Referencing Advice
While the other guides give guidance on how to reference, this guide details good practice and gives advice. At the end of the guide there are links to further resources that you can use to help you with referencing.
Get Organised
Whilst referencing, ensure that you organise your references as you research. This will help you when you are adding information from your research into your assignment. It is recommended that when you find a source that you would like to use in your work, that you note down all the referencing information needed to fully reference the source in your work.
Another way to get organised with referencing is to download and sort your research into folders that you can then access when you need them. However, this may not be possible for all sources, such as some eBooks. Alternatively, the University gives students access to Endnote. Endnote is a useful tool that allows you to store your research and referencing information into a software. Guidance on how to use and download Endnote can be found in our Endnote guide.
Being organised will ultimately save you time when referencing, adding sources to your work and when writing your assignment. Should you forget to reference the correct information when researching, and can no longer access the primary source, you can often find some of the source's referencing information if you search for it on the Library Catalogue and on our search databases.
Plan time into your schedule for referencing
Referencing takes time and often takes longer than you expect. Make sure that you plan the time in to reference patiently and thoroughly. If you fail to plan time, or rush through, it is easy to make mistakes. When referencing, stay calm and ensure that you get your referencing correct.
Referencing is positive
As referencing takes time, it is important to know the positive reasons behind why you reference. This can help to justify planning time to get your referencing correct. There are many reasons that underpin why we reference. When asked why we reference, the usual response is to avoid plagiarism and to not commit an academic offence.
Crucially, referencing is where you evidence your wider reading. Any time spent adding a reference is time spent shows the research that you have done.
Referencing also highlights where you support your own argument with authority and proves to the marker that you have researched and used real sources.
Be thorough
With referencing, the devil is in the detail. Therefore, we recommend that you are thorough and check each reference before you submit your assignment.
Double check spellings, links and any dates that you have included. Especially double check that your reference includes everything that it needs to, if you have used a reference making software.Whilst we don’t advise using these, if you choose to use one, be cautious that the information is included, is in the right order and fits the referencing style that you need it to.
You can use Cite Them Right (see the resources section) to find the referencing information required to cite and reference each source type.
Use Cite Them Right
Cite Them Right is a online resource that contains information on how to reference using each different referencing style. Cite Them Right has information on how to reference a wide variety of sources from traditional sources, such as books, journals and websites, to less conventional sources including social media sites, video games and video streaming sites.
It may be useful to read through the basics tab for an overview of how to reference in advance of your assignment, before checking the referencing information required for the individual sources that you are citing as you do your research.