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Music

Referencing style guide

Music uses the Harvard referencing style.  You are required to follow this guidance for all of your assessed work.  

Referencing examples for common music sources

In-text citation examples:

(Jess Glynne, 2015)


Reference list examples:

Jess Glynne (2015) Why me [download]. 3 mins. 31 secs. I cry when I laugh. London: Atlantic Records. Available from http://www.amazon.co.uk/Why-Me/dp/BOOXDD4WC8/ref=sr 1 1 ?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1434981993&sr=8-1 &keywords=jess+glynne+why+me [accessed 22 June 2015].


Format of reference:

  • Artist(s) stage name
  • Year of release in round brackets
  • Title of track (in italics only if it is not from an album)
  • In square brackets put CD/download, followed by a full stop
  • Length of track in minutes and seconds (if available) followed by a full stop
  • Title of album (if applicable) in italics, followed by a full stop
  • Place of production (if known), followed by a colon
  • Record label, followed by a full stop
  • If accessed online, put 'Available from' followed by the web address and in square brackets, put 'accessed' and the date you accessed the music track, followed by a full stop.

In-text citation example:

(Florence and The Machine, 2015)

 

Reference list example:

 

Florence and The Machine (2015) How big, how blue, how beautiful [download]. London: Island Records. Available from https://itun.es/gb/q-CF5 [accessed 25 June 2015].

Format of reference:

  • Artist(s) stage name
  • Year of release in round brackets
  • Title of album in italics
  • In square brackets put CD/download, followed by a full stop
  • Place of production (if known), followed by a colon
  • Record label, followed by a full stop
  • Publisher, followed by a comma
  • Put Available from, followed by the web address
  • If accessed online, put 'Available from', followed by the web address and in square brackets, put 'accessed' and the date you accessed the music track, followed by a full stop.

In-text citation examples:

(Mozart, 1989)


Reference list example:

Mozart, W.A. (1989) Benedictus [CD]. 5 mins. 14 secs. Requiem. Deutsche Grammophon.


Format of reference:

  • Composer (surname, initials)
  • Year of release in round brackets
  • Title of track
  • In square brackets put CD/download, followed by a full stop
  • Length of track in minutes and seconds (if available) followed by a full stop
  • Title of album (if applicable) in italics, followed by a full stop
  • If the performer is significant put Performed by, followed by the performer(s)' name (first initial, a full stop and their surname) followed by a full stop
  • Place of production (if known), followed by a colon
  • Record label, followed by a full stop
  • If accessed online, put 'Available from' followed by the web address and in square brackets, put 'accessed' and the date you accessed the music track, followed by a full stop.

In-text citation example:

(Wagner, 1966)


Reference list example:

Wagner, R. (1966) Tristan und Isolde [CD]. Conducted by K. Bohm. Hamburg, Germany: Polydor.


Format of reference:

  • Composer (surname, initials)
  • Year of release in round brackets
  • Title of album in italics
  • In square brackets put CD/download, followed by a full stop
  • If the performer/composer is significant put Performed/Conducted by, followed by the performer/conductor's name (first initial, a full stop and their surname) followed by a full stop
  • Place of production (if known), followed by a colon
  • Record label, followed by a full stop
  • If accessed online, put 'Available from' followed by the web address and in square brackets, put 'accessed' and the date you accessed the music track, followed by a full stop.

In-text citation example:

(Berlin, 1994)


Reference list example:

Berlin, I. (1994) There's no business like show business [score]. In: The Irving Berlin anthology. Milwaukee, USA: The Irving Berlin Music Company, 236-241.


Format of reference:

  • Composer (surname, initials)
  • Year of publication in round brackets
  • Title (and subtitle if applicable) of score (in italics only if it is a single score)
  • In square brackets put score followed by a full stop
  • If part of a collection, put 'In', followed by a colon, then Title of the collection in italics, followed by a full stop
  • Place of publication (if available)
  • Publisher, followed by a comma
  • Page range (if available) followed by a full stop.

Referencing examples for live and recorded performances

In-text citation examples:

(Thorne, 2023)

“The rest is silence” (Shakespeare, 1982, Act 5, Sc.2, 363)


Reference list example:

Thorne, J. (2023) Harry Potter and the cursed child [live performance]. London: Palace Theatre, 9 August.


Format of reference:

  • Artist/composer/choreographer/writer(s)’ name. If they use a stage name, give the name in full e.g. Florence and the Machine or Jess Glynne. Otherwise, use the standard format e.g. Wagner, R.
  • Year of performance in round brackets
  • Title of performance or short description, if more appropriate, in italics
  • In square brackets put live performance, followed by a full stop
  • If applicable put Performed by, followed by the name of the performer, followed by a full stop
  • Place of performance followed by a colon
  • Venue of the performance followed by a comma
  • Day and month of the performance, followed by a full stop.

 

In-text citation example:

(Johnson, undated)


Reference list example:

Johnson, B. (undated) Volpone [online performance]. Available from https://www-dramaonlinelibrary-com.proxy.library.lincoln.ac.uk/video?docid=do-9781350997677&tocid=do-9781350997677_4502752451001 [accessed 29 August 2023].


Format of reference:

  • Artist/composer/choreographer/writer(s)’ name. If they use a stage name, give the name in full e.g. Florence and the Machine or Jess Glynne. Otherwise, use the standard format e.g. Wagner, R.
  • Year of performance in round brackets
  • Title of performance or short description, if more appropriate, in italics
  • In square brackets put online performance, followed by a full stop
  • If applicable put Performed by, followed by the name of the performer, followed by a full stop
  • Place of performance (if known) followed by a colon
  • Venue of the performance (if known) followed by a comma
  • Day and month of the performance (if known), followed by a full stop.
  • Put Available from, followed by the web address
  • In square brackets put accessed and the date you accessed the performance, followed by a full stop.

Harvard Tutorial

This short tutorial explains why and when to reference and introduces you to the Harvard style of referencing.  It takes about 20 minutes to complete.

 

Plagiarism tutorial

This short tutorial explains what plagiarism is and also gives you tips on how to avoid it. It takes about 20 minutes to complete.

 

Referencing and Plagiarism

Why should I reference?

Referencing is important in academic writing and an essential part of any of your assignments. It:

  • allows you to acknowledge your sources,
  • gives academic credibility to your work,
  • demonstrates your knowledge of a subject area,
  • prevents accusations of plagiarism.

What is plagiarism?

dictionary definition of plagiarism: the wrongful publication as one's own, of the ideas, or the expression of the ideas of another

What should I reference?

You should always reference a source when:

  • using a direct quote
  • summarising a theory
  • discussing someone else's opinion
  • using case studies
  • quoting statistics or visual data
  • but not when stating your own opinion, observation or experience.
 

If you are unsure use this flowchart (right) to check whether you need to reference (click on the image to enlarge).

 flowchart showing the questions to ask yourself when consider when to cite sources