Parenthetical referencing
Contents |
[edit] Introduction
Parenthetical referencing, also known as ‘Harvard referencing’ is a method for citing works.
Designing Buildings Wiki adopts the ‘author date’ style of parenthetical referencing. In this method, the (author surname, date of publication) is included in the body of the text after the description of the work being cited. The full reference is then included in a references section at the end of the document.
[edit] Within the text
The (author, date) within the text can be presented as:
- (author, date).
- (author, date a,b,c etc) with references a,b,c etc. in date order if more than one publication is cited from the same author from the same year.
- (author 1 and author 2, date) if there are two authors.
- (author et al. date) if there are more than two authors.
- (author, date, P.No.) if a particular page number is being cited.
[edit] Full reference
The full reference at the end of the document is presented as:
[edit] Book:
- Surname, Initial of author(s). (date of publication) Name of publication, Place of publication, Name of publisher.
[edit] Journal:
- Surname, Initial of author(s). (date of publication) Article title, Journal name, volume, pages.
[edit] Online content:
- Surname, Initial of author(s) or editor(s). or organisation name (date of publication if known) Title, Place of publication (if known), Name of publisher (if known). Available from: URL [Accessed Date]. Ideally the accessed date should include a time. This is necessary for editable content that might change through the course of a day.
[edit] Chapter in multi-contributor book
- Surname, Initial of author(s). of chapter. (date of publication) Title of chapter, in Surname, Initial of author(s) of book, Name of publication, Place of publication, Name of publisher, pages.
[edit] Unknown information
- n.d if the date of publication is unknown.
- n.p if the place of publication or publisher is unknown.
- Anon. if the author is unknown.
[edit] Citing articles on Designing Buildings
Featured articles and news
ECA, JIB and JTL back Fabian Society call to invest in skills for a stronger built environment workforce.
Women's Contributions to the Built Environment.
Calls for the delayed Circular Economy Strategy
Over 50 leading businesses, trade associations and professional bodies, including CIAT, and UKGBC sign open letter.
The future workforce: culture change and skill
Under the spotlight at UK Construction Week London.
A landmark moment for postmodern heritage.
A safe energy transition – ECA launches a new Charter
Practical policy actions to speed up low carbon adoption while maintaining installation safety and competency.
Frank Duffy: Researcher and Practitioner
Reflections on achievements and relevance to the wider research and practice communities.
The 2026 Compliance Landscape: Fire doors
Why 'Business as Usual' is a Liability.
Cutting construction carbon footprint by caring for soil
Is construction neglecting one of the planet’s most powerful carbon stores and one of our greatest natural climate allies.
ARCHITECTURE: How's it progressing?
Archiblogger posing questions of a historical and contextual nature.
The roofscape of Hampstead Garden Suburb
Residents, architects and roofers need to understand detailing.
Homes, landlords. tenants and the new housing standards
What will it all mean?
The Architectural Technology podcast: Where it's AT
Catch-up on the latest episodes.
Edmundson Apprentice of the Year award 2026
Entries now open for this Electrical Contractors' Association award.
Traditional blue-grey slate from one of the oldest and largest UK slate quarries down in Cornwall.
There are plenty of sources with the potential to be redeveloped.
Change of use legislation breaths new life into buildings
A run down on Class MA of the General Permitted Development Order.
Solar generation in the historic environment
Success requires understanding each site in detail.























