How to reference Official Publications in Harvard

Official publications can cause major headaches when referencing. I cannot stress enough that you must always check the guidelines provided by your supervisor as they may have their own preferred referencing style. There are many variations in referencing as you may already have noticed while conducting your research.

In general, however, EU and Irish government material can be referenced as follows:

EU Directives

Citation Order:
· Institutional origin (e.g.Council Directive (EC))
· Legislation Number and date
· Title
· Official Journal (italics)
· OJ number and page numbers

Example: In text: Council Directive 2003/30/EC deals with ...

Reference list:
Council Directive 2003/30/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 8 May 2003 on the promotion of the use of biofuels or other renewable fuels for transport. Official Journal of the European Communities L 123/42, 17.05.2003, pp.42-46.

Government Publications

Citation Order:
· Ireland (fullstop)
· Name of Government Department
· Year of Publication
· Title (italics)
· Place of Publication: Publisher

Example: In text: (Ireland. Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, 2000)

Reference List:
Ireland. Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. (2000) White paper on a framework for supporting voluntary activity and for developing the relationship between the state and the community and voluntary sector. Dublin: The Stationery office.

European Union Publications

Citation Order:
· Name of EU Institution
· Year of publication in round brackets
· Title in italics
· Place of Publication: Publisher

Example: In text: A European Commission report (2007) concludes that ...

Reference list:
European Commission. (2007) Regions for economic change :regional policy responses to demographic challenges. Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities.