The reference list provides the full details of the sources you have cited in your work. Reference list entries usually consist of four elements: author, date, title and source.
The author variations below apply to all reference types (books, journal articles, websites, etc.).
If no personal author is given, check to see if an organisation has acted as the author. Where there are no authors and you are sure that your source is credible, follow the guidelines below:
Note: Newspaper or magazine articles are exceptions to the above guidelines. Refer to the Newspaper and magazine article example in this guide.
In-text citation
(“A Profession in Charge” 2015).
OR
In the article “A Profession in Charge” (2015) …
Reference list
“A Profession in Charge of its Future - A Vision for 2030.” 2015. Veterinary Record 177 (20): 503-504. https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.h6215.
Reference list examples:
Burns, Timothy. 2015. “Philosophy and Poetry: A New Look at an Old Quarrel.” The American Political Science Review 109 (2): 326-338. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055415000076.
Lane, Rod, and Simon Catling. 2016. “Preservice Primary Teachers’ Depth and Accuracy of Knowledge of Tropical Cyclones.” Journal of Geography 115 (5): 198-211. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221341.2016.1153133.
Reference list example:
Thomas, M’Balia, Alisa L. Russell, and Hannah V. Warren. 2018. “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of the Pedagogy in Harry Potter: An Inquiry into the Personal Practical Knowledge of Remus Lupin, Rubeus Hagrid, and Serverus Snape.” The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas 91 (4-5): 186-192. https://doi.org/10.1080/00098655.2018.1433152.
Reference list example:
Yonkers, Kimberly, A., Susan M. Ramin, A. John Rush, et al. 2001. “Onset and Persistence of Postpartum Depression in an Inner-City Maternal Health Clinic System.” The American Journal of Psychiatry 158 (11): 1856-1863. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.158.11.185.
Reference list example:
Department of Education and Training. 2024. “During your studies in Australia.” Australian Government. https://www.education.gov.au/international-education/during-your-studies-australia-0.
Reference list example: organisation name abbreviated in-text
WHO (World Health Organization). 2018. Global Status Report on Road Safety 2018. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/road_safety_status/2018/en/.
Where can I find the DOI?
DOIs will usually be presented on the first page of an article or with the publication details. If you cannot locate a DOI, do a quick search in the document by clicking CTRL + F (Windows) or Command + F (Mac) and entering doi in the search box
References
Arkoudis, Sophie, Mollie Dollinger, Chi Baik, and Allan Patience. 2019. “International Students’ Experience in Australian Higher Education: Can We Do Better?” Higher Education 77 (5): 799-813. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-018-0302-x.
The Australian. 2016. “A Higher Education Return.” August 18. https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/higher-education-return/docview/1811922139/se-2?accountid=10382.
ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics). 2021. Education and Work, Australia. ABS. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/education/education-and-work-australia.
Boulton, Chris A., Emily Hughes, Carmel Kent, Joanne R. Smith, and Hywel T. P. Williams. 2019. “Student Engagement and Wellbeing Over Time at a Higher Education Institution.” PLoS ONE 14 (11): e0225770. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0225770.
Forsyth, Hannah. 2014a. “Dreaming of Higher Education.” Southerly 74 (2): 119-142. https://doi.org/10.3316/informit.792227855125093.
Forsyth, Hannah. 2014b. A History of the Modern Australian University. NewSouth Publishing. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/curtin/detail.action?docID=2008112.
Forsyth, Hannah. 2017. “Post-War Political Economics and the Growth of Australian University Research, c.1945-1965.” History of Education Review 46 (1): 15-32. https://doi.org/10.1108/HER-10-2015-0023.
MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). 2019. The Future of Higher Education in the Age of Disruption. YouTube video, 47:32. https://youtu.be/NFP2S2f3io4.
Rudick, C. Kyle, and Deanna P. Dannels. 2018. “ ‘Yes, and …’: Continuing the Scholarly Conversation About Immigration and Higher Education.” Communication Education 67 (1): 120-123. https://doi.org/10.1080/03634523.2017.1392584.
Tierney, William G., and Michael Lanford. 2016. “Conceptualizing Innovation in Higher Education.” In Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research edited by Michael B. Paulsen. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-26829-3.
UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). 2016. Global Education Monitoring Report, 2016: Place: Inclusive and Sustainable Cities. UNESCO. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000247862.
UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). n.d. “Education Transforms Lives.” UNESCO. Accessed January 31, 2023. https://en.unesco.org/themes/education.
The World Bank. 2025. “Tertiary Education.” The World Bank. https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/tertiaryeducation#1.
Arrange the list alphabetically by the first author’s surname (family name) or the organisation name. Where there is no author, use the first word of the title (other than A, An, or The)
Arkoudis, Sophie, Mollie Dollinger, Chi Baik, and Allan Patience. 2019. “International Students’ Experience in Australian Higher Education: Can We Do Better?” Higher Education 77 (5): 799-813. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-018-0302-x.
The Australian. 2016. “A Higher Education Return.” August 18. https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/higher-education-return/docview/1811922139/se-2?accountid=10382.
ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics). 2021. Education and Work, Australia. ABS. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/education/education-and-work-australia.
Boulton, Chris A., Emily Hughes, Carmel Kent, Joanne R. Smith, and Hywel T. P. Williams. 2019. “Student Engagement and Wellbeing Over Time at a Higher Education Institution.” PLoS ONE 14 (11): e0225770. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0225770.
If there are multiple works by the same author(s) published in different years, order by publication date from oldest to newest. References with no date (n.d.) appear after references with dates
UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). 2016. Global Education Monitoring Report, 2016: Place: Inclusive and Sustainable Cities. UNESCO. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000247862.
UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). n.d. “Education Transforms Lives.” UNESCO. Accessed January 31, 2023. https://en.unesco.org/themes/education.
If there are multiple works by the same author(s) published in the same year, order alphabetically by the title of the work. Add a, b, c after the year to differentiate the works
Forsyth, Hannah. 2014a. “Dreaming of Higher Education.” Southerly 74 (2): 119-142. https://doi.org/10.3316/informit.792227855125093.
Forsyth, Hannah. 2014b. A History of the Modern Australian University. NewSouth Publishing. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/curtin/detail.action?docID=2008112.
A single-author entry in a reference list precedes a multi-author entry beginning with the same name.
Gao, Mobo. 2011. The Battle for China’s Past: Mao and the Cultural Revolution. Pluto Press.
Gao, Mobo, and Greg McCarthy. 2015. “China’s Soft Power and Cultural Diplomacy.” Asian Studies Review 39 (4): 629–645.