Referencing for Music Students

Library Guides

Education & Music

Help using the Library to find and use resources in Music, Education and Counselling

Referencing for Music Students

This guide is for music students only – Level 1 students should also look for the ‘very quick guide to referencing’ available in MyAberdeen.  All other students should consult their relevant course handbook or contact their tutor for details of the referencing system they are to use. Students taking Music Education or Community Music courses should check with their tutor as they may be required to use the Education referencing guide.

Introduction

At university when you complete any written assignment you will provide a bibliography or reference list which states which sources (such as books or articles) you have read and cited in your work. This is to show both what you have read about your topic and your understanding of the ideas and theories surrounding your subject.  This list has to be written in a precise and consistent style. You will encounter lots of referencing styles as you read different sources, but you should stick to only one referencing style in your written assignments for music courses. This guide sets out the referencing style for music courses, which uses footnotes at the bottom of the page (rather than author-date information in the main text) and is based on a style produced by the Modern Humanities Research Association (MHRA). See here for further details: www.mhra.org.uk/style/.

We have tried to pull together information which shows you how to reference different sorts of sources (books, chapters, journal articles, web pages and so on) within the text of your assignment and in your bibliography.

The most important thing to remember is not to panic! We are here to help you and if you want to talk to someone about your referencing just contact the Librarian for Music, Education and Social Science, Claire Molloy (c.a.l.molloy@abdn.ac.uk).

There are a number of web-based bibliographic tools available that will allow you to search for information resources and save details of references. You can then automatically create a bibliography in the style of your choosing using all or some of the references you have saved. Here at Aberdeen we currently support a product called RefWorks and for full details or to organise a demonstration, please contact Claire.

Why reference?

Although at first glance it may seem obvious, it does help to understand why we reference using a particular style when we write a piece of academic work. It isn’t just more annoying bureaucratic red tape – there are some very practical and important reasons for following a style and sticking to it.

Whilst reading, listening and viewing you are going to come across many different ideas and theories. You will use these to expand and develop your own arguments, but you must give full credit to those that you have read or heard. If you do not acknowledge those authors, you could be accused of plagiarism – taking the ideas of others and trying to pass them off as your own. This is considered a very serious matter at this University. (See here the Code of Practice on Student Discipline)

Referencing correctly also shows you are well read and knowledgeable about your subject – it may get you better marks! Your tutor will use your referencing to check what you have read; they may even use it to find something you have referred to that they haven’t read themselves. Put simply, correct referencing allows any reader of your work to easily find exactly what you have been reading and listening to.

What is the difference between a reference and a citation?

When you refer to something you have read, either directly (i.e., word for word) or indirectly (i.e. in paraphrase or in your own words) you must show clearly it is not your work but someone else’s. You do this by putting the author, year of publication and other details about the reference in a footnote with a number after your direct or indirect reference to indicate the footnote. This is called referencing or citing.

What is the difference between a bibliography and a reference list?

Your tutors in Music will use either the word bibliography or reference list to refer to a list of everything you have cited from in your assignment. For music assignments you should only put in your reference list/bibliography anything you have cited from in your assignment unless asked specifically to do something different!

You may take courses outside of music and the tutors in these areas may use the ‘official’ definition of reference list and bibliography:

  • Strictly speaking a reference list is a list of all the titles you have referenced whilst compiling your assignment. You would not include items you have read to inform your thinking but subsequently not referred to in your text. The reference list goes at the end of your assignment but before any appendices.
  • bibliography is a list of all the titles you read or referred to whilst compiling your assignment. The bibliography goes at the end of your assignment but before any appendices.
Do I put everything I have read in my bibliography?

Yes, you should if asked to compile a bibliography. However, your tutor may sometimes use ‘bibliography’ when they mean ‘reference list’ – if in doubt ask them!

How do I lay out the bibliography/reference list?

Place everything A to Z by author surname regardless of whether it is a book, article, score website or some other format. If you have websites with no authors, you reference them within the text by title and put them in your bibliography alphabetically by title but with author written as Anon. (for anonymous). If the author is a corporate one that starts with ‘The’ do not use this but use the first main word – e.g.The National Gallery should be listed under ‘n’ for National!

Do I then need to separate out by article, book, webpage, score etc.?

No! It makes it much harder for anyone reading your work to find the relevant reference if you do this. So, place all items A to Z by author surname regardless of format.

What if I can’t find a date of publication?

Although you should try your best to find the date sometimes it really is impossible. Websites are often difficult to date. If you can’t find the date don’t just leave it blank or it will look like you forgot to add it! Simply say n.d. which means no date.

Citing within your essay or assignment

The instructions below refer to citing from a book, a journal article, a report, a website and so on, although the examples given are all from books.

Direct quotations

Although you should do it sparingly, you can quote directly from an author within your text. In other words take exactly word for word what s/he said in the text and put it into yours. Direct quotations within the text (i.e. up to about 50 words) should have single quotation marks; longer quotations forming a paragraph should be indented left, single spaced rather than double spaced, and without quotation marks. Optionally, the typeface can be slightly smaller. 

Battles rage in the scholarly literature and popular press about numerous details: the best way to 
apply ornamentation in various repertories, the interpretation of tempo markings, and the choice of instruments to be employed (whether in the orchestra, for solo keyboard works, or in the accompaniment of secco recitative).1

1 Philip Gossett, Divas and Scholars: Performing Italian Opera, (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2008), pp.203-204.

