What is the Difference Between Harvard and APA Referencing?

Obviously, if you are a student, then you must have heard about referencing, right? Well, assignments are already a nightmare for students, and this reference is a cherry on top. Yeah, I know they are so confusing, especially for students who are new and still learning. So, the struggle is actually true.

So, two of the most popular referencing styles are Harvard and APA, and I am sure that you must have heard about them. These are most commonly used for referencing in the academics of the UAE. Yes, these are quite similar, but trust me, they are totally different. You just have to pay a little attention, and you will know what’s different about them. Don’t worry. I am going to clear up this confusion today and will describe each of them clearly to help you understand what’s different about them.

What’s Referencing ?

Before we dive into the details of APA and Harvard referencing, did I tell you what exactly is referencing? Well, in the world of academics, referencing is an essential part of your assignments. Obviously, you know what plagiarism is, right? Well, then consider referencing as an antidote to your plagiarism virus. Yes, adding referencing in your assignments means giving credit to the original writers of the data that you have included in your assignments. That means you have no intention of copying anyone’s work and are offering credits to the right source. So, it adds authenticity to your assignment and ensures the reliability of your content. Hence, it’s kind of your shield against failure that plagiarism will lead you into. So, always include references in your assignments to make them more reliable and valid before submitting them to your professors.

The Harvard Referencing Style

Now, let’s highlight more about the Harvard referencing style and understand what it is all about. Well, Harvard’s style of referencing is quite simple and easy without any complications. And I am sure you will learn it quickly without any problems. Following are examples of how it is included in your assignments as a citation and as a reference. So, whenever you see citations written like that, understand that it’s Harvard referencing.

For Examples:

In-Text Citations – (Darwin, 2023)

APA Referencing

Now, the APA referencing is not exactly like the Harvard style, but it’s quite different. This style never leaves room for any confusion and clearly states the name of the writer with the page number in in-text citations. So, when you are searching for the source of information, things get really easy for you to find it.

In-text Citations- (Darwin, 2023, p.56)

So, do you see how these styles really differ in their in-text citations? You can clearly tell the difference between these two. The Harvard style is surely simple, but the APA style clears things up in the most effective way.

Reference List:

Now, we already know how they have different styles of in-text citations. Let’s see how they differ in their reference list. Well, in the Harvard referencing style, you will compile all your references by the author’s name in alphabetical order. The list includes the name of the author, the year of publication, and other important details. But you know there is one interesting thing about this style: it’s quite flexible. Yup, this style offers a different format for referencing books, websites, or journals. So, you cannot apply the same style to all of them.

Now, on the other hand, the APA referencing style is quite different from the one above. In this style, the references are added in alphabetical order by the surname of the author. Yes, this style uses the surname instead of the first name of the author and also offers different formats for books, journals, or articles.

Formatting Styles

Well, as I mentioned before, the Harvard referencing style is quite simple, and it’s more focused on the content and doesn’t have any strict rules for formatting. While on the other hand, in APA referencing, there are some specific guidelines for fonts and headings. Hence, it ensures the neatness of your assignments through proper formatting of it.

Multiple Authors

What if there are multiple authors in your source? Well, yeah, that’s an important question. Obviously, you are not going to state the name of each of them. In fact, you can just write “et al.” with the first author to represent that there is more than one author for this. And this is applied similarly in both of these styles.

Seek Assistance

Yeah, I know; it all seems so hard, right? But trust me, when you will start practicing it, you will ace it. But don’t worry if it seems hard to you; you can always ask for help from various CIPD Assignment Help UAE. They are professionals and have vast years of experience in this field. Their expert writers are not just familiar with the academic standards of the UAE, but they are quite familiar with every referencing style and will guide you about it. So, if you ever feel stuck, you can always reach out to them for assistance.

Final Words

So, now you know all the key differences between the two most common referencing styles, which are the APA and Harvard referencing styles. Hence, I am sure that you will never get confused again between these two when your professor asks you to add any of them. I believe that being a student, it’s quite crucial to know about them as they are the pillar of your success. So, always add references at the end of your assignments to ensure their reliability and avoid plagiarism in your content.