Sub sections:
Referencing
Why do teaching staff insist on references?
The process of finding information and developing your own interpretations almost always involves making use of the ideas of other people. It is essential that you acknowledge the words and inspiration of others. This is both a matter of fairness and part of the process of learning at university.
You need to indicate to your lecturer what are your own ideas and what has been taken from the work of others, so that he or she can assess your progress and provide you with appropriate guidance.
Referencing enables a reader to go directly to your sources to follow your arguments more closely or find the exact words of the authors.
 | Writing Essays: A Guide for Students in English and the Humanities Read the Chapter titled, 'Quotations, Footnotes and Bibliographies' for tips on organising and developing a referencing system. |
Avoiding plagiarism
Poor or sloppy referencing will cost you marks, but this is not the worst thing that can happen. If you copy a sentence or a paragraph out of a book or journal article word-for-word and fail to indicate the source (which is usually done by placing the text in quotation marks and providing a reference), then you are committing plagiarism. Another sort of plagiarism is when you copy all or part of an assignment written by someone else and submit the copy as if it was your own work.
Plagiarism Form
Before you hand in an assignment, you must attach a Plagiarism Form stating that your assignment is your own work. This form is available on the Web. Do not just print and sign this form. Make sure you read it, and understand what you are signing, before you do.
Plagiarism is a serious matter. The University has strong rules against the practice. More information is given in Using information appropriately, the next section of eSKILLS UNE.
What should be referenced?
You must reference such things as quotations, statistics, facts, theories and ideas. Both published and unpublished works should be referenced, including material in print, electronic or audio-visual format.
Sticking to the correct referencing style
There are many different styles of referencing. Different schools have their own preferences. If you are not sure of the right style, you should ask your unit-coordinator or lecturer for advice. The styles include:
APA (American Psychological Association)
This style is primarily used by the School of Psychology. The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association is available in Dixson Library at 808.02/A512p. For citing electronic references, try the APA's Electronic References or Dr. Mary Guffey's APA style electronic formats (The print version of this work was first published in Business Communication Quarterly, March 1997, pp. 59-76.)
The footnoting or "references with notes" style involves placing a raised number in the text which corresponds to a note at the foot of the page or at the end of the work. This note contains full bibliographical details relating to the source of information. Footnotes are usually supplemented by a complete bibliography at the end of the work.
The footnoting system is covered in the Academic Skills Office Fact sheets Footnoting and Using quotes (Footnoting system).
Harvard
The Harvard referencing style is also known as the Author-Date system, and in Australia is based on the Commonwealth Government's Style Manual for authors, editors and printers (Library call number 808.02/S938). A detailed list of the references should be given at the end of your work. Within the body of your assignment, references are limited to the author's family name, the date of publication and the relevant page number.
For further information on the Harvard system, try the Academic Skills Office Fact sheets The UNE referencing guide, Using quotes (the Author-date System) and Author-date Referencing Examples.
The University of Melbourne has published the excellent Australian Guide to Legal Citation (2nd ed), online and in print form. It is a comprehensive guide to legal citation for Australian material and also provides suggested styles for international law. It is valuable for all kinds of legal writing and research and is designed for use by all participants in the Australian legal system.
MLA (Modern Language Association of America)
There are a number of sites on the MLA style on the Web. One particularly useful one is the Frequently Asked Questions link in the MLA Style section of the MLA Home page. You may also like to borrow UNE's copy of the 6th edition of MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers at 808.027/M689m/2003, or the 2nd edition of the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing at 808.027/G437m/1998.
Summary
This page has looked at the importance of a systematic approach to looking for information. This includes:
- keeping details of how and where you found information
- recording appropriate bibliographic details for each source
- ensuring that you reference appropriately
- making sure that you adhere to the set referencing style.
The next page will help you determine whether or not you have used information appropriately.
 | Self-test Try these quick self-test questions to assess what you have learnt from this module. |
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