Citing and referencing

What is Referencing?

Referencing is a standardized method of formatting the sources you have used in your assignments or written work. Any given referencing style serves many purposes:

1. acknowledge the source and give credit to the author
2. avoid plagiarism
3. allow the reader of your paper to find the original sources you used
4. add credibility to your work
5. demonstrate your knowledge

Referencing Elements

1. In-text citations

The first component of correct referencing is citing, which is mentioning a specific source that you use in the body of your paper. The format of the citation may change depending on the style you use (e.g. MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.), but the basic elements of the citation that you need to include are:

• Name of the author(s)
• Year of publication
• Page number or page range (if available)

If you quote a source directly you must include the exact page number in your citation. 

2. List of references

This is a list of the sources you have cited in the text placed at the end of your paper. This is not a list of “works consulted”. Every source that is listed in your references needs to be also cited in the body of your paper. Follow these instructions when typing and formatting your list of references.