The Open University asks most of its modules for Cite Them Right Harvard: the author's surname and the year in your sentence, such as (Harris, 2015), and every source you cited listed alphabetically at the end. What sets OU referencing apart is the module website. The library's quick guide has a template for units, videos and forum posts, and Law and Classical Studies add rules of their own.
Every rule below was read on 2 October 2026 in the Open University Library's public pages, above all its Quick guide to Harvard referencing (Cite Them Right). EdCitation is not affiliated with The Open University; this follows its public library guide, checked on 2 October 2026.
EdCitation, which wrote this guide, offers two free tools for the job: Cite a source builds each Harvard entry from the publisher's record, and Verify references checks a finished list. Their results on OU sources, the guide's own examples among them, are quoted below.
Which referencing style does the Open University use?
Cite Them Right Harvard, unless your module says otherwise. The Open University Library (n.d.-b) states that most OU modules require it, and tells students to check the module website or ask their tutor when unsure. The quick guide is the OU's printable summary of Cite Them Right's Harvard.
The library's pages name the exceptions:
- Law undergraduate modules (W1xx, W2xx and W3xx) use two styles, set out in a separate law guide.
- Law postgraduate modules (W8xx) follow module guidance on a site that needs a sign-in.
- Certain Classical Studies modules cite ancient sources in the discipline's own way.
- Other styles listed are OU OSCOLA, MLA, MHRA and OU Harvard, an older house style whose guide needs a sign-in.
Elsewhere in the UK the style usually follows the department, as our guide to referencing at UK universities shows. At the OU the exceptions follow the module code.
Law modules: Harvard and OSCOLA in one assignment
On undergraduate Law modules, general academic sources (module materials, books, articles, websites) take Cite Them Right Harvard, with in-text citations and a reference list. Legal sources, from UK cases and statutes to EU law and the European Convention on Human Rights, take Cite Them Right OSCOLA, with footnotes. The Open University Library (n.d.-c) expects most Law assignments to need both.
A citation to an online Law unit carries its section number, as in The Open University (2023a, 5.1), and every unit is referenced to The Open University, since none names an author. EdCitation does not build OSCOLA, so the footnotes are written by hand from Cite Them Right.
Classical Studies: ancient texts by book and line
Classical Studies modules that adopt the department's guide cite an ancient source by author, work and location, not a translation's page: Virgil, Aeneid 3.466, or Tacitus, Annals 4.31. Ancient texts normally stay out of the reference list, but the translation you read goes in, in Cite Them Right Harvard, which the Open University Library (n.d.-d) calls the style "for all Open University undergraduate modules". Your module's assessment guide says whether this applies.
How do you reference OU module materials in Harvard?
Use the module material template, which the Open University Library (n.d.-a) applies to written units, activities, online tutorials, recordings and glossary entries:
Surname, Initial. (Year of publication/presentation) 'Title of item'. Module code: Module title. Available at: URL of VLE (Accessed: date).
- The year is the year you started the module, for everything on the module website.
- The author is The Open University unless a person is named; video and audio too, unless a creator is named explicitly.
- The item's title goes in single quotation marks, section number included: '4 What makes a system secure?'.
- The module code and title go together in italics: TM256: Cyber security.
- Letters separate units of one year. The guide's S111 example lists '1.2 What are clouds?' as 2025a and '1.3.1 Snow and ice' as 2025b.
- A whole journal article posted on the module site is cited as the article, with no mention of the module. Extracts are covered on a page that needs an OU sign-in, which we could not read.
Forum messages have their own template: Surname, Initial. (Year of publication) 'Title of message', Title of discussion board, in Module code: Module title. Available at: URL of VLE (Accessed: date).
Printed module materials: two pages, two forms
The library gives two forms for printed copies. The law guide references print versions only when you receive them because of additional requirements declared to the OU, and ends the entry with the publisher. The Open University Library (n.d.-e), on accessible formats, says to follow the online form, drop "Available at" and "Accessed", and add [Print]. Where page numbers cannot be found, as in a PDF read by a screen reader, it allows a section heading or an audio timestamp, and asks you to agree any such adjustment with your tutor early.
Which Cite Them Right rules does the OU's quick guide set?
