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Leeds Harvard: Book introduction, foreword or preface

Reference examples

Written by author

If the introduction, foreword or preface is written by the primary author of the book, reference it using the same format as book.

Written by editor (when there is an author and an editor)

If the introduction, foreword or preface is written by the editor of the book:

Family name, INITIAL(S) (of editor). Year. Introduction (or Foreword or Preface). In: Family name, INITIAL(S) of book author. Title. Edition (if not first edition). Family name, INITIAL(S) of editor. ed(s). Place of publication: Publisher, page number(s).

Example:

Malcolm, N. 2012. Introduction. In: Hobbes, T. Leviathan. Malcolm, N. ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 1-6.

Written by third party

If the introduction, foreword or preface is written by someone other than the primary author or editor:

Family name, INITIAL(S) (of introduction author). Year. Introduction (or Foreword or Preface). In: Family name, INITIAL(S) (of book author). Title. Edition (if not first edition). Place of publication: Publisher, page numbers.

Example:

Amis, K. 1958. Foreword. In: Ulanov, B. A handbook of jazz. London: Hutchinson, i-iv.

If the page numbers are in Roman numerals, do not include p. before them (see example above).

Citation examples

Book introduction, forward or preface

In the citation use the name of the author of the introduction, foreword or preface, even if they are not the author of the book (e.g. an introduction written by an editor).

 

When the author name is not mentioned in the text, the citation consists of the author’s name and the year of publication in brackets.

Example:

It was emphasised that citations in the text should be consistent (Jones, 2017).

 

If you have already named the author in the text, only the publication year needs to be mentioned in brackets.

Example:

Jones (2017) emphasised that citations in the text should be consistent.

When to include page numbers

You should include page numbers in your citation if you quote directly from the text, paraphrase specific ideas or explanations, or use an image, diagram, table, etc. from a source.

Example:

"It was emphasised that citations in a text should be consistent" (Jones, 2017, p.24).

When referencing a single page, you should use p. For a range of pages, use pp.

Example:

p.7 or pp.20-29.

If the page numbers are in Roman numerals, do not include p. before them.

Example:

(Amis, 1958, iv)

Common issues

When you're referencing with Leeds Harvard you may come across issues with missing details, multiple authors, edited books, references to another author's work or online items, to name a few. Here are some tips on how to deal with some common issues when using Leeds Harvard.

Skip straight to the issue that affects you: