Which referencing style should I use?

Unfortunately there is no standard style used at UQ. In some cases there is a standard style used by a particular school or discipline, but even in those cases it is still possible that a particular lecturer may require a different style. Students should check their course profile or ask their lecturer.

Researchers submitting a paper for publication in a journal should check the journal's Instructions for Authors, which will normally be available on the journal's website.

For guidance on some common problems, see our referencing FAQs.

Guides to Referencing Styles

1. Major Referencing Styles: ACS — AGLC — AGPS/AGIMO — APA — Chicago — CSE (CBE) — Harvard — IEEE — MLA — Vancouver

2. Referencing Styles of UQ Schools and Disciplines

Major Referencing Styles

ACS (American Chemical Society)

The style manual of the American Chemical Society is now in its third edition. It is widely used in chemistry and related disciplines.

The ACS manual gives instructions for numbered referencing and also for in-text (Harvard style) referencing.

ACS 3rd ed. -- Full details (6 MB)

AGLC (Australian Guide to Legal Citation)

This is now the standard Australian guide for referencing in Law. It is a footnote style and includes detailed provisions for referencing statutes, case reports and other legal materials.

Australian Guide to Legal Citation -- Full details

AGPS/AGIMO

This is the standard Australian style manual. It has been published in various editions over many years. Originally it was published by the Australian Government Publishing Service, and now it is published for the Australian Government Information Management Office. The latest edition (2002) was prepared by the consultants Snooks & Co.

This manual is widely used by Australian publishers. It forms the basis for the UQ Library Harvard style. The manual also contains provisions for numbered reference lists and footnote referencing.

AGPS/AGIMO ("Snooks & Co") 6th ed. -- UQ Library "How To" Guide
AGPS/AGIMO ("Snooks & Co") 6th ed. -- Full details (1.5 MB) or use searchable PDF (3.2 MB)
AGPS 5th ed. -- UQ Library "How To" Guide

APA (American Psychological Association)

This is the standard style used in Psychology, but it is also widely used in other disciplines, especially in the Social Sciences. It is one of the many variants of the Harvard style.

APA (American Psychological Association) 5th ed. -- UQ Library "How To" Guide
APA (American Psychological Association) 5th ed. -- Full details: Inserting references in the text
APA (American Psychological Association) 5th ed. -- Full details: Compiling the reference list (3.6 MB) or use searchable PDF (28.9 MB)
APA (American Psychological Association) Electronic References -- Full details

Note: The 6th edition of the APA publication manual was published in mid-2009. We anticipate that it will soon be in general use at UQ. Scanned extracts (1 MB) from the manual are now available. They are also available as a searchable PDF (2 MB).

Chicago Manual of Style

The Chicago Manual of Style (now in its 15th edition) is the most widely consulted of all style manuals. It includes provisions for footnote referencing, numbered reference lists and author-date referencing.

The Chicago Manual's footnote referencing system is widely used in the arts and humanities. Its author/date referencing provisions are also widely used, and constitute one of the many variants of the Harvard style.

Chicago Manual of Style 15th ed. (footnote referencing) -- UQ Library "How To" Guide
Chicago Manual of Style 15th ed. (author/date referencing) -- UQ Library "How To" Guide
Chicago Manual of Style 15th ed. -- Full details: Basic principles of referencing
Chicago Manual of Style 15th ed. -- Full details: Specific publication types

CSE (Council of Science Editors)

The manual of the Council of Science Editors (CSE) is now in its seventh edition. It was first issued in 1960 by the Council of Biology Editors and is still sometimes referred to as the CBE manual. It is widely used in the life sciences, and its provisions are applicable to other scientific disciplines also.

The CSE manual recommends a numbered referencing system, where the reference list is arranged alphabetically by author and numbered accordingly.

CSE 7th ed. -- Full details (14 MB)

Harvard

Harvard is a generic term for any style which contains author-date references in the text of the document, such as (Smith 1999). There will also be a list of references at the end of the document, arranged by authors' names and year of publication. There is no official manual of the Harvard style: it is just a generic term for the many styles which follow that format.

The UQ Library Harvard Style is based on the AGPS/AGIMO style manual. The latest edition of that manual is the 6th edition (2002).

Harvard 2002 -- UQ Library "How To" Guide
Harvard 2002 -- Full details from AGPS/AGIMO Style Manual (1.5 MB) or use searchable PDF (3.2 MB)
Harvard (Gatton Campus) -- UQ Library "How To" Guide

IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)

The IEEE is the major professional body and publisher in the fields of electrical engineering and computer science. Their style manual is widely used in those disciplines. It uses a numbered reference list.

The IEEE Computer Society has its own style manual, which is based on the IEEE manual but differs in some respects.

MLA (Modern Language Association of America)

The MLA style is widely used in the fields of modern literature and linguistics.

MLA referencing uses Harvard-style references in the text of the document, but without the year of publication.

The MLA style is published in two different publications: MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing and MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. These two publications contain identical guidelines for referencing.

MLA 3rd ed. (Manual) and 7th ed. (Handbook) -- UQ Library "How To" Guide
MLA 3rd ed. (Manual) and 7th ed. (Handbook) -- Full details: Citing sources in the text (0.7 MB) or use searchable PDF (1.1 MB)
MLA 3rd ed. (Manual) and 7th ed. (Handbook) -- Full details: Preparing the list of works cited (4.4 MB) or use searchable PDF (5.6 MB)

MLA 2nd ed. (Manual) -- UQ Library "How To" Guide
MLA 2nd ed. (Manual) -- Full details: Citing sources in the text (1.5 MB)
MLA 2nd ed. (Manual) -- Full details: Preparing the list of works cited (3.2 MB) or use high quality scan (28 MB)

Vancouver

Vancouver is a generic term for a style of referencing widely used in the health sciences, using a numbered reference list.

There is no official manual of the Vancouver style, but the US National Library of Medicine's style guide is now considered the most authoritative manual on this type of referencing.

Referencing Guides of UQ Schools and Disciplines

The following schools have their own official referencing guides.

Caution: Even if you are a student in one of these schools, you should still check which referencing style your lecturer prefers.