The Coventry University Guide to Referencing in Harvard Style

HOW TO REFERENCE AN ONLINE DISCUSSION (on a forum, mailing list, social media page etc.)

 

In-text citation

 

Write the surname of the author of the contribution/comment you wish to cite and the date in brackets.

 

Example

Neurological rehabilitation has been under-funded for years (Lango 2005).

 

Reference

 

Provide the author’s surname and initials then the date of the email in brackets. Put the subject of the contribution/comment within single quotation marks followed by a full stop. Give the exact date in square brackets and then the title of the discussion in italics. Write ‘online’ in square brackets followed by a full stop. Write ‘available from’ and give the full web address starting with < and ending with > then give the date of access in square brackets.

 

Example

Lango, J. (2004) ‘Neuro-rehab in Warwickshire’. [30 May 2004] Psychiatric Nursing [online]. available from

<http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/psychology/ training/neurorehabilitation/ Warwickshire> [30 May 2005]

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

 

What should I do if I cannot find the author of a source?

 

Option 1

If the source is anonymous, you can write ‘Anon.’ instead of the author.

 

Example

In a review posted on a consumer forum, a user described the services of the company as 'unacceptable' (Anon. 2016).
 

Option 2

You can also give the corporate author or the title of the document instead of the author.

 

Examples

In a discussion thread on the company's Facebook page, several users described the services as 'unacceptable' or 'poor' (Facebook 2016).

In an online discussion on local companies that provide 'best value for money', a user described the services of this company as 'unacceptable' ('Unacceptable Services' 2016).