The footnote number needs to come after all punctuation. If a sentence is quoted in its entirety, and not incorporated into the flow of the author’s text, then the full stop comes first, followed by close single quotation mark, followed by footnote number. If the quotation is used within one of the author’s sentences, then the single quotation mark comes first, then the full stop (or comma, or semicolon, if the sentence is to continue), followed by the footnote numeral.

Indirect references

Indirect references can either be when you refer to an idea carried through an article or book, or when you have taken a specific idea and put it into your own words. Both types of reference should be properly attributed to their original author. 

Where the idea is a broad one or a theme carried throughout the book or article:

  • The author’s name can be included within the sentence: 

 ‘It has been said by Hesmondhalgh (1991) that indie music becoming professionalised was not simply selling out’.1

  • or it can be put in the footnote alone: 

‘It has been said that indie music becoming professionalised was not simply selling out.’1


1 David Hesmondhalgh, ‘Indie: the institutional politics and aesthetics of a popular music genre’, Cultural Studies, 13/1 (1999) pp.34-61

If you paraphrase, in other words put an idea you have read about into your own words, you do not have to put in quotation marks as it is not an exact quote, but you should still reference as above you would have a number after the full stop including the page number the idea came from. 

Indenting – if your direct quote is more than a sentence long (or if the one sentence is very long, running for several lines!) you should indent the words. You do not have to put the indented quote in italics or quotation marks. Indirect references should not be indented.

Referencing multiple items in-text – you may find when reading that a number of authors (or the same author in different books/articles) have spoken about the same theme or theory which you wish to refer to. You would reference each of these in chronological order, in other words the item published first is listed first but only one footnote need be used.

NOTE: Remember, every published item referred to in your text should be listed in the bibliography/reference list at the end of the assignment. Examples are given later in this guide.

Secondary referencing - citing work referred to by another author

It may be the case that you refer to work that has been cited by another author. For example, you may read a book and in that another (secondary) author is quoted. You should try your best to find the original work, read it (try the Library!) and refer to it. If you cannot then refer in your text to the fact a second author is being referred to Jones cited Smith1 and then in your subsequent footnote you should refer to the actual book you read and the page number of the quote from that book, and not the work of the secondary (referred to) author as you have not read this. 

Writing your bibliography - reference list and footnotes

Examples of how to reference books, articles, scores, websites etc.

Book with one author

In a Bibliography
Author Surname, First Name, Title of Book (in italics), Edition, if not the first (Place of publication: Publisher, Year of publication).
BIBLIOGRAPHY EXAMPLE
LaBelle, Brandon, Background Noise: Perspectives on Sound Art (New York; London: Continuum, 2006).
1st Footnote Reference
Author First Name Surname, Title of Book (in italics), Edition, if not the first (Place of publication: Publisher, Year of publication), page number.
1ST FOOTNOTE REFERENCE EXAMPLE
Brandon LaBelle, Background Noise: Perspectives on Sound Art (New York; London: Continuum, 2006), p.14.
Further Footnote Reference to the same item
Author Surname, Title of Book (in italics), p.#.
FURTHER FOOTNOTE REFERENCE TO THE SAME ITEM EXAMPLE
LaBelle, Background Noise: Perspectives on Sound Art, p.14.
 

Book with two authors

In a Bibliography
Author Surname, First Name and Author Surname, First Name, Title of Book (in italics), Edition, if not the first (Place of publication: Publisher, Year of publication).
BIBLIOGRAPHY EXAMPLE
Harman, Alec and Milner, Anthony. Man and His Music: Late Renaissance and Baroque Music (London, 1988), II/IV.
Note that putting the volume number AFTER the date of publication indicates that all the volumes were published in the same year.  If the volumes came out in different years then the volume number should appear in the format title, volume (place, date) etc.
1st Footnote Reference
Author First Name Surname, and Author First Name Surname, Title of Book (in italics), Edition, if not the first (Place of publication: Publisher, Year of publication), page number.
1ST FOOTNOTE REFERENCE EXAMPLE
Alec Harman and Anthony Milner, Man and His Music: Late Renaissance and Baroque Music (London, 1988), II/IV, p.298.
Further Footnote Reference to the same item
Author Surname, and Author Surname, Title of Book (in italics), p.#.
FURTHER FOOTNOTE REFERENCE TO THE SAME ITEM EXAMPLE
Harman and Milner, Late Renaissance and Baroque Music, pp.502-3.
 

Book with more than three authors

If you have more than three authors, only mention the first author as above followed by either ‘and others’, or you can use ‘et al’.
 

Chapter from a book or contribution to a book

This can be a collection of essays or articles on a theme written by a number of authors – the collection is then edited by one or more experts in that field. 
These can also take the form of a Festschrift – a collection of writings published in honour of a particular scholar or academic. 
In a Bibliography
Author Surname, First Name, ‘Title of chapter’, in Editor First Name Surname (ed.), Title of Book (in italics) (Place of publication: Publisher, year of Publication), pp of complete contribution.
BIBLIOGRAPHY EXAMPLE
Wolff, Christoph. ‘J. S. Bach and the Legacy of the Seventeenth Century’, in Daniel R. Melamed (ed.), Bach Studies 2 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995), pp.192-201.
1st Footnote Reference
Author First Name Surname, ‘Title of Chapter or contribution’ in Editor First Name Surname (ed.), Title of book (in italics) (Place of publication: Publisher, year of Publication), pp of complete contribution, at p.number of reference.
1ST FOOTNOTE REFERENCE EXAMPLE
Christoph Wolff, ‘J. S. Bach and the Legacy of the Seventeenth Century’, in Daniel R. Melamed (ed.), Bach Studies 2 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995), pp.192-201, at p.200.
Further Footnote Reference to the same item
Author Surname, ‘Title of Chapter’, p. number of reference
FURTHER FOOTNOTE REFERENCE TO THE SAME ITEM EXAMPLE
Wolff, ‘J. S. Bach and the Legacy of the Seventeenth Century’, p.201.
 

