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Harvard Referencing (AGSM)

Guide to the Harvard Referencing Style, as used by Australian Government bodies

Using URLs

The Style Manual states to hyperlink the title, however

  1. the source URL will not show when in print format 
  2. linking titles does not work in citation software (i.e. EndNote). 

Instead we recommend that you follow the Style Manual advice for print documents and include the URL text at the end of the reference after the full stop.

JCU adaptions to web pages, web documents and websites

In the Australian Government Style Manual web content is handled differently depending on whether it is a normal webpage written in html or if it is a document hosted on a webpage. There are also specific formats for media releases, government reports and other online materials.

For simplicity the JCU Library has used the web document format (see below) and adapted it for all content on web pages that is not a journal article, book or conference paper, a legal source or an image. 

Please refer to the Australian Government Style Manual  if you need to follow the style exactly, for example if you are writing for government reports or documents.

Web pages & documents

Use this format for all webpages and documents, irrespective of format or type of document.

Format

Author A (Year) Title of web site or document [type of document or page], Name of Website, accessed Day Month Year. URL

Organisation Name or Abbreviation (Year) Title of web document [type of document or page], Name of Website, accessed Day Month Year. URL

Examples

Normal webpages:

Chan J (2021) Los Angeles with kids [webpage], Lonely Planet, accessed 26 October 2021. https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/los-angeles-with-kids

Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (n.d.) Become a regular donor [webpage], RSPCA, accessed 01 November 2021. https://www.rspca.org.au/start-your-donation-story/regular

Documents hosted on websites:

JCU (James Cook University) (n.d.) Reconciliation action plan June 2023 - July 2025 [PDF], JCU, accessed 10 November 2023. https://www.jcu.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0014/1113206/Reconciliation-Action-Plan-2023-25.pdf

ADA (Australian Dental Association) (n.d.) The Australian Dental Health Plan: achieving optimal oral health [PDF], ADA, accessed 14 November 2023. https://treasury.gov.au/sites/default/files/2019-03/australian_dental_association_-_supporting_document.pdf

Media releases:

Butcher G (13 November 2021) SEQ residents urged to be waterwise [media release], Queensland Government, accessed 14 November 2021. https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/93786

Whole websites:

Regional Australia Institute (n.d.) Regional Australia Institute [website], accessed 14 October 2021. https://www.regionalaustralia.org.au/home/

Note:

  • General rules:
    • If you used a shortened form for an organisation's name in the in-text citation, then use the same shortened form in the reference list, followed by the spelt-out version (see example 3 above).
    • If the organisation's name is both the author of the webpage and the publisher/site sponsor, use the shortened form for the name of the website after the title even if the short form has not been used previously (see example 2 above).
    • Avoid linking to PDFs or other downloadable documents. Instead link to the page that hosts the document.
  • Media releases:
    • Use full date (Day Month Year) for media releases.
  • Whole websites:
    • Only cite a whole website if the information refers to the entire website and not a particular webpage or document.  
    • If you refer to content on a particular page you need to use the normal webpage format.

 

For EndNote users:

EndNote Reference Type Web Page
Field notes
  • If the format is date sensitive (e.g. media releases) enter the day and month in the Last Update Date field in the format day month.
  • Enter the type of document or page in the Type of Medium field - e.g. webpage, PDF, DOC, media release, website etc.
  • Enter the name of the site in the Publisher field.
  • Enter the day and month you accessed the site in the Access Date field.
  • Enter the year you accessed the site in the Access Year field.
  • If you are using a short form of an organisation's name in the text enter the abbreviation for the organisation in the author field. To add the full organisation name in brackets after the abbreviation in the reference list:
    • before submission convert the document to plain text
    • edit the converted to plain text version of your document to add the full organisation name in the reference list.

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Creative Commons Licence
Except where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International License. Content from this Guide should be attributed to James Cook University Library. This does not apply to images, third party material (seek permission from the original owner) or any logos or insignia belonging to JCU or other bodies, which remain All Rights Reserved.

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