Citing your sources (also called referencing) is an essential part of your academic work. You can find out more from our page Reference and avoid plagiarism.
For Pathways modules, you need to reference your sources in the Harvard style set out in these guides:
- Cite Them Right Online shows you how to reference a wide range of sources (books, journal articles, websites) using exactly the same Harvard style used at Brookes. It also gives advice on using your sources in your written work and avoiding plagiarism.
- The Library also has a shorter guide to citing your references using the Harvard (Author-Date) system, available as a Word file or PDF.
Sample text and reference list in the Harvard style
If you want to see what Harvard referencing looks like, check this Sample text and reference list on Cite Them Right. This will help you understand what you're expected to produce in your own written work.
How to reference Mintel reports and newspaper articles
Referencing Mintel and other market research reports
Check Cite Them Right for guidance on how to reference market research reports in the Harvard style used at Oxford Brookes.
You can include images of charts and graphs from Mintel reports within your assignments if they help to illustrate the point you are making. You must always acknowledge the source where you obtained the image, in this case the Mintel report.
In the text of your essay or on a presentation slide, add a caption below the image (use the heading from the Mintel report). Note that illustrations in Mintel reports don’t have numbers, so this will help your reader. For example:
Sugar prices skyrocket
Put an in-text citation and identify what type of illustration it is, e.g. chart, graph.- this should include information that will help to identify the illustration. For example:
(Mintel, 2024, graph)
Put the full reference to the report in your bibliography / reference list, following the Cite Them Right guidance above. For example:
Mintel (2024) Attitudes towards Sugar & Sweeteners – UK – 2024. Available at: https://clients-mintel-com/ (Accessed: 18 October 2024).
More about about finding and using images in your assignments.
Referencing newspaper articles
Check Cite Them Right for guidance on how to reference newspaper articles in the Harvard style used at Brookes.
EndNote and other referencing tools
It's a good idea to keep track of your sources as you find them, so that it's easier to reference them later. LibrarySearch and many databases offer tools to help you save references as you search.
- LibrarySearch
In LibrarySearch you can use the cite option to get a citation for each item, formatted in the Harvard (Cite Them Right) style, however you should always check this against Cite Them Right and amend where necessary.
To find out more about the tools available on LibrarySearch, check this guide How to save and cite sources in LibrarySearch (Google slides). - Databases and Google Scholar
Google Scholar and many databases offer options for formatting references in a particular style. There are also many other referencing tools and apps but be aware that not all Harvard styles are the same as ours. Make sure you check your references against Cite Them Right or the Library guide and amend them if needed. - EndNote and other referencing tools
Endnote is a tool for storing and organising your references, and it will also work with Word or Pages to create a fully formatted bibliography from your reference library. Oxford Brookes Library offers guides, support and training with EndNote.
Get further help with referencing
Guides
- Cite Them Right Setting out quotations and Paraphrasing
- Centre for Academic Development Writing with sources and Paraphrasing
- How to use your reading in your essays by Jeanne Godfrey (print & e-book) has lots of advice on putting readings into your own words.
Asking for help
If you have a referencing query, contact the Library to Get help and support via live chat, by email or in person at the Welcome Desk. You can also make an appointment with a Librarian (online or face-to-face).
