Referencing styles have developed over time due to the need for a standardised way of acknowledging sources among scholars. Different scholarly journals, institutions, and disciplines have adopted specific styles to suit their needs and these styles have evolved to incorporate new types of sources and writing conventions.
Falmouth Harvard style has been developed as a collaboration between Falmouth University academic staff and the Academic Skills Advisors - because it continues to evolve, it is a good idea to periodically check for any updates to the style guide.
Falmouth Harvard is the most widely used referencing style across the University. However, some courses and assignments may recommend that you use another style such as MHRA, APA or IEEE, (or Popular Harvard rather than Falmouth Harvard) so always check with your course team which referencing style your course or assignment requires you to use and find the right style guide.
APA and Falmouth Harvard are both author-date styles; while IEEE and MHRA both use numbered footnotes.
Other referencing style guides
