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UniversitiesNorth-West University (NWU)Referencing Guide
Referencing Guidev1 · Updated 2026

North-West University (NWU) — Referencing Guide

Primary style: Harvard. Always verify against your current module guide.

Harvard (NWU)

Primary

NWU uses the Harvard author-date referencing system as its primary style. This guide reflects NWU guidelines — always verify against your current module guide.

In-text citation

Place the author surname(s) and year in parentheses: (Smith 2022) or Smith (2022) when the author is part of your sentence. Add page numbers for direct quotes: (Smith 2022:45).

Reference list (alphabetical by first author surname)

Book

Surname, Initials. Year. Title. Edition (if not first ed.). Place of publication: Publisher.

Kotler, P & Armstrong, G. 2021. Principles of marketing. 18th ed. Harlow: Pearson.

Chapter in edited book

Author Surname, Initials. Year. Chapter title. In: Editor Surname, Initials (ed./eds.). Book title. Place: Publisher. Pages.

Nel, PS. 2019. Managing human resources. In: Swanepoel, B (ed.). South African human resource management. Cape Town: Juta. 45–78.

Journal article

Surname, Initials. Year. Article title. Journal name, Volume(Issue):Start page–End page.

Smith, J & Brown, A. 2022. Digital transformation in higher education. Journal of Educational Technology, 45(2):112–128.

Website / Online source

Author/Organisation. Year. Page title. [Online] Available: URL [Accessed Day Month Year].

NWU (North-West University). 2024. Academic rules. [Online] Available: https://studies.nwu.ac.za [Accessed 15 January 2024].

Thesis or dissertation

Surname, Initials. Year. Full title. Degree abbreviation thesis/dissertation. Place: Institution.

Van der Berg, S. 2023. Financial sustainability of South African universities. PhD thesis. Potchefstroom: NWU.

Newspaper article

Surname, Initials. Year. Article title. Newspaper name, Day Month:Page.

Nkosi, B. 2024. Students call for fee reduction. Beeld, 12 March:4.

Government report / official publication

South Africa. Department Name. Year. Title of report. Place: Publisher.

South Africa. Department of Higher Education and Training. 2022. Post-school education and training monitor. Pretoria: DHET.

Source with no identifiable author

Organisation or Anon. Year. Title. Place: Publisher.

Anon. 2023. Guidelines for academic writing. Potchefstroom: NWU Press.

Key rules

  • Use the author surname(s) and year in the text — never footnotes or endnotes for Harvard.
  • All sources cited in-text must appear in the reference list, and vice versa.
  • Arrange the reference list alphabetically by the first author's surname.
  • Use "&" between co-authors' surnames in the reference list.
  • In-text with three or more authors, write the first surname followed by "et al.": (Smith et al. 2021).
  • Include a page number when quoting directly: (Smith 2021:34).
  • Do not use "ibid.", "op. cit.", or numbered footnotes for source references.
  • Use double quotation marks " " for direct quotes under 40 words embedded in the text.
  • Indent quotes longer than 40 words as a separate block without quotation marks.
  • Capitalise only the first word of an article/book title (and proper nouns) in the reference list.

APA 7th Edition

APA style may be required in specific faculties (e.g. Psychology, Education). Check your module guide before using APA.

In-text citation

Author surname(s) and year in parentheses: (Smith, 2022, p. 45) for quotes or (Smith, 2022) for paraphrases.

References (alphabetical by author surname)

Journal article

Surname, I. (Year). Article title. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), Start–End page. https://doi.org/xxxxx

Brown, J. K. (2021). Online learning outcomes in South African universities. Higher Education Research, 33(4), 210–228. https://doi.org/10.1234/her.2021.01

Book

Surname, I., & Surname, I. (Year). Title of book: Subtitle (Xth ed.). Publisher.

Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. A. (2019). Organizational behavior (18th ed.). Pearson.

Webpage

Author, I., or Organisation Name. (Year, Month Day). Title. Website Name. URL

Disclaimer: This guide is an unofficial reference compiled for students. Always verify against the official North-West University (NWU) module guide or library resources before submitting assessed work. Report an error

American Psychological Association. (2020, October 8). APA style. https://apastyle.apa.org

Key rules

  • Use a hanging indent (1.27 cm) for all reference list entries.
  • Sentence-case for article and book titles: capitalise only the first word and proper nouns.
  • Title-case for journal names: capitalise all major words.
  • Include a DOI as a hyperlink (https://doi.org/…) where available.
  • For works with 3–20 authors, list all in the reference list. For 21+, list the first 19, then "…", then the last author.
  • In-text: two authors always — (Smith & Jones, 2022). Three or more — (Smith et al., 2022).