In-text citations
- Paraphrase:
(Author, Year)– e.g.,(Smith, 2021) - Direct quote: include page/para –
(Author, Year, p. 23) - Two authors:
(Smith & Lee, 2022); 3+ authors:(Smith et al., 2020) - Organisation as author: use the org name –
(ACME, 2023) - Multiple sources together:
(Smith, 2021; Lee, 2019)
Match every in-text citation with a full entry in your bibliography, and vice versa.
Bibliography basics
- Order entries alphabetically by author surname.
- Use a consistent style throughout (capitalisation, punctuation, italics).
- Include DOIs or stable URLs where applicable.
- For web pages, include the date you accessed the content if required by your style.
Journal article
Author, A. (Year) ‘Article title’, Journal Title, Volume(Issue), pages. DOI
Example: Doe, J. (2022) ‘HR analytics’, People Management, 14(2), 45–58. https://doi.org/xx.xxxx
Book
Author, A. (Year) Book title. Publisher.
Example: Adams, R. (2021) Talent Strategy. Summit Press.
Secondary sources & figures
- Avoid citing secondary sources where possible; find and cite the original work.
- If you must cite a secondary source, make it explicit:
(Original Author, Year, as cited in Secondary Author, Year). - For tables/figures, include a caption and a source under the visual.
Common pitfalls
- Mismatched author/year between text and bibliography.
- Missing page numbers on direct quotes.
- Inconsistent title case or italics usage.
- Broken/unstable URLs without a retrieval date where required.