learningguide - quick guide to referencing

Quick Guide to Referencing
Writing Centre Learning Guide
University students are expected to read widely to gain knowledge and construct
informed opinions about their subject areas. You must acknowledge all the sources
you use in a process called ‘referencing’. Depending on the referencing technique,
external sources are usually given twice: (1) in the body of your work in the form of
in-text referencing; and (2) at the end of your work in the form of a compiled
reference list.
Which reference system to use?

There are many referencing systems and they differ in two main ways: (1) in the format of the
references; and (2) in the location of the references.
Consult your course coordinator or course guide and establish which referencing system to use
when you have been given an assessment task.
Why do I need to reference?

Different faculties, departments and even lecturers will have their preferences about how you
should reference. While different lecturers may not agree on what type of referencing system you
should use, they do agree that acknowledging sources is vital and that consistency in the
referencing format you adopt is essential.
Referencing has several functions:

 to acknowledge the source of a quotation/ idea/ figure/ diagram etc.
 to demonstrate that you are building on previous research
 to provide details so the reader can verify the sources used
 to show that you are well-informed and that your writing is trustworthy
 to support a claim being made
 so other writers can find background material to use in their own writing
 so the reader can check that you have not misrepresented what the author wrote
 so the reader can find additional background information from the same source.
WRITING CENTRE ph +61 8 8313 3021

Level 3 East, Hub Central writingcentre@adelaide.edu.au
North Terrace campus, The University of Adelaide www.adelaide.edu.au/writingcentre/
How do I know when to reference sources?
When expressing ideas or concepts in your work you need to ask yourself the following questions
to guide you to reference your originating sources appropriately.
Q1. Are the words your own or someone else's words:

someone else's? provide an in-text citation and add full
details of the work to your reference list.
your own words: go to Q2.
Q2. Is this idea common knowledge? common knowledge:

you do not need to reference it.
NOT common knowledge: go to Q3.
Q3. Did you think of this yourself or you thought of it:

are you re-stating (paraphrasing) you do not need to reference it.
someone else's idea?
someone else's idea:

provide an in-text citation and add full
details of the work to your reference list.
You need to reference sources when You need to reference sources when you
you obtain information from any works, borrow or adapt material from other people,
such as: such as:
Biographies Books Charts Data

Conferences Dictionaries Designs Diagrams
Documentaries Emails Figures Graphs
Encyclopedias Guides Ideas Images
Handbooks Journals Lectures Methods
Magazines Movies Photographs Presentations
Newspapers Recordings Recordings Speeches
Textbooks Websites Tables Theories
Tutorials Videos
How do I integrate sources into my writing?

When you remove something from another source, you are taking it out of its original context and
putting it into a new context. You must ensure that it fits properly into the new context i.e. your own
assignment. The material from other sources must:
 be relevant to your argument
 join cohesively with the information before and after
 make logical and grammatical sense.
2
When should I use quotations or paraphrase the information?
Quotations should be reserved for those occasions when a writer uses an unusual word or phrase,
or expresses an idea in a particularly interesting way. Shorter quotations are better than long
quotations, but you should try to use any quotations sparingly. If you are quoting, always use the
original writer’s exact words. If you want to change them, you can do this by using square brackets
[ ] or ellipsis (…). For example, if the original reads ‘Chocolate is good for everyone and essential
for our mental wellbeing’, you could add information: ‘Chocolate is good for everyone and essential
for our mental [and emotional] wellbeing’; or you could omit some words: ‘Chocolate is . . .
essential for our mental wellbeing’.
In most other cases, you should aim to paraphrase or, better still, use your own words. Whether
you choose to use a direct quotation or to paraphrase, you will still need to reference the work.
When and how do I cite page numbers?

Page numbers should be used whenever you quote directly, whether it be words, ideas, facts,
charts, designs, tables or figures.
In some referencing styles, such as Harvard, page numbers should also be provided for
paraphrases. (This requirement can vary according to your department, so always check with your
lecturer.) The following examples illustrate the use of page numbers in Harvard referencing style.
Note the use of p. for one page and pp. for more than one page.
 One page (Smith 2009, p. 4)
 Pages in sequence (Smith 2009, pp. 25–26)
 Pages not in sequence (Smith 2009, pp. 1, 4 & 6)
 Pages from a website (Smith 2009)
What if a book was published several times with different dates?

Use the publication date of the book you used, because your edition may contain information which
is different to another edition. If a book has been reprinted several times, use the date given in the
copyright information. Reprinting does not mean the book has changed; reprinting a book is not the
same as publishing it in a new edition.
What is the difference between a reference list and a bibliography?

A reference list includes only those sources which are referred to in the text. The names in the text
and the reference list should match. A bibliography gives extra sources which the reader may find
helpful. Some lecturers use the terms ‘reference list’ and ‘bibliography’ interchangeably, so check
which they mean.
What is EndNote™?
It is necessary to make an accurate record of the resources that you find and use for an
assignment. One of the best ways to do this is to use the EndNote™ package which is available to
staff and students of the University of Adelaide. EndNote™ is a software system for storing and
managing bibliographic references. It allows you to add or easily import references from databases
into your own EndNote™ file, to sort and search them, and to incorporate references automatically
into papers you write using Microsoft Word.
For more information on EndNote™ refer to:

http://libguides.adelaide.edu.au/endnote
3
University of Adelaide Referencing Guides
http://www.adelaide.edu.au/writingcentre/referencing_guides/
Other useful resources

University of Adelaide Library Information on Referencing
http://libguides.adelaide.edu.au/content.php?pid=293787&sid=2412269
General Guides - Referencing
http://www.library.uq.edu.au/help/referencing-style-guides
http://libraryguides.griffith.edu.au/referencing
http://libguides.mq.edu.au/Referencing
Harvard Referencing
http://www.cqu.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/14032/Harvard_Referencing_2014.pdf
http://www.library.uq.edu.au/training/citation/harvard_6.pdf
http://www.unisa.edu.au/ltu/students/study/referencing/harvard.pdf
APA Referencing
http://owll.massey.ac.nz/referencing/apa-interactive.php
http://ecu.au.libguides.com/referencing
http://ssw.unc.edu/files/web/pdf/APA_Quick_Reference_Guide.pdf
http://www.calstatela.edu/library/guides/3apa.pdf
http://www.ecu.edu.au/centres/library-services/workshops-and-training/referencing/related-
content/downloads/refguide.pdf (copy link into browser if it does not open on click)
Chicago Referencing
http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html
http://libguides.library.curtin.edu.au/content.php?pid=141214&sid=1604439
© The University of Adelaide 2014

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Quick Guide to Referencing

Writing Centre Learning Guide

Which reference system to use?

Why do I need to reference?

Referencing has several functions:

WRITING CENTRE ph +61 8 8313 3021

Q1. Are the words your own or someone else's words:

your own words: go to Q2.

Q2. Is this idea common knowledge? common knowledge:

NOT common knowledge: go to Q3.

Q3. Did you think of this yourself or you thought of it:

someone else's idea:

Biographies Books Charts Data

How do I integrate sources into my writing?

When and how do I cite page numbers?

What if a book was published several times with different dates?

What is the difference between a reference list and a bibliography?

For more information on EndNote™ refer to:

Other useful resources

© The University of Adelaide 2014

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