Global StudySUPPORT
Let's Talk
Home/Academic Writing & Research
Academic Writing & Research

Referencing & Citation Checking

Verify source metadata, match citations to references and apply the required style consistently without inventing sources.

Areas of assistance

Verify source metadata, match citations to references and apply the required style consistently without inventing sources. Provide your institutional style guide, draft references and accessible source identifiers.

Topics we can explore

  • Harvard
  • APA 7th Edition
  • MLA 9th Edition
  • Chicago
  • IEEE
  • Vancouver
  • OSCOLA
  • AMA
  • ACS

Typical learning or professional deliverables

  • Citation-to-reference audit
  • Corrected reference examples
  • Style-consistency checklist

Deliverables depend on the agreed scope. Academic work remains your own; engineering and financial guidance does not replace qualified professional approval.

CHECK THE SOURCE. FOLLOW THE BRIEF.

Referencing, explained clearly.

These introductory examples use Charles Darwin’s 1859 book as an illustration. They demonstrate citation mechanics, not a recommendation to cite this source for your topic. Always verify the edition you actually read, the required style edition and your institution’s guide.

HarvardBusiness, social sciences and many university courses

In-text citations

Author and year in the text; add a page locator for direct quotations.

Reference list or bibliography

An alphabetical reference list, usually ordered by the author’s surname.

There is no single universal Harvard specification. Punctuation, italics, access dates and publisher/location rules depend on your institution.

Example in-text citation

(Darwin, 1859, p. 10)

Example reference / bibliography entry

Darwin, C. (1859) On the origin of species. London: John Murray.

Style guidance
APA 7th EditionPsychology, education and social sciences

In-text citations

Author–date citations, with a page number for a direct quotation.

Reference list or bibliography

An alphabetical reference list with hanging indents.

Book titles use sentence case and italics. Publisher locations are omitted; include a DOI when applicable.

Example in-text citation

(Darwin, 1859, p. 10)

Example reference / bibliography entry

Darwin, C. (1859). On the origin of species. John Murray.

Style guidance
MLA 9th EditionLiterature, languages and humanities

In-text citations

Author and page in parentheses, normally without a year or comma.

Reference list or bibliography

An alphabetical Works Cited list built from the core elements of the source.

Book titles are italicised and use title case. Containers describe sources published within larger works.

Example in-text citation

(Darwin 10)

Example reference / bibliography entry

Darwin, Charles. On the Origin of Species. John Murray, 1859.

Style guidance
ChicagoHistory and humanities; author–date also used in sciences and social sciences

In-text citations

Choose notes–bibliography or author–date according to the brief. The example uses a numbered footnote.

Reference list or bibliography

Notes–bibliography usually combines numbered notes and an alphabetical bibliography; author–date uses a reference list.

Keep the chosen system consistent. A note uses natural name order; a bibliography inverts the first author’s name.

Example footnote after a superscript marker

Charles Darwin, On the Origin of Species (John Murray, 1859), 10.

Example reference / bibliography entry

Darwin, Charles. On the Origin of Species. John Murray, 1859.

Style guidance
IEEEEngineering, computing and electronics

In-text citations

Numbered citations in square brackets, assigned by first appearance and reused for that source.

Reference list or bibliography

A numbered reference list in citation order.

Use author initials before surnames and source-specific punctuation. Add a page locator where appropriate.

Example in-text citation

[1, p. 10]

Example reference / bibliography entry

[1] C. Darwin, On the Origin of Species. London, U.K.: John Murray, 1859.

Style guidance
VancouverMedicine and health sciences

In-text citations

A numbered sequence in order of first citation. Brackets, parentheses or superscripts follow the institution or journal’s specification.

Reference list or bibliography

Numbered references in citation order; journal names commonly use standard abbreviations.

Record authors, title and publication details in the required order. NLM Citing Medicine provides source-type examples.

Example in-text citation

[1]

Example reference / bibliography entry

1. Darwin C. On the origin of species. London: John Murray; 1859.

Style guidance
OSCOLALaw and legal scholarship

In-text citations

Superscript footnote markers lead to legal authorities or secondary sources, with pinpoint references where needed.

Reference list or bibliography

Longer work may require a bibliography and separate tables of cases and legislation; follow the prescribed edition.

Use legal authority formats for cases and legislation. For secondary books, the note uses natural name order and a pinpoint without “p.”.

Example footnote after a superscript marker

Charles Darwin, On the Origin of Species (John Murray 1859) 10.

Example reference / bibliography entry

Darwin C, On the Origin of Species (John Murray 1859)

Style guidance
AMAMedicine, clinical research and health publications

In-text citations

Superscript Arabic numbers identify sources in order of first citation.

Reference list or bibliography

A numbered reference list, with author surnames followed by initials.

Use the journal’s instructions for source types, journal abbreviations and placement of citation markers around punctuation.

Example in-text citation

1

Example reference / bibliography entry

1. Darwin C. On the Origin of Species. John Murray; 1859.

Style guidance
ACSChemistry and related sciences

In-text citations

ACS permits numbered and author–date approaches; use the form specified by the journal or institution. The example uses a superscript.

Reference list or bibliography

Order the reference list to match the selected citation system.

Book references use author initials, an italicised title and publication details; article formats also require journal metadata.

Example in-text citation

1

Example reference / bibliography entry

1. Darwin, C. On the Origin of Species; John Murray: London, 1859.

Style guidance

Reference-management tools

Use software to organise sources and insert citations, then check its metadata and output against the original publications.

Zotero

Collect and organise sources, check metadata and insert citations into documents.

Explore Zotero

Mendeley

Organise research PDFs and references, annotate sources and manage citation information.

Explore Mendeley

EndNote

Maintain reference libraries and use output styles for citations and bibliographies.

Explore EndNote

We support research skills, editing, citation verification and original reference examples. We do not invent sources, fabricate research data or provide assessed work for submission as someone else’s own.

Questions about Referencing & Citation Checking

Is Harvard one universal format?

No. Harvard conventions differ between institutions; your course or university guide takes precedence.

What should I send with my enquiry?

Provide your institutional style guide, draft references and accessible source identifiers.

YOUR NEXT STEP STARTS HERE

A challenge in mind?
Let’s work through it.

Share your goals. We’ll help you find a clear way forward.

Tell us what you need