Doing Research
Writing References
Why cite references?
Citing bibliographical references means:
CITING: acknowledging within your text the document from which you
have obtained information.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: is the list of publications you consulted.
REFERENCE: is the detailed description of the document from which
you have obtained the information.
Honest and professional citation of references provides part of the framework for sound written research:
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because you must acknowledge the sources you have used to establish your arguments and criticisms;
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the references enable other people to identify and trace the sources you have used for your ideas;
- and it helps avoid charges of plagiarism because it makes clear when you are using someone else's ideas and words.
There are two principal components to citing references
- the way you acknowledge, cite the source in your text
- the way you list your sources at the end of your work to enable identification, i.e. the bibliography (or reference list )
There are a variety of systems for bibliographies. Once you have selected a system it is important that you stick to it consistently.
Many departments in the University and different publications have a preferred system. This guide covers two very common systems:
- The Harvard System
- The Numeric System
