Referencing is a consistent method of acknowledging another person's ideas which you have used in your own writing. You must reference all sources that you use in your work, including words and ideas, facts, images, videos, audio, websites, statistics, diagrams and data.
Why reference?
- Assists you to avoid plagiarism
- Demonstrates the depth and the breadth of your research and reading
- Enables other researchers to locate your sources
- Supports and strengthens your argument
How do I reference properly?
There are many acceptable forms of referencing. Specific referencing styles may be used in some subject areas, units and publications. Check your unit’s study guide or check with your supervisor for information on which style is required.
Referencing includes two elements:
- A citation within the text of your assignment or paper indicating that a particular concept, phrase or idea has been sourced elsewhere.
- A complete reference list giving the full citation details for all sources referred to in the document.
The referencing style you choose determines the way you construct the in text citations and the reference list.
Referencing guides
The styles supported are international standards, with manuals for further examples.
| Author-date styles | APA - Chicago - MLA |
|---|---|
| Notational styles | ACS - AGLC - Footnote - IEEE - Vancouver |
How can I manage my references?
Reference management software like EndNote will help you to organise and style references that you use.
Read our handy guide to EndNote referencing software.
Need more help?
For help with referencing, you can Ask our Librarians.
