Referencing is an important part of academic work. It puts your work in context, demonstrates the breadth and depth of your research, and acknowledges other people’s work. You should reference whenever you use someone else’s idea.
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These webpages explain what referencing is, why it is important and give an overview of the main elements of how to reference. Our Referencing made simple tutorial opens in a new window and covers how to identify your source and create a reference with interactive examples.
Why reference?
Referencing correctly:
- helps you to avoid plagiarism by making it clear which ideas are your own and which are someone else’s
- shows your understanding of the topic
- gives supporting evidence for your ideas, arguments and opinions
- allows others to identify the sources you have used.
When to reference
Whenever you use an idea from someone else's work, for example from a journal article, textbook or website, you should cite the original author to make it clear where that idea came from. This is the case regardless of whether you have paraphrased, summarised or directly quoted their work. This is a key part of good practice in academic writing.
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University and school policies
The University referencing policy (PDF) sets out the referencing requirements that all taught students and tutors are expected to follow.
Each school in the University requires students to use a specific style of referencing. Check the referencing style used in your school before you begin.
All your citations and references should match the style you are using exactly, including any punctuation, capitalisation, italics and bold, and you should use the same referencing style throughout your assignment.
FAQs
Referencing allows you to acknowledge the contribution of other writers and researchers in your work. Any university assignments that draw on the ideas, words or research of other writers must contain citations. Referencing is also a way to give credit to the writers from whom you have borrowed words and ideas.
What is referencing briefly explain? ›
What is referencing? Referencing is how you acknowledge the source of the information you have used (referred to) in your work. It helps to make clear to the reader how you have used the work of others to develop your own ideas and arguments.
What is a referencing example? ›
Author surname, initial. (Year) 'Article title', Journal Name, Volume(Issue), pp. page range. Thagard, P. (1990) 'Philosophy and machine learning', Canadian Journal of Philosophy, 20(2), pp. 261–276. This format is also used for journal articles which you accessed online but which are available in print too.
What are the basics of referencing? ›
Referencing consists of two elements: in-text citations, which are inserted in the body of your text and are included in the word count. An in-text citation gives the author(s) and publication date of a source you are referring to. If the publication date is not given, the phrase 'no date' is used instead of a date.
How do you explain references? ›
In your writing, you cite or refer to the source of information. A reference gives the readers details about the source so that they have a good understanding of what kind of source it is and could find the source themselves if necessary. The references are typically listed at the end of the lab report.
What does reference mean for dummies? ›
A reference is someone you can rely on to put in a good word for you when applying for a job. Or, a reference might be an outside source you use in a research paper. Don't forget: if you reference outside work, be sure to mention it in your bibliography or "list of references" so you don't get accused of plagiarism.
What is the purpose of referencing? ›
Referencing allows you to acknowledge the contribution of other writers and researchers in your work. Any university assignments that draw on the ideas, words or research of other writers must contain citations. Referencing is also a way to give credit to the writers from whom you have borrowed words and ideas.
How is referencing done? ›
There are two parts to referencing: the citations within the text of your paper and the reference list at the end of your paper. The APA referencing style is an "author-date" style, so the citation in the text consists of the author(s) and the year of publication given wholly or partly in round brackets.
What do we mean by reference? ›
a. : a remark referring to something : allusion. made reference to our agreement. b. : a sign or indication referring a reader to another book or portion of a written work.
What is an example of a good reference? ›
I have always found [applicant] to be trustworthy, hard working and intelligent. When we worked on [example], [applicant] showed good communication skills and I could rely on them to take the initiative and to stay calm under pressure. For these reasons, I believe [applicant] would be ideal for the job of [role].
Elements to include:
- Author, initials.
- Year (in round brackets)
- Title of document.
- Date (if avaialble)
- Collection name.
- Document number.
- Name of archive.
- Location of archive.
Citations briefly identify the source of borrowed information, quotes, and figures in the text. The citation must be placed at the beginning, middle or end of the borrowed information. It must be clear what information is borrowed and where it comes from, including page references whenever possible.
How to do a reference? ›
A reference should be a factual, honest and positive account of your experience with a candidate. Be sure to include specific examples of achievements or good qualities where possible, and include the key details highlighted in the What to Include in a Reference section above to give a good personal reference.
What is a reference and example? ›
reference noun (MENTION)
a mention of something: Knowing what had happened, I avoided making any reference to (= mentioning) weddings. formal I am writing with/in reference to (= in connection with) your letter of 15 March. Fewer examples. She made a veiled reference to her former employer.
What is a basic reference? ›
A basic work reference is a short summary of employment. For example, the employee's job title and the dates they worked there. A detailed work reference can include: the employee's job title. dates of employment.
What is terms of reference simple explanation? ›
Terms of reference (TOR) define the purpose and structures of a project, committee, meeting, negotiation, or any similar collection of people who have agreed to work together to accomplish a shared goal. Terms of reference show how the object in question will be defined, developed, and verified.
What does explain with reference mean? ›
: about or concerning (something or someone) : in relation to. I have something further to add with reference to what was said earlier. The course covers ancient history with special reference to the Roman Empire.
What is referencing in an essay? ›
Referencing is a system that allows you to acknowledge the contributions and work of others in your writing by citing your sources. A feature of academic writing is that it contains references to the words, information and ideas of others. All academic essays MUST contain references.
What is referencing in history? ›
Citing and referencing in History
In-text referencing: where the Author and Year of publication are identified in the essay and a list of References which have been cited are placed at the end of the essay.
