Academic Skills
Referencing and Citation Basics
What is referencing?
Referencing is an efficient method of accurately
indicating the source of information or ideas
which are cited or discussed in a text. It also
gives the precise location of quoted text.
Why should you reference?
• To show what you have been reading
• To provide accurate details for readers to also access this
reading
• To show that your argument is informed
• To demonstrate your scholarly familiarity with the field of
study
• To review the approaches or findings of previous
researchers
• To avoid plagiarism by correctly acknowledging the sources
of ideas and information that your argument relies on
Referencing is a professional skill of academic scholarship
The “Big Picture”
• The in-text reference is an abbreviated
reference to the source
• The full details of the source are found in the
List of References at the end
• Neither makes sense without the other
The “Big Picture”
There are different systems of referencing: Author-date
• Footnotes
• Endnotes
These different systems derive their name from the way the
in-text references are organised
Within these systems, there are styles, e.g: Author-date: APA,
Harvard, MLA
• Footnotes: Chicago
• Endnotes: Vancouver, IEEE
Different styles suit different disciplines
What the styles have in common
• Who wrote it?
- surname, given name/initial
• When was it published?
• What is the title?
- Includes title of chapter within a book, or article within a journal &
relevant page numbers
- Other details: edition / volume / issue numbers
• What are the publication details?
- Doi (journal articles)
- Name & location of publisher (books)
- URL (websites)
Each style organises this information in its own way
In-text references
For all the entries in our APA reference list, the in-text entry
would simply be author and date, e.g: There are too many
adult expectations placed on children (Bousfield & Ragusa,
2014).
• Bousfield and Ragusa (2014) argue that children are being
‘adultified’.
• The PISA results may be more reliable than NAPLAN results
(Job, 2014).
• Orange Grove School has 95% attendance (Australian
Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA],
2013).
What do you notice about the punctuation of these in-text
references?
Referencing Software
Software program for undergraduate:
- EndNote (not Endnote)
- Zetero
- Mendeley
Remember:
- The software is intuitive enough, but you do
have learn it.
- Software won’t help you if you don’t have a
style guide beside you.
Learn about the referencing style first
- Software can be helpful if you know what you are doing
with references.
- … but it can be a problem if you don’t.
Do what suit you:
- Don’t be stress about learning software if you find it
easier to reference manually.
- It might suit you at a later stage when you know how to
reference, but have a lot more sources to manage.
Don’t be passive:
- Like any technology, referencing software can save time
and tedium, but you still need to check that it is done the
work correctly.
Using Evidence
Why do we use & reference evidence?
• To find an informed argument
• To articulate informed support for your
argument
• To provide the reader with correct citation
details to find the source for themselves
INFORMED SUPPORT FOR YOUR
ARGUMENT…
• Author prominent reference
• Ideas prominent reference
• Synthesising sources
CORRECT CITATION DETAILS
• In-text references make no sense without a
reference list
Basic items in a citation
• Author’s name
• Date of publication
• Title of work
– Includes title of chapter within a book, or article within a journal &
relevant page numbers
– Other details: edition / volume / issue numbers
• Name of publisher / URL
• Place of publication
Different referencing styles organise these items
in their own way
Summarise:
• What have you learnt about:
– Why we use evidence?
– Incorporating evidence in your writing?
– How to reference?
