How to write references

The format you use to write your in-text citations and references will vary depending on the referencing style you use. Your school or department will recommend which citing and referencing style you should use.

The most important thing is to be consistent and make sure you include all the key information for a resource. 

Your school or department may provide you with a referencing handbook. However, the Library subscribes to a resource called Cite Them Right, which provides in-text citation and reference templates for all the resources you’re likely to use during your studies. A hard copy book version is also available at the Library.

Cite Them Right includes help pages and tutorials.

You will need to be enrolled on your course before you can access Cite Them Right. If you are accessing Cite Them Right off-campus, you can either login using your University username and password, or connect to our VPN Global Protect.

Watch this short video with some examples of references using the Harvard style, which is widely used at the University of Southampton.

Referencing and citing online resources