Referencing
What is it?
Referencing is when you give credit to the sources of the information or ideas that you use in your academic work. The sources are usually texts such as books and articles, but can be almost anything (e.g. websites, films, lectures). Citations are the short reference that you put in your text, but the complete reference is given in the references section (sometimes called a bibliography). There is no one standard way of referencing. LSBU mostly uses Harvard, but some courses use APA or OSCOLA systems.
Why is it important?
- To avoid plagiarism.
- To acknowledge the original sources of ideas or data that you use.
- To show you have read appropriate sources and done good research.
- To help your reader find your sources.
- To show that you are building on previous research and engaging with the discussion in your subject area.
Examples
- Making a correctly formatted references list.
- Paraphrasing something that an author wrote to include it in your assignment
- Comparing and contrasting the ideas of different authors in your essay.
- Using citation software to manage and correctly format your references.
- You want to reference a source quoted by another author.
How can I learn how to do it?
- The Library has a selection of online guides. (Click the box in the bottom right of the page)
- Find and use the Subject Guide for your subject. There is a Guide available for all subjects, each with subject-specific resources.
- Workshops and drop-ins from Skills for Success. Check out the upcoming events for more details.
- One-to-ones can be booked through MyAccount.
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