Each rule comes from the page named.
| Rule | What the OU's page says | Page |
|---|---|---|
| Style | Cite Them Right Harvard for most modules | Referencing and plagiarism |
| Word count | In-text citations count; full references do not | Quick guide |
| List or bibliography | A reference list, unless the assignment guidance asks for a bibliography | Quick guide |
| Et al. in the text | From four authors: (Wong et al., 2015) | Quick guide |
| Et al. in the list | Every name, or the first and et al., consistently | Quick guide |
| Page numbers | For a quotation or an idea from particular pages: p. or pp.; para. if unpaginated; 'minutes:seconds' for video | Quick guide |
| No date | "no date" in citation and reference | Quick guide |
| No author | An organisation's name, or else the title in italics | Quick guide |
| Secondary source | "quoted in" or "cited in"; list only what you read | Quick guide |
| Book | Edition only if later than the first; no place of publication | Quick guide |
| Chapter | in Initial. Surname (ed.), Title of book. | Quick guide |
| Journal title | A capital on each word except linking words | Quick guide |
| Online source | "Available at:" then "(Accessed: date)" | Quick guide |
| Law module unit | Section number in the citation | Law guide |
| Generative AI | Referenced, with an appendix describing its use | Referencing and plagiarism |
| Building the entry | Cite a source, Harvard (Cite Them Right) | EdCitation |
One point needs care: the online template puts an accessed date after the DOI or address, but the guide's DOI examples (Barke and Mowl, Hewitt, Olby) stop at the DOI, and only Erbil's, with an ordinary web address, has one. When no template fits, the Open University Library (n.d.-f) suggests adapting the nearest, as it does for a seed packet. For the AI reference itself, see citing ChatGPT and AI tools.
What does an OU Harvard reference list look like?
Like this: six real sources, set as the quick guide's templates set them. In the text: (Bell and Waters, 2014), (Chu, Leonard and Stevenson, 2012), (Erbil, 2020), (The British Psychological Society, 2021), (The Open University, 2025), and for a quotation the guide's own (Toker et al., 2020, pp. 585–586).
Bell, J. and Waters, S. (2014) Doing your research project: a guide for first-time researchers. 6th edn. Open University Press.
Chu, M., Leonard, P. and Stevenson, F. (2012) 'Growing the base for citizen science: recruiting and engaging participants', in J.L. Dickinson and R. Bonney (eds.), Citizen science: public participation in environmental research. Cornell University Press, pp. 69–81.
Erbil, D.G. (2020) 'A review of flipped classroom and cooperative learning method within the context of Vygotsky theory', Frontiers in Psychology, 11, article 1157. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01157.
The British Psychological Society (2021) Code of ethics and conduct. Available at: https://www.bps.org.uk/guideline/code-ethics-and-conduct (Accessed: 2 October 2026).
The Open University (2025) '4 What makes a system secure?'. TM256: Cyber security. Available at: https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=2426934§ion=5 (Accessed: 5 March 2025).
Toker, O.S. et al. (2020) 'Chocolate aroma: factors, importance and analysis', Trends in Food Science & Technology, 99, pp. 580–592. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2020.03.035.
What each entry shows
- Erbil: an article number is "article 1157", and a DOI needs no accessed date in the guide's examples.
- The British Psychological Society: the year the page was last updated, shown on it as 8 December 2021.
- The Open University: the guide's own TM256 example. Its 2025 is that student's start year, not yours.
Which EdCitation style is closest to OU Harvard, and what do you change?
Harvard. EdCitation's Harvard style follows Cite Them Right, and its style list names the 12th edition. These are the changes we made on 2 October 2026 to reach the OU's form:
| EdCitation printed | Change to, for the OU |
|---|---|
| Titles as deposited: ‘A Review of Flipped Classroom … Vygotsky Theory’, ‘Chocolate aroma: Factors, …’ | Sentence case, keeping names such as Vygotsky; a small letter after a colon |
| article number 1157 | article 1157 |
| ‘Growing the Base for Citizen Science’, in … (eds) Citizen Science. | Both subtitles added; "(eds.)," with a comma |
| Bell, J. (2014), a series label inside the title, no edition | Bell, J. and Waters, S. (2014), the title alone, 6th edn |
| A web page with no author or year | Both entered in the form before the entry is built |
| An OU module page | Written by hand from the module template |
| Toker, O.S. et al. in the list | Kept, or all five names, the same way throughout |
The OU's books have no place of publication; delete one if it appears. Our Harvard referencing guide compares Cite Them Right with other Harvards.
What did Cite a source and Verify references return on OU sources?
EdCitation is the right place to start an OU reference list, because it looks every source up and never composes an entry: Cite a source takes the authors, year, volume and pages from the publisher's record, where a chatbot predicts what a reference probably says. It sets the entry in Harvard (Cite Them Right), APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago 18 author-date, IEEE or Vancouver, screens the source for retraction, and needs no account or payment. EdCitation does not write any part of a TMA or EMA: it finds, cites and checks the sources, and every sentence stays the student's own.
Cite a source on three sources and a module page
For the DOI 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01157, Harvard came back as:
Erbil, D.G. (2020) ‘A Review of Flipped Classroom and Cooperative Learning Method Within the Context of Vygotsky Theory’, Frontiers in Psychology, 11, article number 1157. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01157.
