on: BBC Sounds (Accessed 22 February 2022).
'Reaction offices and the future of work' (2022) 99% Invisible [Podcast], episode 476. Available at: https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/reaction-offices-and-the-future-of-work/ (Accessed: 22 February 2022).
Barton, L. (2017)When women wore the trousers [Podcast], 13 June. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p055slc5 (Accessed: 22 February 2022).
Unicef Office of Research - Innocenti (2021) Special focus on sub-Saharan Africa [Podcast]. Available at: https://www.unicef-irc.org/podcasts/?id=59 (Accessed 22 February 2022).
When citing podcasts in-text, you must use the information that is in the position before the date in your reference list entry. This means that for podcasts in a series with named episodes, the in-text citation will be the name of the episode (in 'single quotation marks') and the date, for example:
('Headlines and trendlines', 2022)
For other podasts, you will use the presenter or organisation's name and the date, which means they will look the same as in-text citations for written sources, for example:
(Barton, 2017)
You may also choose to use a 'timestamp' if your reference needs to highlight a particular part of a podcast:
(Unicef Office of Research - Innocenti, 2021, 0:56:16)
For teaching and learning content from your course, including items uploaded to Moodle, use the guidance on 'Teaching and learning resources from Birmingham Newman modules'.
Use this guidance to reference the spoken content of a public lecture, seminar, presentation, etc.
Extinction Rebellion Hackney (2019) NVDA training [Seminar]. Extinction Rebellion Hackney, London. 23 October.
Cannon, J. (2019) An evening with Joanna Cannon [Lecture]. Waterstones Booksellers, Birmingham. 24 October.
For programmes streamed from an online service (such as Netflix or Box of Broadcasts), add access details after the day and month of transmission:
Scotland decides: Salmond versus Darling (2014) BBC Two Television, 25 August.
Prince Albert: a Victorian hero revealed (2019) Channel 4, 24 August. Available at: https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/ondemand/index.php/prog/145118BE?bcast=129988335 (Accessed: 3 Sep 2019).
What happened, Miss Simone? (2015) Available on: Netflix UK (Accessed: 15 June 2015).
You do not use writers' or directors' names for your in-text citation for radio and television programmes. Instead, use the name of the programme (in italics) and the year:
(Scotland decides: Salmond versus Darling, 2014)
(Prince Albert: a Victorian hero revealed, 2019)
You may also choose to use a 'timestamp' if your reference needs to highlight a particular part of your programme:
(What happened, Miss Simone?, 2015, 0:32:43)
This guidance was updated on 21 February 2022. Advice on programmes without named episodes has been updated. This will affect both reference list entries and in-text citations.
For programmes streamed from an online service (such as Netflix or Box of Broadcasts), add access details after the day and month of transmission:
'That was fun' (2020) I may destroy you, episode 4. BBC1, 16 June. Available at: https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/ondemand/index.php/prog/164081D2?bcast=132155513 (Accessed 11 March 2021).
'I wasn't ready' (2013) Orange is the new black, Series 1, episode1. Available on Netflix UK (Accessed: 4 June 2014).
The Office (2013) Series 1, episode 5. BBC Two Television, 13 August.
EastEnders (2022) Episode 6437. BBC One Television, 18 February.
You do not use writers' or directors' names for your in-text citation for radio or television programmes. Instead, use the episode name (in 'inverted commas') and the year (for programmes with named episodes), or the name of the programme (in italics) and the year (for programmes without named episodes):
('That was fun', 2020)
(EastEnders, 2022)
You may also choose to use a 'timestamp' if your reference needs to highlight a particular part of an episode:
('I wasn't ready', 2015, 0:10:16)
Use this guidance for performances watched live only. For filmed performances available online (e.g. from Drama Online) use the guidance for 'Films and documentaries' or 'Audio, video and images shared online', as appropriate.
Turandot by G. Puccini, G. Adami and R. Simoni (2023) Directed by Andrei Serban. [Royal Opera House, London, 22 March].
Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe (2011) Directed by Matthew Dunster. [Globe Theatre, London, 16 October].
You do not use writers' or directors' names for your in-text citation for theatrical performances. Instead, use the name of the play, musical, or production (in italics) and the year:
(Turandot, 2023)
(Doctor Faustus, 2011)
Bruegel the Elder, P. (1566) St. John the Baptist preaching [Oil on oak panel]. Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest.
Hepworth, B. (1970) Ancestor I [Sculpture]. University of Birmingham, Edgbaston campus, Birmingham.
This guide and referencing examples show you how to reference most of the sources you’re likely to use in your work.
If there isn’t an example that fits what you’re trying to use, try 3 things:
Cite Them Right by
Cite them right is renowned as the most comprehensive yet easy-to-use guide to referencing text available to students and authors. Academics and teachers rely on the advice in Cite them right to guide their students in the skills of identifying and referencing information sources and avoiding plagiarism. Comprehensive and accessible, it provides readers with detailed examples of print and electronic sources, business, government, technical and legal publications, works of art, images and much more. Packed with practical tips and example sources in both citations and reference lists, it makes referencing manageable and easy to follow for everyone. The fully revised and updated 12th edition contains: - Expanded guidance on the key principles of referencing and avoiding plagiarism, including new sections on collecting evidence to use in your work; reading, listening and taking notes; and using other people's work in your writing. - New reference examples for Tik Tok, blog posts, Zoom and Teams, recorded lectures and online seminars.
Our referencing style is based on the principles in Cite them right by Richard Pears and Graham Shields. This book is available from the Library, and we have both print copies that you can borrow as well as an e-book.
CIte them right also contains examples for APA 7th Edition and OSCOLA referencing.
You may find yourself using this book enough over your time with us that it is worth buying your own copy. If you wish to do this, the details are:
Pears, R. and Shields, G. (2022) Cite them right: the essential referencing guide. 12th edn. London: Bloomsbury Study Skills. ISBN: 9781350933446.
You can ask Academic Service Librarians for advice on referencing by:
If a particular reference is causing you trouble, your Module Leader should be able to tell you how they would like you to present it.
Last reviewed: 26 October 2023
