reference manual – a manual containing information organized in a summary manner.

a book containing useful facts or specially organized information, as an encyclopedia, dictionary, atlas, yearbook, etc. Also called pass, passbook.

What are some examples? There are many types of reference sources, including dictionaries, encyclopedias, thesauri, directories, and almanacs. More broadly, reference sources can also include bibliographies, manuals, handbooks, atlases, and gazetteers. You can find these resources in print and online.

The basics of a Reference List entry for an encyclopedia or dictionary entry:

1. Author or authors. The surname is followed by first initials.
2. Year.
3. Title of encyclopedia or dictionary entry.
4. Title of encyclopedia or dictionary (in italics).
5. Publisher.
6. Place of publication.

title of the source (in italics) date the dictionary or thesaurus was published, posted, or revised (Use the copyright date noted at the bottom of this and every page of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.) full URL of the site (up to and including the file name) date you accessed the dictionary (in parentheses)

If you are creating an in-text citation for a dictionary entry, you would follow APA’s standard in-text citation guidelines of including the first part of the reference and the year. For example, your in-text citations might look like this: (Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 1999) or (Onomatopoeia, n.d.).

Explanation

1. Title & subtitle of the book: In Merriam-Webster’s dictionary. Put the word “In” followed by the title.
2. Edition of book: (11th ed.). Place the edition number in parentheses after the book title.
3. Place of publication: Springfield, MA:
4. Publisher: Merriam-Webster.

Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, Inc. To cite a definition within the text, you would place the defined word and the date of publication in parentheses after the relevant phrase and before the punctuation mark. If the definition is quoted, you must also add the page number.

Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Entry.” Title of Encyclopedia or Dictionary, Publication or Update Date, URL. Accessed Day Month Year site was visited. McLean, Steve.

First name, Surname (if known), number edition. (Location: Publisher, Year of publication), s.v. “Title of Entry,” URL if entry came from online source. Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004), s.v. “Parable.”

MLA format follows the author-page method of in-text citation. This means that the author’s last name and the page number(s) from which the quotation or paraphrase is taken must appear in the text, and a complete reference should appear on your Works Cited page.

In A.A. Editor (Ed.), Title of resource (edition). Retrieved date from URL. (Cambridge University Press, n.d.) Author, A.A. (date).

To cite a dictionary definition in APA style, start with the word you’re citing, followed by the publication year, the dictionary name, and the publisher or URL. If there is no publication date, replace it with “n.d.” (“no date”). (“Documentation,” n.d.) (Lariviere, n.d.)

Elizabeth Walter (Author of Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary)

Harvard style referencing is an author/date method. Sources are cited within the body of your assignment by giving the name of the author(s) followed by the date of publication. All other details about the publication are given in the list of references or bibliography at the end.

Reference structure and example: Author Surname, Initials. (Publication Year) ‘Article title’, Newspaper/Magazine Name, Day Month Published, Page(s). Available at: URL or DOI (Accessed: date).

When writing a reference list in Harvard style:

1. Arrange the list alphabetically by author’s surname.
2. Sort the Swedish letters ä – ö – å like you sort the Norwegian letters æ – ø – å
3. Start the reference list on a new page.
4. Include the edition if it is specified in the publication.

How to do I choose a citation style?

• APA (American Psychological Association) is used by Education, Psychology, and Sciences.
• MLA (Modern Language Association) style is used by the Humanities.
• Chicago/Turabian style is generally used by Business, History, and the Fine Arts.

The general formats of a book reference are:

1. Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (year). Book title. Location: Publisher.
2. Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (year). Book title.
3. Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (year). Book title.
4. Editor, A. A. (Ed.). (year).
5. Editor, A. A., & Editor B. B. (Eds.). (year).