The facts are right, no retraction was reported, and two changes from the table finish it. For ISBN 9780335264469:
Bell, J. (2014) Doing Your Research Project: A Guide For First-Time Researchers (UK Higher Education OUP Humanities & Social Sciences Study S). Open University Press.
That record came from Open Library. Blackwell's lists this ISBN as the sixth edition of 2014 by Judith Bell and Stephen Waters, so the series label, edition and second author are fixed by hand. The OU guide's British Psychological Society address redirected to the current page, and Harvard gave:
Code of Ethics and Conduct (no date). Available at: https://www.bps.org.uk/guideline/code-ethics-and-conduct (Accessed: 2 October 2026).
The page shows 8 December 2021, which was not picked up. With the society and that date entered in the form, it became:
The British Psychological Society (2021) Code of Ethics and Conduct. Available at: https://www.bps.org.uk/guideline/code-ethics-and-conduct (Accessed: 2 October 2026).
Only the capitals were left to lower. The TM256 address returned "That page could not be read. Some sites block automated readers. If it is a journal article, paste its DOI or its title instead." Module websites sit behind the OU sign-in.
Verify references on the OU guide's own examples
We pasted seven of the quick guide's entries, exactly as printed, into Verify references:
- Barke and Mowl (2016): "check this", "The DOI and title are right, but the work was published in 2010, not 2016." Crossref's record agrees. With the year set to 2010, a second run found the other gap: "The publisher's record also names Shields, who is not in your entry. Check the authors."
- Erbil (2020), with its Frontiers address: verified, "The DOI resolves to this record and the title matches."
- Sridhar (2025) and Almeroth-Williams (2019): verified, "Title, year and first author match a published record."
- Bell (2014): verified, "Title, author and year match a library catalogue record."
- The British Psychological Society (2018), old address: verified, "The page is at this address, and its title matches."
- The Open University (2025), TM256: "could not check", "The site at this address turns automated readers away, so the page could not be read here. Open it in a browser and check it is the page meant."
Copy the OU's patterns, then check your facts: one of its examples has a wrong year and a missing author. The module page came back unreadable, never "not found". To check a whole assignment, Pro ($8 a month) adds References from a file, matching every in-text citation to the list; see pricing.
How do you build an OU reference list, step by step?
- Confirm the style on your module website or in the assignment guidance. EdCitation's free Check your paper reads instructions into a checklist, citation style and word limits included, each rule shown with its sentence.
- Look up each book, article and web page in Cite a source by DOI, ISBN or address, in Harvard.
- Make the changes in the table: sentence case, "article", "(eds.),", the edition, every author.
- Write module materials by hand from the template, with the year you started.
- Add in-text citations, with pages where needed; they count towards your word limit.
- Run the list through Verify references, settle every "check this", and open any "could not check" page yourself.
- If you used generative AI, reference it and add the OU's appendix.
Quick questions
Does the Open University use Harvard referencing?
Yes. Most OU modules require Cite Them Right Harvard, and undergraduate Law adds Cite Them Right OSCOLA for legal sources.
How do I reference OU module materials in Harvard?
The Open University or the named author, the year you started the module, the item's title in single quotation marks, the module code and title in italics, the module address and your accessed date.
Do in-text citations count in the OU word count?
Yes. The OU's quick guide counts in-text citations and leaves the full references out.
Can EdCitation build OU Harvard references?
For published sources, yes: EdCitation's Cite a source sets them in Cite Them Right Harvard, and a few details change by hand. Module materials are written from the template.
When does et al. start in OU Harvard?
At four authors in the text. In the list the OU accepts every name or the first and et al., used the same way throughout.
References
- The Open University Library. (n.d.-a). Quick guide to Harvard referencing (Cite Them Right). Library Services. https://university.open.ac.uk/library/referencing-and-plagiarism/quick-guide-to-harvard-referencing-cite-them-right
- The Open University Library. (n.d.-b). Referencing and plagiarism. Library Services. https://university.open.ac.uk/library/help-and-support/referencing-and-plagiarism
- The Open University Library. (n.d.-c). Quick guide to Cite Them Right referencing for Law modules. Library Services. https://university.open.ac.uk/library/referencing-and-plagiarism/quick-guide-to-cite-them-right-referencing-for-law-modules
- The Open University Library. (n.d.-d). The Classical Studies guide to referencing. Library Services. https://university.open.ac.uk/library/referencing-and-plagiarism/the-classical-studies-guide-to-referencing
- The Open University Library. (n.d.-e). Referencing accessible formats. Library Services. https://university.open.ac.uk/library/disabled-user-support/referencing-accessible-formats
- The Open University Library. (n.d.-f). What if I cannot find the reference type I need in my referencing guide? Library Services. https://university.open.ac.uk/library/referencing-and-plagiarism/what-if-i-cannot-find-the-reference-type-i-need-in-my-referencing-guide