A whole edited book, rather than a chapter or article from an edited collection

In a Bibliography
Title of Book (in italics),  ed. by Editor First Name Surname (Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication)
BIBLIOGRAPHY EXAMPLE
Music and the Benefit Performance in Eighteenth-Century Britain, ed. by Matthew Gardner and Alison DeSimone (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019)
1st Footnote Reference
Title of Book (in italics), ed. by Editor First Name Surname (Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication), p.number of reference.
1ST FOOTNOTE REFERENCE EXAMPLE
Music and the Benefit Performance in Eighteenth-Century Britain, ed. by Matthew Gardner and Alison DeSimone (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019), p.47
Further Footnote Reference to the same item
 ‘Title of Book’, p. number of reference
FURTHER FOOTNOTE REFERENCE TO THE SAME ITEM EXAMPLE
Music and the Benefit Performance in Eighteenth-Century Britain, p.47
 

Book read via an e-reader

As noted on page 19 of this guide, e-books (via Ebook Central, for example) can simply be treated as if they were paper. E-books read via an e-reader such as the Kindle do not have traditional page numbers and there is a note on page 16 about how to reference quotes from such a book. When referencing the book in your bibliography you should note it is an e-reader edition.

Author Surname, First Name, Title of Book (in italics), Edition, if not the first (Place of publication: Publisher Year of Publication) (Name of e-reader edition).

EXAMPLE

Schroeder, Ralph and Axelsson, Ann-Sofie., Avatars at Work and Play. Collaboration and Interaction in Shared Virtual Environments (Dordrecht: Springer, 2006) (Kindle edition).
 

Journal article

These are published on a regular basis, usually in a collected format – though see the note below about ‘recent’ articles. They showcase a scholar or practitioner’s research or a particular aspect of their specialism or performance, composition, theory and analysis. The issue of the journal may have a special theme or simply be more broadly about a particular specialism. They are ‘peer-reviewed’ before publication which means experts in the field review and critically evaluate (usually without knowing who the author is) the article to check for academic rigour and assess the quality.   In the old days(!) these were in paper (and libraries do often still have shelves of these available!) but most now appear online.

In a Bibliography
Author Surname, First Name, ‘Title of article’, Title of Journal (in italics), Volume/Issue (Year of Publication), pp. of complete article.
BIBLIOGRAPHY EXAMPLE
Stopford, John, ‘Structuralism, Semiotics and Musicology’, Journal of the British Society of Aesthetics, 24/1 (1983), pp.129-37.
1st Footnote Reference
Author First Name Surname, ‘Title of article’, Title of journal (in italics) Volume/Issue (Year of Publication), pp of complete article (pp.of reference)
1ST FOOTNOTE REFERENCE EXAMPLE
John Stopford, ‘Structuralism, Semiotics and Musicology’, Journal of the British Society of Aesthetics, 24/1 (1983), pp.129-37 (pp.133-4)
Further Footnote Reference to the same item
Author Surname, ‘Title of article’, p.of reference.
FURTHER FOOTNOTE REFERENCE TO THE SAME ITEM EXAMPLE
Stopford, ‘Structuralism, Semiotics and Musicology’, p.134.

There is no need to cite the page range again. The page number indicates reference to a specific location in the main text.
 

Journal article - ‘Online First’ or ‘Early View’

If the article you have read is so recent it has yet to be assigned an issue or page numbers, often referred to as ‘online first’, ‘early view’ or ‘article in press’ you can reference it as such:
Duncan, Cheryll, ‘Henry Purcell and the construction of identity: iconography, heraldry and the Sonnata’s of III Parts (1683)’ Early Music (2016). First published online: July 13, 2016 (Available: DOI: 10.1093/em/caw031)

In this example the article, at time of reading, had no volume, issue or page details. Here we have referred to it as ‘First Published online’ as this is what this particular publisher calls it, along with the publication/available online date and the DOI (Digital Object Identifier - this is the standard way to give the location of an article and useful to do whilst there are no further publication details) which can usually be found on the same page as the abstract.

Author Surname, First Name and further authors if appropriate, Title of the article. Name of Journal (in italics), (Year of Publication) ‘Online First’ or ‘Article in Print’ or ‘Early View’: Publication date (all in bold) [Available from: DOI].
 

