Answered By: Gopal Dutta
Last Updated: Sep 23, 2021     Views: 2394

There are different types of sources of information that are available online as PDF documents.  In order to reference the source correctly you will first need to identify the source, as many sources have a specific reference format to follow.

A few examples of specific source types that are accessed as PDF documents are:

Briefing papers  

Discussion papers

Journal articles

Working papers

It is worth scanning the list of reference types in the MMU Harvard referencing guide to help you identify the specific source type.

Some sources of information which do not fall under a specific source type can be referenced following the format for an Online PDF document. Some examples that would follow this format are: government department policy documents, organisation policy documents, NICE guidelines and Ofsted reports.


If you are in any doubt about the reference type to follow, please email the MMU Harvard referencing team at library@mmu.ac.uk and provide a link to the source and we will direct you to the correct format to follow.