Adding citations and references can feel like such an unnecessary hassle. You’ve got the whole draft planned out in your head, and you’re in the zone writing one paragraph after the other. The last thing you want to think about is referring to your sources. You might even question why everyone fusses about needing to cite as you work.

 

Picture this scenario. Another student finds your assignment, weaves parts of it into their work without acknowledging you, and takes all the credit themselves. It’s not fair, is it? This is known as plagiarism, a serious offence in academia. Referencing your sources lets you distinguish your own ideas from those you’ve borrowed, maintaining ethical standards in writing.

 

Referencing your work also allows you to benefit from enhanced credibility. Supporting your claims with reputable sources shows that your work is based on established knowledge and research.

So, what does crediting others’ work involve?

 

• In-text citations: In-text citations are brief references to any sources you refer to within the main body of your work. They generally include the author(s), year, and, sometimes, the page number(s).

 

💡 Tip: Some style guides, like APA and Harvard, use the author–date system, where citations are added between parentheses within the text itself. Other style guides, like MHRA, prefer footnote citations. Be sure to check your faculty’s style guide, as well as any additional departmental formatting guidelines, and follow the instructions carefully.

 

• Reference list: Reference lists are lists of all the sources cited in a work, usually sorted alphabetically by the author’s last name. References in a reference list include more details than in-text citations, such as titles, publication information, and DOI or URL links.

 

💡 Tip: To ensure your reference list is not missing any sources, note down the full details of every source you mention in the text. This exercise will prove valuable when compiling the final reference list/bibliography.

   

Moreover, citing as you go allows you to clearly distinguish your own writing from your sources, meaning that you can easily refer back to your sources when you go back to edit your work. It also means you won’t waste precious time before the deadline flipping through journal articles and books for page numbers.

 

💡 Tip: Whether to compile a reference list or bibliography depends on your style guide or your faculty’s preferences. Make sure to confirm the requirements beforehand!

 

Now that you’re equipped with the main definitions, it’s time to get down to action. Double-check your faculty’s preferred style guide, and study it carefully before getting to work. Referencing can feel overwhelming at first, but it gets easier once you get a feel for it. Moreover, we’re here to help! If you have any difficulties with referencing, get in touch, and we’ll do our best to support you!