Thesis or dissertation

Note that the TITLE is NOT italicised – this indicates that the work is unpublished.
In a Bibliography
Author Surname, First Name, ‘Title of theses/dissertation’ (Degree, University name, year of submission)
BIBLIOGRAPHY EXAMPLE
Cameron, Jasmin Melissa, ‘Two Gloria Settings by Giovanni Maria Ruggieri’ (M. Mus Dissertation, University of Liverpool, 1995).
1st Footnote Reference
Author First Name Surname, ‘Title of theses/dissertation’ (Degree, University name, year of submission), p.number of reference.
1ST FOOTNOTE REFERENCE EXAMPLE
Jasmin Melissa Cameron, ‘Two Gloria Settings by Giovanni Maria Ruggieri’ (M. Mus Dissertation, University of Liverpool, 1995), p.35.
Further Footnote Reference to the same item
Author Surname, Title of theses/dissertation, p.number of reference.
Further Footnote Reference to the same item Example
Cameron, ‘Two Gloria Settings’, p.12.
 

Scores and sheet music

Scores and Sheet music should contain the composer’s name, title, place of publication, publisher and date of publication as a minimum. If the music is part of a series, edition or volume, this too should 
be included.
In a Bibliography
Composer surname, forename Title of score, Forename surname of editor/translator [if required], Series/Edition/Volume (Place of publication: Publisher, Year of publication), act/scene number/pages used.
BIBLIOGRAPHY EXAMPLE
Dvorak, A. Symphony No. 9 in E minor From the New World, (London: E. Eulenburg, 1903).
1st Footnote Reference
Composer forename surname, Title of score, Forename surname of editor/translator [if needed], Series Statement/Edition Statement/Volume Statement (Place of publication: Publisher, Year of publication), act/scene number/pages used.
1ST FOOTNOTE REFERENCE EXAMPLE
Dvorak, A. Symphony No. 9 in E minor From the New World, (London: E. Eulenburg, 1903).
Further Footnote Reference to the same item
Composer, Title in italics,
FURTHER FOOTNOTE REFERENCE TO THE SAME ITEM EXAMPLE
Dvorak, Symphony No. 9 in E minor From the New World,
 

Recordings

Note the inclusion of the CD number.  You may wish to specify different dates of release, for example ‘first released …’ or ‘this release …’.  Whatever you decide to do, please make sure that you are consistent with your referencing format.
In a Bibliography
Composer Surname, First Name: Title of piece (all in italics), Performer/Orchestra, Conductor First Name Surname (Recorded Location Year, Record Label Recording Number, Released Year).
BIBLIOGRAPHY EXAMPLE
Prokofiev, Sergei: Romeo and Juliet, Chout, London Symphony Orchestra, Claudio Abbado (Recorded London 1966, Decca 425 027-2, Released 1991).
1st Footnote Reference
Composer First Name Surname: Title of piece,(all in italics) Performer/Orchestra Conductor First Name Surname (Recorded Location Year, Record Label Recording Number Released Year).
1ST FOOTNOTE EXAMPLE
Sergei Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet, Chout, London Symphony Orchestra, Claudio Abbado (Recorded London 1966, Decca 425 027-2, Released 1991).
Further Footnote Reference to the same item
Composer Surname: Title of piece (all in italics) Performer/Orchestra and Surname 
of conductor.
FURTHER FOOTNOTE EXAMPLE
Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet, Chout, London Symphony Orchestra, Abbado.
Streaming Downloads can be referenced in the same way but with the inclusion of where they were downloaded from after the recording number – note streaming services are not record labels and where a record label is mentioned this too should be added:
In a Bibliography
Composer Surname, First Name: Title of piece(all in italics), Performer/Orchestra, Conductor First Name Surname (Recorded Location Year, Record label (if one)Recording Number, Downloaded from:  Released Year).
Single tracks from an album can be referenced as above with the inclusion of the track title before the overall title:

In a Bibliography
Composer Surname, First Name: Title of Track, From: Title of album(all in italics), Performer/Orchestra, Conductor First Name Surname (Recorded Location Year, Recording Number, Downloaded from: ,Released Year).

Sleeve or liner notes

Sleeve (or liner or album) notes are found on the sleeve, or booklet in albums in most formats prior to digital download. They should include the Composer/Author, Album title (in italics), Media type, Place of production/recording, Recording studio if known and Year of production.
In a Bibliography
Composer/Author, Title in italics, (Medium) (Dublin: Windmill Lane Studios, 1987).
BIBLIOGRAPHY EXAMPLE
The Edge, The Joshua Tree, (CD sleeve notes) (Place of production/recording: Recording Studio, Year of production.
1st Footnote Reference
Composer/Author, Title in italics, (Medium) (Dublin: Windmill Lane Studios, 1987).
1ST FOOTNOTE REFERENCE EXAMPLE
The Edge, The Joshua Tree, (CD sleeve notes) (Place of production/recording: Record Studio, Year of production.
Further Footnote Reference to the same item
Composer/Author, Title in italics,
FURTHER FOOTNOTE REFERENCE TO THE SAME ITEM EXAMPLE
The Edge, The Joshua Tree, 
 

Lecture

It is not normal academic practice to reference a lecture. Your lecturer will provide references on their slides/in their presentation or provide a reading list for you. You should use the ideas from the lecture and follow those up with your own reading and it is that reading you will reference, not the lecturer, unless of course you have read their book or article! However, some academics may specifically ask you to reference lectures in their particular course and if so you should make sure you have the following information: the author, title and/or course, institution and date of lecture:

Author Surname, First Name. Course Code: Course Title (Lecture date: Day Month Year).
Note that the lecture title is non-italicised.  
In a Bibliography
Author Surname, First Name. Course Code: Course Title (Lecture date: Day Month Year).
BIBLIOGRAPHY EXAMPLE
Cameron, Jasmin. MU4091: An Introduction to Semiotic Analysis (Lecture date: 28th Oct 2011).
1st Footnote Reference
Author First Name Surname, Course Code: Course Title (Lecture date: Day Month Year).
1ST FOOTNOTE REFERENCE EXAMPLE
Jasmin Cameron, MU4091: An Introduction to Semiotic Analysis (Lecture date: 28th Oct 2011).
Further Footnote Reference to the same item
Author Surname, Course Code: Course Title.
FURTHER FOOTNOTE REFERENCE TO THE SAME ITEM EXAMPLE
Cameron, MU4091: Semiotic Analysis.
 

