Referencing

Referencing and citing are essential components of academic writing and research. They involve acknowledging and giving credit to the sources of information, ideas, or data that you have used in your work. 

WHAT IS CITING?

Citing refers to the practice of acknowledging the sources you have used in your work. This typically involves including brief references or citations whenever you directly quote, paraphrase, or summarize someone else’s work or ideas. These citations usually include key information such as the author’s name, publication year, and sometimes page numbers. The citation style (e.g., APA, MLA, Harvard) dictates the format and specific elements included in the citation. 

WHAT IS REFERENCING?

Referencing involves compiling a list of all the sources you have cited or consulted in your work. This list usually appears at the end of your document, paper, or article and provides detailed information about each source, allowing readers to locate and verify the information. Referencing typically includes details such as the author’s name(s), title of the work, publication date, publisher, and other relevant information depending on the citation style.  

Why should you reference? 

Both citing and referencing are crucial for several reasons:  

• Giving credit: It acknowledges the intellectual contributions of others and respects their work.  
• Avoiding plagiarism: Proper citing and referencing help you avoid plagiarism by clearly distinguishing your ideas from those of others.  
• Supporting your arguments: Citing relevant sources strengthens your arguments by providing evidence and supporting data or perspectives.  
• Enabling verification: Readers can verify the information you presented by referring to the original sources.  

When should you reference?  

You should reference whenever you use someone else’s ideas, words, data, or any other intellectual property in your own work. Here are some specific situations when referencing is necessary:  

• Direct Quotations: Whenever you directly quote someone else’s words, you must provide a citation indicating the source.  
• Paraphrasing: If you rephrase or summarize someone else’s ideas or findings in your own words, you still need to acknowledge the original source with a citation.  
• Summarizing: When you summarize a larger portion of text, even if you are not directly quoting or paraphrasing, it is still essential to provide a citation to credit the original source.  
• Using Ideas or Concepts: If you draw upon someone else’s ideas, theories, or concepts in your work, even if you express them in your own words, you should cite the source.  
• Using Data or Statistics: When you incorporate data, statistics, or any other numerical information that is not your own, you need to provide a citation to indicate where the data originated.  
• Images, Figures, and Graphs: If you include images, figures, graphs, or any other visual content created by someone else, you must provide a citation to acknowledge the source.  
• References to Previous Studies or Research: When referring to previous studies, experiments, or research findings, it is crucial to cite the original sources to support your arguments or provide context.  
• Using Online Sources: Even if you are using online sources such as websites, blogs, or social media posts, you still need to cite them properly if you are incorporating information or ideas from those sources into your work.

How do you reference? 

Referencing involves acknowledging the sources of information used in your work, ensuring that credit is given to the original authors and that readers can locate those sources if they wish to learn more. The specific format of a reference depends on the citation style you are using, such as APA, MLA, Harvard, etc.  

The two basic systems of citing and referencing are:  

Referencing typically involves two main elements:

• Citation: This includes providing brief details within the text of your work (such as author name, year of publication, and page number if quoting directly) to acknowledge the source of information or ideas.

Eg: Johnson (2012) discusses the impact of climate change on biodiversity conservation efforts.

• Reference List: This is a detailed list of all sources cited in your work, placed at the end of your document. It includes full bibliographic information for each source cited, arranged alphabetically by author’s last name or by title if no author is given.

Eg: Johnson, Sarah. 2012. “Climate Change and Biodiversity Conservation: Implications and Strategies.” Environmental Science & Policy, vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 245-259.