Referencing (citing) your information sources   Tags: aglc, apa style, chicago style, citations, citing, harvard, mla style, reference styles, references, referencing, referencing styles, vancouver style  

Academic Writing, using Information Sources and Referencing

When writing assignments you will use ideas, theories, word-for-word quotations, facts and figures, as well as illustrations and even diagrams that are not your own.

These ideas etc will originate from numerous sources, including;

• books,
  
• articles from journals or newspapers and
  
• websites.

These sources of information which you used must be acknowledged, i.e. referenced or cited. 

As well as specific direct quotations, your references must also cover must the ideas and theories that you mentioned or relied upon.

Referencing shows what sources you have used and gives credit to the original authors, it allows readers to find the original source to check it or follow up a point. By referencing your information sources you are practising Academic Integrity. For the University's Policy on Academic Integrity see the UoN Student Academic Integrity Policy.

Correct referencing helps you avoid plagiarism. For more on plagiarism see the Infoskills tutorial on Writing and Plagiarism.

Referencing Styles are used to cite the details which clearly identify your information source; i.e., author, title, date, edition, volume, URL, etc.

Each Style usually has its own Style Manual. There are many different styles of citing and referencing, such as APA, Chicago, Vancouver, AGLC, etc.

Referencing - how do I get started?

Watch this Tutorial on "How to Reference" from The University of Sydney Library.

EndNote (Referencing Software)

While it is possible to cite your references manually this is an inefficient process especially when writing a long paper or starting a major piece of research, such as a Ph.D. EndNote Bibliographic Management Software allows you to create your own personal database of references, known as an EndNote 'Library'.

EndNote also works in conjunction with Microsoft Word allowing you to:

• easily insert references from your EndNote Library into your Word document
  
• automatically create a bibliography at the end of your document in the reference style of your choice!

By using EndNote to store the references you gather in the course of your studies or research, you can lessen the headaches normally associated with referencing your assignments and creating bibliographies.

EndNote is software that allows you to organise your references and build bibliographies. It also works in conjunction with Microsoft Word to:

• easily insert references from your EndNote Library into your Word document,
• automatically create a bibliography at the end of your document in the reference style of your choice!

See our EndNote Tutorial

Writing & Plagiarism
As a student at University, there are academic conventions and expectations guiding your course work. This module defines the University's expectations regarding academic conduct and introduces you to strategies for good academic practice.