Personal communications, emails, grey literature etc.

Personal Communications

There may be occasions when someone has communicated with you and there is no published source from which you can cite his or her comments. As there is usually no published work that your reader can use to find the item and read it for themselves it is not referenced at the end of the work in a bibliography. You only cite the personal communication in the text. See example below. This would also be relevant for letters or conversations in person or by phone. 

The general format is given below. Make sure that you observe the subtle differences between 1st Reference, Further References and Bibliography (check punctuation and ensure the order of first name/surname is correct. DO NOT italicise the title of the communication (unpublished material – unless the communication has been officially published, of course). 

PERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS
Name of Author, Title of E-mail/Letter (date).

Grey Literature

Sometimes you may refer to internal unpublished documentation within an organisation or other unpublished material. This grey literature is often impossible for anyone else to trace. You may also want to keep the organisation anonymous. You should, however, refer to it as an ordinary report/book etc. in the text (anonymising any names if needed).
As there is usually no published work that your reader can use to find the item and read it for themselves it is not referenced at the end of the work in a bibliography. Instead, a copy should be inserted into an appendix and referred to: see example below (again, anonymising any names if needed).

GREY LITERATURE 
Author’s Name or Corporate Author (you can put any well-used acronym in parentheses), Title of Report (in italics) (Place of publication: Publisher, Year of publication).


 

Conference paper

You may need to adapt the title of the conference accordingly. There may or may not be an editor for the volume. If there is not, simply use ‘Proceedings of xx Conference’ or ‘Symposium on xxx’ etc., then give the place and date of the conference in brackets.
In the example given below, two volumes were printed. This is indicated after the date. These volumes were an ‘informal’ and limited publication by the Department of Music at the University of Belfast and therefore the title has not been italicised. If a conference volume has been published, then follow the procedure for referencing as a chapter.
You may also find conference papers on the web. You should then replace volume and page numbers with the URL and (Date Accessed, Day, Month, Year)

In a Bibliography
Author Surname, First Name. ‘Title of Conference Paper’ in Proceedings of Conference, Editor of published proceedings if there is one, followed by (ed.), Conference Title (Place of conference, Date and Year) Volume Number, pp.page numbers of complete paper
BIBLIOGRAPHY EXAMPLE
Cameron, Jasmin. ‘Placing the Et incarnatus and Crucifixus in Context: Bach and the Panorama of the Baroque Mass Tradition’ in Proceedings of Conference, Yo Tomita (ed.), International Symposium on Understanding Bach’s B Minor Mass (Belfast, 2007), I/II, pp.11-26
1st Footnote Reference
Author First Name Surname, ‘Title of Conference Paper’ in Editor of published proceedings if there is one, followed by (ed.) Conference Title (Place of conference, Date and Year) Volume Number, p.page numbers of reference
1ST FOOTNOTE REFERENCE EXAMPLE
Jasmin Cameron, ‘Placing the Et incarnatus and Crucifixus in Context: Bach and the Panorama of the Baroque Mass Tradition’ in Yo Tomita (ed.), International Symposium on Understanding Bach’s B Minor Mass (Belfast, 2007), I/II, p.20
Further Footnote Reference to the same item
Author Surname, ‘Title’, p.number of reference 
FURTHER FOOTNOTE REFERENCE TO THE SAME ITEM EXAMPLE
Cameron, ‘Placing the Et incarnatus and Crucifixus in Context’, p.20

Newspaper article

Author Surname, First Name if known; otherwise name of newspaper, ‘Title of the article’. Name of Newspaper (in italics), part number if known then day and month and year, page number preceded with p. If this is available online then add Available: along with the URL and [Date Accessed:] If there are no page numbers then use paragraph numbers for in-text quotes and in the bibliography use the URL. 

EXAMPLE
Ward, Lucy, ‘Parents “Should Pay for Schools”’. The Guardian, Wednesday 4th February, 2004, p.10.


 

Webpage

In your text, you will quote the author/corporate author and if there is none, then use the title of the web page, not the URL. If information is unavailable use ‘ ..… not stated’ – this demonstrates that you are aware of bibliographical conventions. 

Note that the word ‘website’ in the title is enclosed in brackets as it does not appear as part of the title page itself.
If there is an title of the page or section of the site you are referring to then also include that e.g. 

Author or Corporate Author, Title of Page. Title of website (in italics) [Website], URL (Authored Year, Accessed Day Month Year).

