Referencing

Referencing is an essential academic writing skill. Although at first it can seem complex and difficult, it soon becomes easier. This section introduces some key information to help get you started, and gives you a chance to practise, before you start writing.

Why is referencing so important?

For many students, referencing is quite an unfamiliar skill because they may not have been required to do it before. However, at university almost all pieces of academic coursework require referencing and marks are awarded for doing it well. It is therefore an essential skill that all students need to acquire. For this reason, it can often be a source of concern for new students. At the beginning, it can seem difficult and complex, but referencing has clear rules or conventions. If you follow these, your referencing will be fine.

Academic writing requires you to research a range of information and evidence, in order to evaluate it in relation to your topic. You will need to refer to externally sourced information from a range of print, digital and other sources, all of which must be clearly referenced in your text.

There are three main reasons why you must reference clearly, systematically and consistently:

Tip: Marks are often awarded for referencing well!

What are the basic systems and principles?

There are different systems of referencing. The two main methods used at Edinburgh Napier University are the Harvard system, and the footnote or numerical system. It is essential you check which method is preferred for the modules you are studying, and guidelines will normally be given in your module or programme handbooks, or on WebCT.

This section focuses on the Harvard method of referencing, which is the method most commonly used at Edinburgh Napier University.

The basic principle of referencing is quite logical: within your text you show you are referring to another writer's work by giving very brief details, usually the surname and date of publication. These brief details allow your readers to find the complete details in your reference list at the end, and to locate the source if they wish.

There are two parts to referencing:

[D]

Remember: Check your guidelines, and ask your lecturer if you need clarification.

How do I reference in the text (citation)?

You will often need to refer to information from other writers in your text. This is known as in-text citation. Two examples of citation are quoting and paraphrasing

Quoting

A quotation repeats a piece of information in the author's exact words, or exactly as originally published.

Example of a longer quotation

Example of a short quotation

Notice how the two examples are formatted. The longer quotation is indented, with no quotation marks, while the short quotation has "quotation marks" round it. In each case this ensures the quote is clearly identifiable in your text.

How do I reference a quotation?

To reference a quotation in your text, note the author's surname, the date of publication of the original source, and the page number.

Tip: Most lecturers prefer students to use only a small number of quotations, while some ask for none at all. Make sure you check what is acceptable on your modules.

Remember: If you use a quotation, you must give the page number.

Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing is when you present the ideas or information of others using your own words. This is a very common way of citing other writers' work within your text.

Examples of paraphrasing

Notice the way paraphrased information is integrated into the flow of the main text.

How do I reference paraphrased information?

To reference paraphrased information, note the author's surname and the date of publication of the original source, e.g. Smith (2008). Here are some examples:

Remember: You don't need to include page numbers with paraphrased information.

Referencing multiple authors and organisations

Sometimes you will need to refer to an external source published by an institution or organisation with no individual author, for example the Interesting Research Group (IRG). In this case, you treat the organisation as the author. For example:

If there are two authors of the source you want to reference, give the surnames of both, for example:

When you refer to co-authors in brackets, use an ampersand "&" rather than "and".

If there are more than three authors, give the surname of the first author followed by et al. (which means 'and others').

Note that in the reference list at the end of your text, you must name all the authors of each source.

Examples of referencing in the text (citation)

[T] [W]

Wording a citation

[T] [W]

Remember: Make sure the details in your citations match the reference list at the end of your text.

How do I construct the reference list at the end?

So far, we have looked at the importance of systematically referencing all the sources referred to in your work, and demonstrated examples of in-text referencing (citation). You will also need to provide a full reference list at the end of your writing, and to ensure that the details in it match your citations.

A distinction is often made between a bibliography and a reference list.

Students are often only asked for a reference list. In some cases however, no distinction is made between the two.

Remember: Check your guidelines!

What is the correct order for a reference list?

[T] [W]

What details should the reference list include?

Book	Author, Date, Title, Where published, Publisher.
Chapter in a book	Author, Date, Chapter title, Book title, Editor, Page range, Where published, Publisher.
Journal article	Author, Date, Article title, Journal title, Volume number, Page range.
Internet reference	Author, Date published (if available), Article title, Publication title (if available), Web address, Date accessed.

Example reference list

What do the details in a reference mean?

[T] [W]

Tip: You will find that in different subject areas there may be variations in the way references are formatted. For example, some prefer publication titles italicised, while others require them underlined.

How do I organise my references?

It should now be clear that to produce a well referenced piece of coursework, you need not only to have researched the topic effectively, but also to provide specific details of all the information sources you have used.

To do this, you need to organise your references from the moment you begin work on your assignment.

Students have different techniques for organising references.

• Some note down the details in the correct format for the reference list from the very beginning, and save them electronically as they go along.
• Others note reference details on paper, keeping them separate from their main notes so they don't lose them. (Coloured paper is useful for this).
• You can also use the referencing software, Endnote.

There are many techniques you can use. The important thing is to plan your referencing right from the start of your project, and to find the way that works best for you.

Referencing tips

Remember: Marks are often awarded for referencing well!

Tip: For more information on referencing, read the fact sheets on the Library web pages.

Anne Chirnside with Mary Hutchison
First published February 2008. Last updated 12 February 2009