Trust me, I’m a doctor: referencing

In the final of the series, Dr Bethany tackles her trickiest dilemma yet.

My partner won’t stop using Harvard referencing. What can I do?

Sent in Chicago Gal

Dr Bethany responds:

I’m very sorry to say this, but Harvard referencing is a terminal illness. There is no cure for this affliction, which is often induced by early exposure to the sciences, rather than the humanities.

Repeated exposure to Turabian referencing can sometimes win a short remission as the patient begins to understand that it is much better for knowing which source is being referenced if one doesn’t have an encyclopaedic knowledge of the publication date of everything an author has ever written. However, the lethargy of research generally wins the day and the patient usually returns to Harvard referencing as a dog returns to its vomit. This is accompanied by protestations such as “It’s just easier to write this way!” or “Just look it up on the reference list—never mind that it is a PDF and you can’t flip there easily.” When these symptoms show up, you can be assured that there will be no improvement.

At this point, there are only two options: either grit your teeth and in a herculean effort of saint-like patience endure the abominable practice, or simply run for it. Leave while you can, in the hopes that it is not contagious.

Trust me, I’m a doctor!

The Editor recognises the diversity of referencing styles – although he is an APA loyalist. You can find out more about referencing styles on this helpful link from the University of Reading.