When quoting in-text you should use paragraph numbers to identify the location of your quote.
In a Bibliography
Author or Corporate Author, Title of website (in italics) [Website], URL (Authored Year, Accessed Day Month Year).
BIBLIOGRAPHY EXAMPLE
BBC, The, BBC [Website], http://www.bbc.co.uk (Authored 2012, Accessed 30th January 2012). 
1st Footnote Reference
Author or Corporate Author, Title of website (in italics) [Website],  URL (Authored Year, Accessed Day Month Year).
1ST FOOTNOTE REFERENCE EXAMPLE
The BBC, BBC [Website], http://www.bbc.co.uk (Authored 2012, Accessed 30th January 2012).
Further Footnote Reference to the same item
Author (title if no Author), URL.
FURTHER FOOTNOTE REFERENCE TO THE SAME ITEM EXAMPLE
The BBC, http://www.bbc.co.uk
 

Online tutorial, presentation, or podcast

Online tutorial or presentation

These can appear in various guises from iTunes U to YouTube to anywhere! It is important to give as much detail as you can about the author and title as well as, of course, the web address. Also make sure that you observe the subtle differences between 1st Reference, Further References and Bibliography.

Author/Presenter, Title of Tutorial or Presentation. [Title of web site] (in italics). Day Month Year of release if available. Available: web address (Date Accessed: Day Month Year)

ONLINE TUTORIAL EXAMPLE
Glennie, Evelyn, ‘How to Truly Listen’. TED Talk. February 2003. Available: http://www.ted.com/talks/evelyn_glennie_shows_how_to_listen?language=en (Date Accessed: 24th August 2016)

Podcast

Many educational resources can now be found in the form of podcasts. As with referencing online tutorials, give as much detail as you can:

Author/Presenter, ‘Title of podcast episode’. Title of web site or podcast series (in italics). [Podcast]. Day Month Year of podcast release. Available: web address (Date Accessed: Day Month Year)

When quoting from online tutorials etc. you should identify the exact location of your quote using the time stamp.
PODCAST EXAMPLE
Farebrother, Rachel and Thaggert, Miriam, 'A History of the Harlem Renaissance', Cambridge Academic Podcast [Podcast]. 16 April 2021 Available: https://soundcloud.com/cambup_academic/sets/a-history-of-the-harlem-renaissance-with-rachel-farebrother-and-miriam-thaggert (Date Accessed: 31 August 2021)
 

Social Media

Often it is difficult for others to find the reference (on Facebook for example) as it may have come from a closed group, but if it is possible you should try to reference as you would a website:

Author Surname, First Name, Title of page/post. Title of web site (in italics) Day/month/Year of posted message. Available: web address. (Date Accessed: Day Month Year)

If it is in a closed site that no one can get access to then in theory, it becomes grey literature and a copy should be placed in an appendix and referred to. You should still put the date you referred to the original site.
EXAMPLE
Wheeler, Steve, Reading the World Blog. 17th July 2012. Available: http://www.steve-wheeler.co.uk/2012/07/reading-world.html [Date Accessed: 17th July 2016]

Broadcast on TV or radio, film, DVD, streaming and online

Use the director’s name, followed by (dir.), but if you wish you may also include the producer’s (prod.) name. If you are going to do this, be consistent (i.e., adopt this format for every film/programme). In the reference below, the time refers the reader to a specific part of the film (if viewed on DVD – not necessary if you are engaging in more general description).
As with other unusual media, just make sure you have all the details written down to allow someone else to find the item you are referring to. If the film or programme has been accessed online quote as if it were a film then add the name of the streaming service followed by  Available: web address and [Date: DD, MMMMM, YYYY].

Dobkin, David (dir.). Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga. Film. (Netflix, USA, 2020)
Five Days that changed Britain. TV. (BBC 2, 2010) Available: www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00t8p52/Five_Days_that_Changed_Britain/ [Date accessed: 30th July 2010].   

TV or Radio Programmes

In a Bibliography
Director Surname, First Name (dir.). Title of programme in italics (Channel of Broadcast, Year of Broadcast)
BIBLIOGRAPHY EXAMPLE
Hanly, Francis (dir.). Howard Goodall’s Story of Music (BBC2, 2013).
1st Footnote Reference
Director First Name Surname (dir.), Title of Programme in italics (Channel of Broadcast, Year of Broadcast). Time stamp to which you are referring if possible.
1ST FOOTNOTE REFERENCE EXAMPLE
Francis Hanly (dir.), Howard Goodall’s Story of Music (BBC2, 2013).
Further Footnote Reference to the same item
Director Surname, Title of programme in italics Time stamp to which you are referring if possible.
FURTHER FOOTNOTE REFERENCE TO THE SAME ITEM EXAMPLE
Hanly, Howard Goodall’s Story of Music.

Films

In a Bibliography
Director Surname, First Name (dir.). Title of Film in italics (Production Company/Distributor, Country of Production, Year of Release)
BIBLIOGRAPHY EXAMPLE
Palmer, Tony (dir.). Rachmaninoff: The Harvest of Sorrow (NVC Arts [Warner], USA, 1998)
1st Footnote Reference
Director First Name Surname (dir.). Title of Film in italics (Production Company/Distributor, Country of Production, Year of Release) Time stamp to which you are referring
1ST FOOTNOTE REFERENCE EXAMPLE
Tony Palmer (dir.), Rachmaninoff: The Harvest of Sorrow (NVC Arts [Warner], USA, 1998), 20:00-4:05
Further Footnote Reference to the same item
Director Surname Title of Film in italics (Time stamp to which you are referring)
FURTHER FOOTNOTE REFERENCE TO THE SAME ITEM EXAMPLE
Palmer, Rachmaninoff, 30:34-34:00  


 

Editions, reprints

Sometimes several dates of publication are listed on the page that contains bibliographic data. Usually these refer to the reprints of the text. In such cases, it is sufficient to cite the most recent date. However, if there has been revision between reprints then these changes are usually discussed/mentioned (sometimes in a preface) and may be significant. In such cases ‘2nd edition’, ‘3rd edition’ OR ‘revised and expanded’ etc. is usually stated. This information may be included with the date of the reference/bibliographic entry. Furthermore, the original publication may have been revised by another person. Again, this information should be included.  

