Harvard Referencing System - questions...?

Dinarius

The basic tenet of the HRS is that you cite your source within the body of the text. Correct?


So, for example, after quoting a line from a book, I would type exactly (Bloggs, Joe, "The Meaning of Life", p.81). Correct?


But, what if I reference this book another half a dozen times? Must I do the same thing (with different page numbers, where appropriate) or can I, say, generate footnotes for all subsequent references to this book?


The reason I ask is simply that, when one is restricted to a word count for an essay, as I am, the HRS eats into that word count.



Footnotes do not interfere with the main body of the text and, in my opinion, look far better on the page. But, the HRS seems to be what is required by many academic institutions.


Thanks.

D.

sderref

Hi,
not sure which institution you are at, however HRS slightly modified for every university- even in Ireland. Usually there is a writing session/ referencing session in every university where you can practice and they correct your style. I strongly advise you to attend one or two session to familiarize yourself with the requirements of your institutions .

Answering your question.
-HRS doesn't eat into your word count, as references are not included. When you finish your written work, there are tools to check your plagiarism before upload, and it gives you a pretty fine word count as well. Some tools are free, some are for a fee.
-direct quoting are dangerous, I never use them in short pieces( less than 1500w), as it can easily being misinterpreted by some on the way you are not concentrating to develop your own argument, instead you use direct quoting...
-not sure what do you mean by footnote in your case. I know its not permitted in Trinity or UCD, but it might be somewhere else.

You can find many guides from Irish and UK universities just google them. Plenty of YouTube tutorials as well.
Good luck for your writings!