Why referencing work

Learning and Teaching Development. Remove Frame. Why do you need to reference? To distinguish your own ideas from those of someone else. To cite different points of view. To validate what you are writing, by referring to documented evidence. Published work for instance can be used to support your argument and add credibility to your writing.

Plagiarism is a very serious offense. If it is found that you have plagiarized -- deliberately or inadvertently -- you may face serious consequences.

In some instances, plagiarism has meant that students have had to leave the institutions where they were studying. The best way to avoid plagiarism is to cite your sources - both within the body of your paper and in a bibliography of sources you used at the end of your paper.

It looks like you're using Internet Explorer 11 or older. This website works best with modern browsers such as the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. If you continue with this browser, you may see unexpected results. Citing sources: Overview.

Overview Citation style guides Cite data. Manage your references Use these tools to help you organize and cite your references:. Citation Management and Writing Tools. Why citing is important It's important to cite sources you used in your research for several reasons: To show your reader you've done proper research by listing sources you used to get your information To be a responsible scholar by giving credit to other researchers and acknowledging their ideas To avoid plagiarism by quoting words and ideas used by other authors To allow your reader to track down the sources you used by citing them accurately in your paper by way of footnotes, a bibliography or reference list.

About citations Citing a source means that you show, within the body of your text, that you took words, ideas, figures, images, etc. Citations consist of standard elements, and contain all the information necessary to identify and track down publications, including: author name s titles of books, articles, and journals date of publication page numbers volume and issue numbers for articles Citations may look different, depending on what is being cited and which style was used to create them.

A word-for-word rewriting of a source's ideas. Effective language that cannot be improved Direct support for a case you're making Expert declaration Controversial statement to distance yourself!

Verbatim Enclose in double quotation marks Indent for longer quotations Insert an ellipsis … if omitting words Add citation. The mechanics Include a citation in your text at the point where you refer to another person's work. Use a standard referencing style to enable your readers to find the relevant information easily The styles that are most commonly used in UK universities are Harvard Author-Date and Vancouver numbered list. Law students may be asked to use Oscola Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities There are many different referencing styles and it is important to ensure that you are following the appropriate style for your subject.

Check with your tutor if you are unclear as to which style you should be using Help and training For referencing help contact your Subject Librarian. Referencing tutorial This online tutorial from Cite Them Right introduces you to the principles behind referencing, and teaches you how to acknowledge the sources you use. EndNote referencing software EndNote is the University of Bristol's recommended reference management software.

Useful tools Cite Them Right - h elps users to reference almost any source print, electronic or performance Mendeley — alternative reference management software. Staff intranet Twitter Instagram. Undergraduate study Find a course Open days and visits New undergraduate students. Postgraduate study Find a programme Visits and open days New postgraduate students.

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