2003/2nd rpt. denotes 2nd reprint, 1916.
2003/3rd edn denotes 3rd edition, 2003.
2003/3rd edn, rev. by J. Brown denotes 3rd edition, 2003, revised by J. Brown, who in this case 
is not the author. If the publication was revised by the author, there is no need to mention their name again here.

1ST REFERENCE EXAMPLE
Michael Talbot, The Dent Master Musicians: Vivaldi (London, 1993/2nd edn), p.29.
The example above is a 1st reference. In this case, the author has been responsible for revising the 
original work. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY EXAMPLE
Piston, Walter. Harmony (London, 1994/2nd edn, rev. by Mark DeVoto).
The example above is in bibliographic format. Walter Piston’s textbook on Harmony has been revised and expanded substantially by Mark DeVoto. This version became the fourth edition of Harmony to be published in the USA but was only the second British edition. As this is the British edition of the text (indicated by the bibliographic details), ‘2nd edition’ has been stated. Together with the place of publication this very clearly indicates that the British edition of the text has been used.
 

Dictionary or encyclopaedia, an extract from

In a Bibliography
Author Initial, Surname, ‘Title of Entry’, in the Title of dictionary or encyclopaedia, Name of editor/s preceded by ed. by, edition, volume # (Place of publication: Publisher, Year of Publication), page numbers of entry.
BIBLIOGRAPHY EXAMPLE
Gerhard Allroggen, ‘E. T. A. Hoffmann’, in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, ed. Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell, 2nd edn, vol. 8 (London: Macmillan, 2001), 585–94.
1st Footnote Reference
Author Initial, Surname, ‘Title of Entry’, in the Title of dictionary or encyclopaedia, Name of editor/s preceded by ed. by, edition, volume # (Place of publication: Publisher, Year of Publication), page numbers of entry (page# of reference).
1ST FOOTNOTE REFERENCE EXAMPLE
Gerhard Allroggen, ‘E. T. A. Hoffmann’, in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, ed. Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell, 2nd edn, vol. 8 (London: Macmillan, 2001), 585–94 (587).
Further Footnote Reference to the same item
Author Surname, ‘Title of Entry’, p.# of reference.
FURTHER FOOTNOTE REFERENCE TO THE SAME ITEM EXAMPLE
Gerhard Allroggen, ‘E. T. A. Hoffmann’, p.587
 

There is no need to cite the page range again. The page number indicates reference to a specific location in the main text

Images, photographs, posters etc.

Images and photographs, (along with tables, figures and graphs) created by others are usually protected by copyright. Under our Higher Education licence we can usually use these for non-commercial research/private study but they cannot be made publicly available electronically without seeking the permission of the copyright holder. 

In your assignment you would put the title of the image underneath it and then in your footnote give the full details of the source, that might be from a book or article and if so you would comply with the rules detailed earlier in the guide or it may be an artwork you have viewed in which case you would make sure the following details were in the footnote:

Artist, Title, Year Created, Medium used (oil, canvas etc.) Gallery/Museum item held, City artwork is/was displayed in.

Translations

Translations of works should include the translator as well as the original author. In your footnote you should put the translated date, but you may wish to add the date of the original work at the end of your reference.
EXAMPLE
Edith Stein, On the Problem of Empathy. Trans. By Wes Stein, (Washington D.C.: ICS Publications, 1989) (Original work published 1916).
 

Report

Author’s Name or Corporate Author (you can put any well-used acronym in parentheses), Title of Report (in italics) (Place of publication: Publisher, Year of publication). Report number if there is one.

And an online report:

Author’s Name or Corporate Author (you can put any well-used acronym in parentheses), Title of Report (in italics) (Place of publication: Publisher, Year of publication). Report number if there is one.
Available: web address (Authored Year, Date Accessed: Day Month Year)
EXAMPLE
Department For Education and Department of Culture, Media and Sport, The Importance of Music; A National Plan for Music Education (UK: Department for Education, 2011).

And an online report would look like this:

Department For Education and Department of Culture, Media and Sport, The Importance of Music; A National Plan for Music Education (UK: Department for Education, 2011).
Available: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/180973/DFE-00086-2011.pdf (Authored 2011, Date Accessed: 24th August 2016].
 

Corporate author (rather than a person e.g. business, organisation etc.)

Corporate Author (you can put any well-used acronym in parentheses), Title of Book (in italics), Edition if not the first (Place of publication: Publisher, Year of publication).
EXAMPLE
Scottish Consultative Council on the Curriculum, Expressive Arts 5-14 Exemplification (GB: SCCC, 1994).
 

Act of Parliament

You may quote from Acts of Parliament within your text and you do so by quoting the title of the Act and the year; (Special Educational Needs and Disability Act, 2001). See the example below for how to reference in your bibliography. 

