The Coventry University Guide to Referencing in Harvard Style

HOW TO REFERENCE A DICTIONARY OR ENCYCLOPAEDIA

 

1. How to reference a dictionary

 

In-text citation

 

Write the corporate author or the surname/s of the editor/s, followed by the date in brackets.

 

Examples

In the Concise Oxford English Dictionary, to paraphrase is defined as 'to express the meaning of something using different words'  (Oxford Dictionaries 2008).

 

Tax is usually defined as a mandatory contribution to the state budget (Downes and Goodman 1998).

 

To paraphrase means to rewrite something using your own words (Deuter, Bradbery and Turnbull 2016).

 

Reference

 

A. A dictionary accessed in print

 

Provide the corporate author or the editors, then the date in brackets, the title of the dictionary in italics, the edition and the volume number where applicable. Finally, write the place of publication followed by a colon then the publisher.

 

Examples
Oxford Dictionaries (2008) Concise Oxford English Dictionary. 11th edn. Oxford: Oxford University Press

 

Downes, J., and Goodman, J. E. (eds.) (1998) Dictionary of Finance and Investment Terms. 5th edn. New York: Barron’s

 

B. A dictionary accessed electronically

 

Provide the corporate author or the editors, then the date in brackets, the title of the dictionary in italics, the edition and the volume number where applicable. Write '[online]' then, if available, add the place of publication followed by a colon and the publisher. Finally, provide the URL and the date of access.

 

Example

Deuter, M., Bradbery, J., and Turnbull, J. (2016) Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. 9th edn. [online] Oxford: Oxford University Press.

available from <http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/> [18 February 2016]

 

2. How to reference an encyclopaedia entry

 

In-text citation

 

Provide the surname/s of the author/s and the date. Whenever reference is made to a specific page in the entry, the page number should also be provided, preceded by a colon.

 

Examples

'Dairy farming' is a type of agriculture focused on the production of milk and associated products (Pavliotis 2000: 782).

 

According to Webb (2016), 'dairying', also known as 'dairy farming', is a branch of agriculture that mainly involves the raising of cows for the production of milk.

 

Reference

 

A. An encyclopaedia accessed in print

 

Write the author’s or the authors' surname/s and initials then the year in brackets and put the title of the entry within single quotation marks followed by a full stop. Write ‘in’ and then the title of the encyclopaedia in italics followed by a full stop, then the edition and the volume number separated by full stops. Insert the place of publication, a colon, then the publisher, followed by a comma and the pages between which the encyclopaedia entry is found.

 

Example
Pavliotis, G. (2000) ‘Dairy Farming’. in The New Encyclopaedia Britannica. 3rd edn. vol. 20. London: Woodfords, 782-801

 

B. An encyclopaedia accessed electronically

 

Write the author’s or the authors' surname/s and initials then the year in brackets and put the title of the entry within single quotation marks followed by a full stop. Write ‘in’ and then the title of the encyclopaedia in italics followed by a full stop, then (if available) the edition and the volume number separated by full stops. Write '[online]' then, if available, add the place of publication followed by a colon and the publisher. Finally, provide the URL and the date of access.

 

Webb, B.H. (2016) 'Dairying' in Encyclopaedia Britannica [online] available from <http://www.britannica.com/topic/dairying> [18 February

2016]