From RGU Harvard to Cite Them Right Harvard

This section shows the main differences between RGU Harvard and Cite them Right Harvard, with examples for the most common resource types.

What's Different in Cite Them Right Harvard?

Some of the main overall changes with Cite Them Right are:

  • Writing the author names in Title Case, as oposed to CAPITALISING.
  • The addition of (round brackets) around the publication date.
  • Not including [online] for most sources accessed via the internet.
  • Placing (round brackets) around last accessed dates, rather than [square brackets].
  • No requirement for publishing information, except for book references.
  • Changes in punctuation within references and in-text citations (e.g. the use of 'single quotation marks' around article titles and the use of commas between elements of in-text citations).

Referencing Books

Book references in RGU Harvard and Cite Them Right (CTR) Harvard are very similar and the changes are accounted for in the general differences section above. General author rules such as the use of et al. when there are more than three authors will remain the same as in current RGU Harvard guidance.

Compare the styles

You can copy this URL to share a direct link to this referencing template:

RGU Harvard (old)

AUTHOR'S SURNAME, First Initial(s)., Publication year. Book title. Edition(if not first). Place of publication: Publisher.

Example

Citation

(Thomas et al. 2022) or (Thomas et al. 2022 p. 26)

Reference List

THOMAS, J. et al., 2022. Research methods in physical activity. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

CTR Harvard (New)

Author's surname, First initial(s). (Publication year) Book title. Edition (if not first). Place of publication: Publisher.

Example

Citation

(Thomas et al., 2022) or (Thomas et al., 2022, p. 26)

Reference List

Thomas, J. et al. (2022) Research methods in physical activity. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Notes

Citation A comma is inserted between the different elements of the citation. (Author, Year, Page number)

Ebooks - In most cases ebooks will be referenced in exactly the same way as print books. Most ebooks will have the same publication details as print books and can be referenced as such. A separate ebook template will be made available for items that are only published online and do not have full publisher information.

Referencing Journal Articles

In RGU Harvard, we referenced journal articles as print, unless they were published only online, regardless of how the articles were accessed. This was very confusing for students. CTR Harvard is much better placed to handle journal articles accessed online.

Main differences:

  • Article titles are surrounded by 'single quotation marks'
  • DOIs or URLs are included if the article is accessed online
  • An access date is not included when using a DOI
  • An access date is included when using a URL
  • Missing elements such as volume or page numbers can be left out
  • There is a comma between the different elements of the in-text citation. (Author, Year, Page number)

Compare the styles

You can copy this URL to share a direct link to this referencing template:

RGU Harvard (old)

SURNAME, First initial(s)., Publication year. Article title. Journal Title, Volume(Issue), page number(s).



Example

Citation

(Yang 2023) or (Yang 2023 p. 4)

Reference List

Accessed in print or online

YANG, C. 2023. Changing mindsets to create a new mental health nursing care landscape. Journal of Nursing, 70(4), pp. 4-6.

CTR Harvard (new)

Author's surname, First initial(s). (Publication year) 'Article title', Journal title, Volume(Issue), page reference or article number. Available at: DOI or URL (Accessed: date - if using the URL).

Example

Citation

(Yang, 2023) or (Yang, 2023, p. 4)

Reference List

Accessed in print

Yang, C. (2023) 'Changing mindsets to create a new mental health nursing landscape', Journal of Nursing, 70(4), pp. 4-6.

Accessed online (DOI)

Yang, C. (2023) 'Changing mindsets to create a new mental health nursing landscape', Journal of Nursing, 70(4), pp. 4-6. Available at: 10.6224/JN.202308_70(4).01

Accessed online (URL)

Yang, C. (2023) 'Changing mindsets to create a new mental health nursing landscape', Journal of Nursing, 70(4), pp. 4-6. Available at: https://ezproxy.rgu.ac.uk/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,shib&db=ccm&AN=166098134&scope=site (Accessed: 30 Jan 2024).

Referencing Websites

While widely similar to the old RGU Harvard, website references are easier to construct in the CTR style.

Main differences:
  • No publication information is required
  • No need to specify [online]
  • Preceding the URL with 'Available at:' rather than 'Available from:'

Many standard rules will remain unchanged: authoring organisations and named authors will be treated the same as shown in the books and journal section. Acronyms can still be used in citations, as explained here.

Compare the styles

You can copy this URL to share a direct link to this referencing template:

RGU Harvard (old)

AUTHOR'S SURNAME, First initial(s)., Publication year. Page title. [online]. Place of publication: Publisher. Available from: URL [Accessed date].

Example

Citation

(NHS Inform 2022)

Reference List

NHS INFORM, 2022. Covid status: common questions. [online]. Edinburgh: NHS Inform. Available from: https://www.nhsinform.scot.nhs-scotland-covid-status/covid-status-common-questions/ [Accessed 05 April 2023].

CTR Harvard (new)

Author's surname, First initial(s). (Publication Year) Page title. Available at: URL (Accessed: date).

Example

Citation

(NHS Inform, 2022)

Reference List

NHS Inform (2022) Covid status: common questions. Available at: https://www.nhsinform.scot.nhs-scotland-covid-status/covid-status-common-questions/ (Accessed: 05 April 2023).

Notes

Citation A comma is inserted between the different elements of the in-text citation. (Author, year)

Websites with a named author - the example we have provided is authored by an organisation (NHS Inform) rather than a named individual. If the website has a named author then they should be used in preference to an organisation name. The format would follow the same author conventions as books and journal articles - Author surname, First initial(s).

More templates

Check the templates page for more CtR Harvard templates for the most common media types. This page is a work in progress and will be continually updated during the summer. The full set of templates will be available by September 2024.

If you require a template that is not included in the template set then please contact us for advice. Email the team at library.support@rgu.ac.uk