The author is always the country of origin, the short title of the Act should appear in italics followed by the year with the chapter number (or running number as sometimes called) given in brackets. The place of publication and publisher should also appear:

Author/Country of origin. Title of Act (in italics), Year (chapter number c.#) (Place of publication: Publisher).
EXAMPLE
Great Britain. Special Educational Needs and Disability Act, 2001 (c.2) (London: HMSO).


 

Writing your bibliography/reference list - some FAQs

How do I reference electronic versions of books and articles?

In general, most books and journal articles should be referenced just as if they were paper, whether you read them in an online format or not. This is the case for most journal articles; however, it is becoming increasingly common for articles to be made available online before they have been published in a particular issue. Such articles have no volume, issue or page number information. If you happen to read what is often referred to as an Online First, Early View or Article in Press article you should reference it as such. When quoting within your text you will have to use the page numbers the PDF reader assigns. So the first page of the article would be page one (whereas in the published version it may well be page 56!) and so on. 
An example of how to reference such an article in your bibliography can be found under Writing your bibliography: some examples - Journal article in this guide. It is best to say it is Online First with the published date and the DOI (the digital object identifier). The DOI is an international standard which is used instead of a URL as a reliable way of giving the location of a journal (a publisher may change and thus the URL would too, but the DOI will remain the same regardless). There is no need to add the DOI to all article references; it is simply a good idea when you do not have the complete information – e.g., the page numbers or the issue number.

Electronic books are similar. An online book from Ebook Central appears pretty much as it would in paper format and the page numbering is usually the same. Therefore you can reference using page numbers without having to refer to the fact that you read it online. Books read on e-book readers such as the Kindle are different. The Kindle, as an example, does use page numbers but these differ depending on how large you have the text, the font style etc. It is best to state in your bibliography that you read the Kindle edition (see examples under Writing your bibliography: some examples - Book read via an e-reader in this guide). The best way to reference a quote from a book via a Kindle is to use the location numbers which are specific to each line of text so for example:

“Extending one’s sense of self in the form of abstract representation is one of our most fundamental expressions of humanity” 1

1. Jeremy N. Bailenson and Andrew C. Beall, ‘Transformed social interaction: exploring the digital plasticity of avatars’ in Ralph Schroeder and Ann-Sofie Axelsson (eds.) Avatars at Work and Play. Collaboration and Interaction in Shared Virtual Environments, (Netherlands: Springer, 2006), Locations 142-49 of 229.

What does ibid and et al. mean?

Make sure that you understand exactly how each of these abbreviations works before applying them. If in any doubt, adhere to the systems listed above.

ibid. = ibidem, which means ‘in the same place’.  It can only be used for a citation immediately following the citation to which it refers.  This reference is repeated up to the point where the details change.

FOR EXAMPLE (1ST FOOTNOTE REFERENCE):

Umberto Eco, A Theory of Semiotics (Bloomington and London, 1976), p.4.
And in the very next footnote: Ibid., p.20

op. cit. = opere citato, which means ‘in the cited work’. It replaces the title of a book in later citations. Obviously, it cannot be used if more than one book by that author is cited. Nowadays, it is more usual to use a short form of the title in later citations and to avoid the use of op. cit. altogether. Recommendation: to use the shorter title.

loc. cit. = loco citato, which means ‘in the cited place’. It replaces both the title of the book AND the page reference in later citations. Obviously, it can be used ONLY if one book by that author is cited AND if the page number is the same as in ALL the earlier citations.  Nowadays it is little used.

id. = idem, which means ‘the same person’ In theory, for a female author eadem should be used, though this is rarely done. It can be used for a citation immediately following the citation to which it refers.

FOR EXAMPLE (1ST FOOTNOTE REFERENCE):

Umberto Eco, A Theory of Semiotics (Bloomington and London, 1976), p.4.
And in the next footnote:  Id., Kant and the Platypus: Essays on Language and Cognition (London, 1999), p.12

et al. = and others - used when referring to more than two writers, e.g. see Bush, Jones et al. (eds) (1981) would be used for Bush, Jones and Smith.
et seq. = and (the) following
q.v. = which see - a reference to see the work mentioned, usually for further detailed information.
p. and pp. Stands for page and pages so p. 7 and pp. 234-250

Referencing non-English authors

From time to time, you will have to reference non-English names. The following is a general guide:

1.    German names
Sometimes German names are preceded with von or van. In general, the particle is dropped in favour of citing the family name alone e.g., Beethoven is not normally referred to as van Beethoven.
In a bibliography you can use:

Beethoven, L. van (1817) or, Beethoven van, L. (1817)

2.       Dutch and Belgian names
Dutch names can have a variety of particles though the most common is van or van der. They normally appear in lower case e.g., Ruud van Nistelrooy. In comparison, in Belgium the particle almost always has a capital e.g., Paul Van Look. In contrast to German names the Dutch particle is used when commenting in the text e.g., “van Nistelrooy scored a cracker against Arsenal”, but as with German names the particle is dropped in an alphabetical list:

Gogh, V., van (1891) or, Gogh van, V. (1891)
Look, P., Van (2002) or, Look Van, P. (2002)

American names of Dutch descent often have been assimilated within the surname e.g., Ray DeVries and would be referenced as DeVries, R. (2000). 

Last revised by Claire Molloy, August 2023