Referencing
Why is referencing necessary?
To avoid plagiarism
“The action or practise of plagiarizing; the wrongful appropriation or purloining, and publication as one’s own ideas, or the expression of the ideas (literary, artistic, musical, mechanical etc.) of another.”
(Oxford English Dictionary online.http://dictionary.oed.com)
How does referencing help to avoid plagiarism?
Using correct referencing methods enables you to make it clear when the ideas, concepts, words of others have been used in or have influenced your submitted work.
Examples of Plagiarism
- Copying directly from a text, word for word
- Using an attractive phrase or sentence you have found somewhere
- Using text downloaded from the internet
- Paraphrasing the words of a text very closely
- Borrowing statistics from another source or person
- Copying from the essays or notes of another student
- Downloading or copying pictures, photographs or diagrams without acknowledging your sources
Remember: Even if you use material from the internet or any other resource, you still need to acknowledge your sources in the same way that you would material quoted from a printed book.
Record it
Keep an accurate record of what data was gathered from which source. (It's a good idea to do this as you go). Make sure you have all the information you need to reference properly. The Harvard system of referencing is a good standard to adhere to.
If you'd like to practice, try these simple referencing excercises:
Example Book Referencing Exercise
Further Help
For more information on library resources, see the library information page.
If you need more specific guidance, feel free to contact one of our subject librarians who will be happy to help you with your enquiries.
