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School of Art Numeric Referencing

This guide covers the basics of numeric referencing.

Section heading

Students in the Manchester School of Art can choose to either use Cite The Right Harvard or the School of Art Numeric referencing style.

You must pick a referencing style and apply it consistently throughout your assignment. Check with your tutor if you are unsure which style to use.

School of Art numeric referencing guide

School of Art numeric referencing guide

This guides details the different aspects of using the numeric style.

Using the numeric style

  • Citations

    Citations are used where you mention other people’s work or ideas in the text.

    This can be when you have paraphrased/summarised or directly quoted from an author. 

    The numeric system uses footnotes. You insert a footnote to indicate each source you are citing, i.e. 1 for the first source, 2 for the second, etc. 

    Examples

    ‘Art appreciation can also involve the more demanding process of criticising the art object on the basis of its artistic methods’1

    Nochlin2has drawn attention to the implications for visual representation of myths concerning the timelessness of the Orient. 

    You can use a superscript number as shown above. In Word, footnotes can be added by choosing References, then selecting Insert Footnotes. The footnote will appear at the bottom of the page (as shown below).  

    Numbers should run as a continuous sequence throughout your work. Make sure you are consistent with the placement of the numbers and their format to avoid distracting the reader.

    Please note that this style allows you to use either footnotes (a list at the bottom of each page) or endnotes (one numbered list at the end of the document). These numbers must match the sources used in your text. Pick either footnotes or endnotes and use them consistently through the assignment.

    1 Arnold, D. (2004) Art history: a very short introduction. New York, Oxford University Press p.3

    2 Nochlin, L. (1990) Realism. Harmsworth: Penguin.

  • Footnotes

    In each footnote you must give the full details of the source you have used regardless of whether you have paraphrased or quoted.

    The format of the footnotes depends on the type of source you have used i.e. book, journal article, website, etc. 

    Example footnotes

    1 Berger, J. (2008) Ways of seeing. London: BBC.

    2 Hylton, R. (2004) ‘Decibel: the politics of cultural diversity.’ Art Monthly, 274(March) pp. 20-21.

    3 Campt, T. (2021) A black gaze: artists changing how we see. Cambridge: MIT Press.

    4 Fujiwara, D. and MacKerron, G. (2015) Cultural activities, artforms and wellbeing. Arts Council England. [Online] [Accessed on 22nd July 2022] https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/sites/default/files/download-file/Cultural_activities_artforms_and_wellbeing.pdf

  • Bibliography

    As well as your footnotes, you must include a bibliography at the end of your assignment.

    An easy way to do this, is to copy and paste the full reference details from your footnotes. You should ensure that each source appears only once, delete any repetitions. Any page numbers for direct quotes can be omitted.

    The bibliography should be arranged alphabetically A-Z using the author’s surname.

    This list can also include sources you have read for context but not directly cited in your assignment.

    Example Bibliography

    Arnold, D. (2004) Art history: a very short introduction. New York, Oxford University Press.

    Berger, J. (2008) Ways of seeing. London: BBC.

    Berger, S. (2017) The art of philosophy: visual thinking in Europe from the late Renaissance to the early Enlightenment. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

    Campt, T. (2021) A black gaze: artists changing how we see. Cambridge: MIT Press.

    Fujiwara, D. and MacKerron, G. (2015) Cultural activities, artforms and wellbeing. Unknown place of publication: Arts Council England. [Online] [Accessed on 22nd July 2022] https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/sites/default/files/download-file/Cultural_activities_artforms_and_wellbeing.pdf

    Hylton, R. (2004) ‘Decibel: the politics of cultural diversity.’ Art Monthly, 274(March) pp. 20-21.

    Nochlin, L. (1990) Realism.  Harmondsworth: Penguin.

    Rebel women: the great art fight back. (2019) [Online] BBC4, 22:30 18th June 2019. Available through Box of Broadcasts.  [Accessed on 1st April 2022]

    Ratelle, A., Ruddell, C., Dobson, N. and Honess Roe, A. (eds.) (2019) The animation studies reader. New York: Bloomsbury Academic.

    Sontag, S. (2008) On photography. London: Penguin.

    Wijers, E. (2018) ‘Emersive storytelling: an exploration of animation and the fourth wall as a tool for critical thinking.’ Animation Practice, Process & Production, 7(1) pp. 41-65.

  • Using quotes
    General Tips

    For sources you have paraphrased/summarised from, just give the full source details. When citing a direct quote, you need to:

    • Insert single quotations around the author’s words.
    • If you are using a direct quote, you need to add a page number of where the quote appears in the source, if there are defined page numbers.
    • Use the words exactly as they appear from the original source.
    • If you need to shorten a quote, use ellipses (…) to indicate which part of the quote is missing.
    • If you spot a mistake in the quote, you can add the term [sic] next to the error.  This indicates this error comes from the original source. 
    • If you want to insert your own words into a quote you can add square bracket [..] around the extra text.  Remember that the sentence must make grammatical sense. 
    Length of Quotes

    Short Quote

    Quotes shorter than 20 words can be embedded into your text. You must put quotation marks around the text that you are adding. Remember, the sentence needs to make grammatical sense.

    Long Quotes

    Quotes longer that 20 words should be indented and placed in a separate paragraph. If you indent the quote, then you do not need to add quote marks.

FAQs

  • Do I still need a separate bibliography if I have used footnotes?

    Yes, you will still need to include a bibliography at the end of your assignment.

    A quick way to create a bibliography is to copy and paste the full reference details from your footnotes and then arrange A-Z by author.

    Please note your bibliography can also include sources you have read for context but not directly citied.

  • Can I include images in my work?

    Yes you can include images if they are visual evidence to support your writing.  They must be relevant to the point you are making and you must make a connection between the image and your written argument. 

  • What happens if I repeat the same source later in my footnotes?

    If you use the same source more then once, you can take the following approach:

    • The first time you use the source, give the full reference details 
    • The next time/s you use the source, just include the following details
      • Authors surname
      • Number where you first cited the source
      • If using a direct quotation, then give the relevant page number

    Examples

    5 Berger, ref 1, p.15.

    6 Fujiwara and MacKerron, ref 4.

  • How do I quote/paraphrase an author who is cited in another work?

    A secondary source is when you quote or paraphrase information from an author who is quoted in another source.

    When citing in the text you need to include the surname of the person who had the original idea. It is also useful to include details of where that idea/s was actually published.

    Example

    Extract taken from the book by Whitehead and Mason16  :

    A better way of appreciating the skills of reflective practice is to use Burns and Bulman’s framework.  This involves a five-element scheme for reflection in which the first is self-awareness. 

    In this case the ideas come from Burns and Bulman but were published in the source by Whitehead and Mason. It is the source you have read by Whitehead and Mason that needs to appear in the footnote/bibliography.