Referencing books
A Harvard book reference, according to Cite them right, usually follows the sequence as listed below but you need to check your guidelines if you are using a different referencing style and make the necessary adjustments.
Author(s)/Editor(s,) (Year of publication) Title: subtitle. Edition (if relevant). Place of publication: publishers name, Series title and volume number (if relevant).
Authors (Who)
The name should be listed in the order that they appear on the title page and should be entered in the form: Surname or family name first, followed by the initials of the author's first name(s) abbreviated with full stops and with no spaces separating them:
Patel, J.D. and Hargreaves, J.S.
If the authors are listed as editors the suffix ed. or eds. should be added:
Patel, J.D. (ed.)
Jones, R. and Chan, K.L.P. (eds.)
If the book has a corporate author (written by a business or organisation) this should be entered in full in place of individual authors' names:
Royal College of Nursing (RCN)
Harvard Business School
Year of publication (When)
This is the year that the book was published. Enter the year (in round brackets) after the author details.
Title and edition (What)
The title should be entered exactly as it appears on the title page (including any subtitles). Please note, however, that you should only capitalise the first letter of the first word of the title and any proper nouns. The title should be emphasised in some way (usually using italic text) and is followed by a full stop: How to cite your references: Harvard system.
If it is not the first edition of the book then this must be indicated with the number of the edition followed by a full stop, after the title. Edition is abbreviated to edn. in the Harvard style: How to cite your references: Harvard system. 3rd edn.
Publishing details (Where)
The place of publication is usually a city or state. If there are several places that publish the book it is usual to cite the UK city if there is one. If the city is outside the UK it is usual to state the country, town or city or city and state, for example Los Angeles, [Calif.]. The publisher is the name of the company that publishes the book. Always enter the full name of the publisher. The place of publication is followed by a colon (:) and the name of the publisher is followed by a full stop.
Manchester: Rainbow Press.
Series
Sometimes books are published as part of a series. You should include the name of the book series and individual volume number, if relevant, after the publisher details.
London: Dragon Publishers. Academic skills series, 5.
For more information on how to reference books please read the appropriate section of your referencing stlye manual. See the Referencing and plagiarism guide on Skills Plus for a list of useful general textbooks,style manuals and other resources. Alternatively consult your academic staff or school referencing guidelines.
Top tip
If you are not sure about the details to use for your reference after looking at the book you could always check the Library Catalogue where you should find all the information you need. For example have a look at this catalogue entry, click on the link (it will open in a separate window) and you will find the details you require.
The guide to learning and study skills: for higher education and at work
Author(s)= Drew, S. and Bingham, R.
Year of publication = 2010
Title = The guide to learning and study skills: for higher education and at work
Published (where and by whom) = Farnham: Gower.
