Referencing

Referencing Systems and Conventions

One of the most confusing and problematic aspects of academic study is learning to adapt to the many and varied referencing systems used in different academic disciplines. The golden rule is to be diligent in using the one system accurately and consistently throughout an academic piece of work that is appropriate in the discipline within which you are writing (and preferably, recommended or approved by your marker). Basically there are two main types of referencing systems:

1. Numbering systems (either a footnote or endnote system)
2. Author-Date systems (sometimes called the Harvard system)

There are also some hybrid systems such as the MLA.

In the numbering systems, the in-text citation is a number, either as a superscript or a bracketed number at the appropriate point in the text to indicate that a source has been cited and that the full bibliographic details are to be found either at the foot of the page (footnote) or at the end of the article (endnote).

In the Author-Date systems, the in-text citation is the author's surname and the date of publication at the appropriate point in the text to indicate that a source has been cited, and the full bibliographic details are to found at the end of the article in an alphabetically arranged (by author surnames) reference list or bibliography.

How to Cite References

Murdoch University Library has produced a very comprehensive and regularly updated guide to referencing (both in-text and end-of-text) print and electronic documents. The How to Cite References guide contains a general introduction to referencing and then detailed examples on two major Author-Date systems, Chicago and APA; the MLA system; Footnote and Endnote systems; and Legal Citation. The guide can be found at

http://www.lib.murdoch.edu.au/guides/cite.html