Open University Harvard Referencing: Cite Them Right
This guide covers Cite Them Right Harvard referencing for Open University assignments. Check your module guidance, as some courses require a different referencing style.
Open University referencing overview
The OU’s general guidance uses Cite Them Right Harvard, but some subjects use other systems. In particular, the general Harvard quick guide does not apply to undergraduate law modules starting W1, W2 or W3. The official OU quick guide links to the separate law guidance.
An in-text citation identifies the author and year; the alphabetical reference list supplies the publication details. A reference list contains cited works. A bibliography can also include background reading, and is only needed when your module requests it.
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In-text citations
Examples: (Green, 2024); (Green and White, 2024); (Green, White and Black, 2024). For four or more authors: (Green et al., 2024). Include a page for a quotation or a specific paraphrase, such as (Green, 2024, p. 18). For an unpaginated source, a paragraph or timestamp can identify the passage.
Use no date when a date cannot be established. If neither a person nor an organisation is credited, the resource title takes the author’s position. Add a, b and so on to distinguish different works by the same author in the same year.
1. Books
The current OU quick-guide examples omit the publisher’s city. An edition is needed when it is later than the first.
Green, A. (2024) Learning together. 2nd edn. Example Press.
Green, A. and White, B. (2024) Learning together. Example Press.
Chapters in edited books
Green, A. (2024) ‘Learning in groups’, in B. White (ed.), Learning together. Example Press, pp. 12-28.
Cite the chapter writer in your text. An ebook with normal publication details and page numbers can follow the print pattern. An unpaginated online book or chapter needs its DOI or URL as appropriate.
2. Articles
Journal articles
Green, A. (2024) ‘Learning in groups’, Journal of Example Studies, 12(2), pp. 104-128.
Green, A. (2024) ‘Learning in groups’, Journal of Example Studies, 12(2), pp. 104-128. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1234/example.
Use an article number when that is how the journal identifies the work. Do not invent pages. For an ordinary URL, add the date accessed.
Newspaper articles
Green, A. (2024) ‘Libraries extend access’, Example Times, 12 March, p. 6.
For an online article, include its URL and access date; include a page only if one is supplied.
3. Websites and online sources
Study Council (2024) Learning in groups. Available at: https://example.org/groups (Accessed: 14 October 2026).
OU module materials and forum messages
Module materials have their own rules. Use the year you began studying the module, then identify the item, module code and title, VLE address and access date. Cite a named creator where provided; otherwise use The Open University. A complete journal article supplied through a module is still referenced as the article.
The OU provides dedicated guidance on referencing and plagiarism, including module materials and extracts. Follow its linked template for a forum post, recording or glossary entry rather than treating all VLE content as an ordinary webpage.
Emails and social media
These are distinct source types. Use the corresponding entry in the OU’s linked Cite Them Right database, especially for private communications that readers cannot retrieve. Do not apply a website template automatically.
4. Images and recordings
Online photographs and images
Green, A. (2024) Students at the library [Photograph]. Available at: https://example.org/library-photo (Accessed: 14 October 2026).
Record the creator and image date. A database image or social-media image needs the relevant medium or platform label. If there is no title, describe the image briefly.
Films, YouTube videos, broadcasts and podcasts
The correct template depends on the version watched or heard. A video hosted in your OU module follows the module-material template; a public film or broadcast has its own entry in Cite Them Right. Use a timestamp when referring to a particular moment.
Maps and music
Identify the specific map edition or recording, rather than citing the search result that led to it. Select the map, score or recording template in Cite Them Right.
5. Other source types
Reports, dissertations, legislation, government publications, interviews, lectures, dictionaries and software each have their own requirements. Use the OU library’s link to Cite Them Right for the exact source. Record the credited creator, title, version or date, publishing institution and a retrieval address where relevant; do not guess missing details.
For law sources, follow the requirements of your particular module. For lectures provided on a module website, use the module-material guidance above.