LibGuides: Referencing: Home

Referencing basics

What is referencing?

Referencing is providing a list of sources referred to in your assignment. Referencing is integral to academic writing, so you will find examples in almost all academic sources you read.

A sample text showing Harvard-style referencing is available on Cite Them Right.

Why is referencing important?

There are three key reasons to provide references:

It helps give your work credibility by demonstrating that you are engaging with existing literature or research.
It is essential to acknowledge sources so that you are not seen as passing off other people's work as your own (plagiarism).
It helps anyone reading your work to find the sources you have used to further their research or to check your interpretation.

Will I get marked down for poor referencing?

Your use of sources is one of the criteria used to mark academic assignments. The focus, however, is on the quality of your engagement with sources and the quality of the sources more than how well you have followed the correct formatting. Having said that, formatting may also impact grades.

You should take care to:

Acknowledge any use of sources, whether quoting from them or not
Put quotations in quotation marks and provide a page number
Be careful not to misrepresent the sources you use

What referencing style should I use?

Most courses use Harvard referencing - specifically the version provided by Cite Them Right. However, there are many exceptions - most notably law (OSCOLA) and Psychology (APA).

Please check with your course about which style you are required to use.