Referencing essentials

The what, why, when and how of referencing

Written work at university requires correct referencing.
But what does this mean? Evans (1995) defines
Identifying sources
referencing as “the labelling of material you have drawn References must be:
from other writers with enough information for the
reader to be able to locate the source” (p.52). Note that Complete: Full details including author, title, source or
there is a range of related words academics use to refer URL, place and year of publication, publisher and page
to this process including citing and sourcing. numbers may all need to be given* if available for end-
of-text referencing. (*depending on publication type)
Correct: Your reader won’t be able to locate the source
Why reference? if your reference is inaccurate.

In an academic context, referencing is important Appropriate: Referencing legitimises and supports your
because it: claims. It also prevents accusations of plagiarism.

1. is an acknowledgement of others’ work in the area Consistent: One writing task requires a single
you are writing about. referencing style to be used throughout.

2. provides evidence that you have given thoughtful Keeping track of the referencing details
consideration to the topic of your writing.
should be a routine step in producing a
3. allows readers of your work to locate and consult the
sources that you have relied upon in your work or
draft for an assignment.
incorporated into your assignment.
Different referencing styles
4. places your work in the context of current research.
There are many different referencing systems in use in
5. avoids plagiarism (the representation of another’s the University. Some Faculties will only use one style
work as your own) by accurately acknowledging the while others require students to use a different style
originator of information or ideas that are not your depending on which Department or School they are
own. (See the Academic Skills flyer ‘Academic studying with. Even within a Department there may be
Honesty’ for more information on this.) no agreed style as individual lecturers have different
ideas about which style is most suitable for their
subject. This creates some difficulties for students
although some Faculties/Departments produce
Essential components Referencing Guides for students to use. Check your
Referencing means indicating which information or subject outline or consult your Lecturer or Tutor about
ideas are derived from an ‘outside’ source and providing which referencing system you should use.
details about that source.
Referencing systems
Thus, there are usually two parts to any reference:
Referencing styles can be categorised into three main
 An indicator within the text which points out that systems: author-date, footnote and the numeric
material has been drawn from elsewhere (often system.
called an IN-TEXT reference).
1. Author-date
 Detailed information about the source(s) at the
bottom of the page (often called footnotes) OR at An author-date reference is made by citing in-text the
the end of the paper (often called END-OF-TEXT or author(s) of the work(s), publication year and – if you
BIBLIOGRAPHIC referencing) have it – the specific page number(s) for the information
or ideas presented. The remainder of the essential
details of all works cited in the paper are presented at
the end in a Reference List (sometimes called
‘References’ or ‘Works cited’), in alphabetical order
according to the family name of the author.

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 Some commonly used examples of Author-date Bibliography at the end of the paper
systems are APA (American Psychological Association),
Since all bibliographic information is given in the
Harvard and MLA (Modern Language Association). The
footnotes, a Reference List is not necessary. However,
following is an example of Harvard style.
most footnote styles recommend including a
 Example of an in-text reference: Bibliography or Reading List which is arranged
alphabetically by author surname and can include
...the potential applications as outlined previously sources not directly referred to in the text, but relevant
have only recently been explored in more detail to the subject. Bibliographies are always longer and
(Wang, Svenson & Giacomo, 2003). more exhaustive than Reference Lists.
 Example of the Reference List entry for this work:  Example Bibliography:
Wang, L., Svenson, K., and Giacomo, V., 2008, ‘Possible Keller, Helga and Anita Rivera-Torres. “Artificial
applications of Calculon (Tournesolite) in fusion Christmas trees in Pennsylvania during the 18th
reactors’, in W Petrov (ed.), The future of high century.” Journal of Yule Studies 28 (1999): 113–127.
temperature resistant materials and coatings (pp 53-89)
New York: Science Press. Kent, Gerald. From candles to fibre optics: the impact
of space technology on Christmas tree decoration.
Explanation: With the in-text reference, the reader can Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997.
instantly identify the originator of the ideas or
information presented. However, in-text citations can be 3. Numeric
disruptive when multiple sources need to be cited at a
The number refers to a list at the end of the paper which
single point in the text. If the reader wants to find out
gives full details of the sources used in order of their
more about the source, they need to consult the
first appearance in the text. Numeric styles are also
Reference List at the end of the paper.
called Numbered, Citation-sequence or Author-
(Note: if you are using a direct quote, you always need number styles. They are usually only used in some
to give the page number reference with the in-text medical and engineering disciplines.
citation.)
Where can I find models of
2. Footnote
effective referencing?
Footnote systems use an in-text note identifier (usually a
Some Faculties / Departments and have referencing
small raised number at the end of a sentence). This
guidelines listed on their website. However, if your
number refers to a footnote placed at the bottom of the
department does not have a style guide for referencing
page or an endnote at the end of the paper. In general,
and your subject outline doesn’t state a required
footnotes and endnotes are used in academic writing to
referencing style, find out the name of the style
shift non-essential material from the main text.
generally preferred by the Department or ask your
Some commonly used examples of this referencing lecturer which style you should use. Then find an
style are Chicago, Oxford or Vancouver. Examples electronic or print publication written using references in
using Chicago style follow: that style and use it as a model of how you should
reference. University library websites often give
 Example footnote in the text examples of how to reference using different systems.
...until Kent’s theory initiated a renewed interest in
the topic.² However, it has since been argued that Works cited
Kent’s conclusions were based on false
Evans, D. (1995). How to write a better thesis or report.
suppositions.³ Carlton, Vic: Melbourne University Press.
 Example footnote/endnote with full bibliographic
details Further resources
Monash University Library. (2006). Citing and referencing.
² Kent, Gerald. From candles to fibre optics: the Retrieved Sept 6 2011 from
impact of space technology on Christmas tree [Link]
decoration Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, University of New South Wales. Learning Centre. (2010).
1997. [online Academic Skills resources – Referencing & Plagiarism].
³ Helga Keller and Anita Rivera-Torres. “Artificial Retrieved Sept 6 2011 from
Christmas trees in Pennsylvania during the 18th [Link]
century.” Journal of Yule Studies 28 (1999): 113–127. University of Melbourne. University Library. (2011) Re:cite.
Retrieved Sept 6 2011 from
If the same references are used again, they can be [Link]
shortened. The repeated reference usually gives just the See also Academic Skills flyers ‘Incorporating sources’ &
name of the author(s) and a shortened title. ‘Academic Honesty’ at
[Link]

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