Referencing

Why do we reference?

Referencing is the acknowledgment of the sources you have used to help create your assignment, report, essay or project.

You must reference all the sources you use in your work, these can include words, ideas, images, facts, videos, audio material, websites, statistics, diagrams and data. By using the right sources in an assignment, this helps you provide the accurate and necessary supporting evidence you need.

What happens if information isn't referenced or is not referenced correctly?

If referencing is not completed, the writer can be accused of plagiarism 

 Information sourced and adapted from Deakin University 

Good referencing will: 

• Not only show what you have read, but demonstrate the depth of your research 
• Help the reader to locate and read the sources that you referred to
• Support and strengthen your argument and information 
• Demonstrates academic integrity and avoid academic misconduct (where the honesty, reliability and integrity of the work is compromised) and plagiarism

 Information sourced and adapted from Deakin University 

Some Important Definitions to Know

• A bibliography is an alphabetical listing of sources at the end of an assignment that includes all resources used for information. A bibliography is different from reference list, which includes only resources quoted in the assignment. 

  • A citation is a reference to a source in the body of an essay. A citation may relate to a quote, paraphrase, summary or to a general reference to a source.

• Cite: To refer to a source in the body of a paper.

• Copyright The legal right of an author/owner of a work to control the reproduction of that work.

• Paraphrase To put a short piece of text into your own words. See also Summarising and quoting.

• Plagiarism The use of someone else's work (including words, graphs, tables, images, ideas) without proper acknowledgement. This is a serious academic offence that carries penalties.

• Quote To reproduce the exact words of a source.

• A references list is an alphabetical listing of resources at the end of a paper that includes all of the works cited in that paper. A reference list differs from a bibliography, which includes not only those works cited in text but also works that have contributed to the preparation of a paper.

• Summarise To shorten a text by selecting the main points, and leaving out the detail and rephrasing it in one's own words.

 Information sourced and adapted from Deakin University 

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