You must always provide a reference list at the end of your assignment, before any appendices. This is a list of sources you have used, in alphabetical order, organised by the family name of the author, and providing the publication details so that readers can see and find the sources you have used in your work.
You should only include sources you cited in your work. You may also be asked to provide a bibliography, which is a list of both the sources you have cited in your work, and the sources you have consulted but not cited. You should only provide a bibliography if you have been specifically asked to.
Your reference list should be consistent in style, using QMU’s version of Harvard, and only using another style if you have been specifically asked to in the assignment brief.
If you need further help, contact your Liaison Librarian or the Effective Learning Service.
If you cannot find the type of source you wish to reference in this guide, there is a general order you can follow for the elements of a reference. Where possible you should include the following elements, in this order, to make a reference as thorough and findable as possible:
Notes on order:
Always describe items as fully and clearly as possible, and in a consistent format.
What kind of link to choose
Sometimes more than one link will be available (for example for journal articles). You will need to decide which link to include. In order of preference, these are:
1. DOI (Digital Object Identifier)
A unique alphanumeric string assigned by a registration agency (The International DOI Foundation) to identify content and provide a persistent link to its location on the internet. The publisher assigns a DOI when an article is published and made available electronically.
For example: https://doi.org/10.1109/5.771073
A DOI is the best link to use because it is the most sustainable form of link through which readers should always be able to access the source.
2. Permalink (if there is no DOI listed)
A persistent URL that will return the user to the same resource every time.
For example: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/qmu/detail.action?docID=867683
If a DOI is not available and the URL is very long, the first part of the URL (the information before the first forward slash /) is sufficient for the reader to find your source.
3. URL (If there is neither a DOI nor a Permalink)
A location element that you can find address bar at the top of the web page. Because websites are updated often, the URL you save today may not work tomorrow. This is why DOIs and Permalinks are preferable.
For example: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng149
If you cannot find a DOI, permalink or URL to the specific source (such as an e-book), use the URL of the website as a whole (for example, ebookcentral.proquest.com/)
If you need further help, contact your Liaison Librarian or the Effective Learning Service.