While studying for a higher degree in college or university, your instructor may assign you the task of writing a blog. You must write a good blog but may struggle with the referencing part. Referencing is the most difficult part of writing a blog. Most institutes prefer to do referencing according to the Harvard style.
As a student, you must include your references to the blog according to Harvard style with proper in-text citations. However, most university students are confused during referencing according to this style. They don’t have a proper understanding of that referencing style. To help you in this matter, I’m writing this article.
This article will explain a complete guide on referencing a blog using the Harvard style.
Types of Referencing using Harvard Style
The most common referencing style that is used in blog and academic writing is the Harvard style. It was established by Harvard university in the 1880s. This style of referencing uses the author-date system. In academic and blog writing, mostly physiotherapists and nursing students use it. However, this referencing style was generated by Harvard University. Many other universities also follow this referencing style in their academic writing. This style of referencing includes two types of citations. That are:
- In-text Citation
- Reference List
In-text Citation
An in-text citation is used when you include paraphrased information from other sources. Citation means you are citing the included information that is copied from another source. You must provide in-text citations right after including the copied information. To include an in-text citation, write the author’s name with the publication year of the source.
For example:
“After that, they start doing practice..” ( David 2001).
Reference List
The reference list is included at the end of the blog. It provides the full reference to the sources from where you collect the information about the topic. It has a specific format. That is:
Author’s Last name, First initial. (Publication Year). ‘BlogPost title’, Internet Site Title. Available at: URL (Accessed: Date of Access).
Referencing a Blog using Harvard Style
The following elements must exist in the references to cite a blog using the Harvard style:
Name of Author
- Write the last name of the author followed by the first initial of the first name. For example, (Steve, J.).
- If there are up to three authors, write their names with the last name proceeded by “and”. For example, (Steve, J., Henrey, S., and David, H.).
- You can include the reference of your source up to six authors by adding “et al.” after the first author’s last name. For example, David, H. et al.
Year of Publication
- Just include the publication year in the round bracket after writing the names. For example, Steve, J. (1998)., Steve, J., Henrey, S., and David, H. (2000)., or David, H. et al. (2001).
Blog Post Title
- Present the title of the post blog in a single quotation mark right after writing the publication year. For example, David, H. et al. (2001). ‘How to use Harvard style for Referencing’,.
Internet Site Title
- Present the title of the internet site where you post the blog after the title of the blog. For example, David, H. et al. (2001). ‘How to use Harvard style for Referencing’, Hello Giggles.
Publication Date and Month
- Provide the date and month of the publication year. For example, David, H. et al. (2001). ‘How to use Harvard style for Referencing’, Hello Giggles. 04 May.
Available at URL
- After writing the date and month of the publication year, provide the URL of the Web page from where you find the source. For example, David, H. et al. (2001). ‘How to use Harvard style for Referencing’, Hello Giggles. 04 May. Available at: URL
Access Date
- At the end of the reference, give the access date in the round bracket. For example, David, H. et al. (2001). ‘How to use Harvard style for Referencing’, Hello Giggles. 04 May. Available at: URL (Accessed: 21 December 2022).
Importance of Referencing in Blog
Referencing is very important in blog writing because it prevents plagiarism in your content. Plagiarism means you are copying and including the information, idea, or results in your blog from other sources. Plagiarism in any form of writing is not acceptable in academic institutes, businesses, and organisations. To avoid this, you must present a citation of the source in your blog.
Referencing is a key to presenting evidence to support the including information and ideas in the blog. It shows how deeply you researched your topic and collected information and data about it. Because of this, it impacts a long-lasting effect on the reader or professor.
Here are some advantages of referencing using the Harvard style:
Credit to the Author
It is very important to provide credit to the original author of the source. Using proper citation formation, like the Harvard style, would be best. Adding references to your blog will improve its authenticity.
Increase the In-Depth Knowledge
When writing a blog for your academic institute, it is normal to research to collect information and data about the topic. For this sake, you use different sources such as books, journals, magazines, research papers, and many others.
You will surely learn more about the topic when you include references to other sources in your blog. However, when you list all of these references in your paper, your readers or professor will learn more about the topic by reading those sources.
Enhance Credibility
Including references in your blog will lower the chance of plagiarism. Which results in, automatically enhances the credibility of your blog.
Conclusion
Your professor always assigns you the task of writing a blog. Blog writing is an important part of your studies. It is used to enhance the in-depth knowledge, writing, and communication skills of the students. Most universities prefer to cite and reference the sources in the Harvard style. However, this referencing style is not difficult, but students struggle while including the references in their blogs. Referencing is very important because it enhances the credibility of your work. To do proper referencing, you must understand the general format of the Harvard referencing style.
