how to put reference on assignment

Aberystwyth University
Referencing & Plagiarism Awareness
3. How to insert citations into your assignment.

Referencing & Plagiarism Awareness: 3. How to insert citations into your assignment.

1. Introduction
2. What is referencing and citation?
4. What is plagiarism?
5. Referencing Artificial Intelligence Outputs
6. Consequences of plagiarism
7. Plagiarism in the news
8. Referencing Examples
9. Reference management tools
10. Submitting your work using Turnitin
11. How to interpret your Turnitin similarity report
12. Further help

What is citing?

Citing is identifying the sources you have used in the text of your assignment. This may be done as;

a direct quotation

paraphrasing

summarising

In-text citations give brief details about the source that you refer to.

This is an example citation (Harvard referencing style):

(Pears and Shields, 2013)

Further citation examples from the different referencing styles used at Aberystwyth University can be found here .

The citations will allow the person reading your assignment to locate the full details of the source you have used in the reference list located at the end of your work.

Reference list (Harvard Style)

Pears, R. and Shields, G. (2013) Cite them right: the essential referencing guide . London: Palgrave.

Pears, R. and Shields, G. (2013). Cite them right: the essential referencing guide . London: Palgrave.

How to use quotes in your assignment.

When you use quotations they should be relevant. Try not to use too many as they can break the flow of your text. You will need to balance quotations with your own understanding of the sources used.

Don't forget - quotes are included in your word count!

A few tips:

Enclose any quotes in " quotation marks " - be consistent. Check out the further examples to see whether your chosen referencing style uses single or double quotation marks.

If using long quotes that are more than a few sentences, add these as a separate paragraph. This should be indented and there is no need to use quotation marks. ( Please note : The Department of Geography and Earth Sciences stipulate that long, indented quotations require quotation mark at the beginning and the end of the quotation).

Depending on the referencing style you are using, give the author, date and page number that the quote is from.

The full details of the source of the quote are then added into the reference list at the end of your assignment.

Example (Harvard Style):

In-text citation

'There are several ways in which you can incorporate citations into your text, depending on your own style and the flow of the work' (Pears and Shields, 2013, p. 8).

Reference list

How to paraphrase.

Paraphrasing involves expressing another author’s ideas or arguments in your own words, without direct quotation but with due acknowledgement. It entails reformulating key points or information accurately, so that nothing important is lost but the means of communication is new. For instance:

Quotation ‘It is impossible to step twice into the same river’ (Heraclitus) Paraphrase Heraclitus argues that, just as a river is always in motion, the world is always changing so that nothing stays the same.

Paraphrasing can help with the flow or continuity of your written work and is a good way of demonstrating your understanding.

Read your source a few times to ensure you understand the meaning

Restate the key point(s) from the source in your own words, but without distorting the original meaning

Ensure you cite and reference the source.

Please note: When paraphrasing, you should NOT copy a passage from your source and then seek to change some of its wording. Use your own words and phrases from beginning to end when paraphrasing.

How to summarise.

This method provides the key points from an article, book or web page as a brief statement.

A few Tips;

Summaries should be your own work. It is NOT permitted to use online summary tools or other software for this purpose.

Ensure you cite and reference the source

Only list the main topics

In text citation

Importantly, one particular book (Pears and Shields, 2013) looks at the different citation methods when including them in an assignment.

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URL: https://libguides.aber.ac.uk/referencing
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UCL LIBRARY SERVICES

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References, citations and avoiding plagiarism

Assignments.

Getting Started
Independent research
Understanding a reference
Managing your references
How to reference
Acknowledging and referencing GenAI
Harvard referencing
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APA referencing
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OSCOLA referencing
MHRA referencing
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Avoiding plagiarism

Further help

Referencing in your assignments

In academic work of any kind, effective referencing of your sources will ensure that you:

show that you are writing from a position of understanding of your topic.
demonstrate that you have read widely and deeply.
enable the reader to locate the source of each quote, idea or work/evidence (that was not your own).
avoid plagiarism and uphold academic honesty.

In order to cite sources correctly in your assignments, you need to understand the essentials of how to reference and follow guidelines for the referencing style you are required to use.

Referencing styles

Citing your sources can help you avoid plagiarism. You may need to submit your assignments through Turnitin, plagiarism detection software. Find out more about Turnitin and how you can use it to check your work before submitting it:

What is plagiarism?

Why do I need to reference? Find out more

Teaching in Higher Education cover image

Referencing and empowerment

Karen Gravett & Ian M. Kinchin (2020) Referencing and empowerment: exploring barriers to agency in the higher education student experience, Teaching in Higher Education, 25:1, 84-97

American journal of roentgenology cover image

Plagiarism: what is it, whom does it offend, and how does one deal with it?

J D Armstrong, 2nd (1993) Plagiarism: what is it, whom does it offend, and how does one deal with it?, American Journal of Roentgenology, 161:3, 479-484

Teaching Referencing as an Introduction to Epistemological Empowerment

Monica Hendricks & Lynn Quinn (2000) Teaching Referencing as an Introduction to Epistemological Empowerment, Teaching in Higher Education, 5:4, 447-457

Academic honesty and conduct

UCL guide to Academic Integrity What is Academic Integrity, why is it important, and what happens if you breach it?
Understanding Academic Integrity course UCL's online and self-paced course to help you understand academic integrity, designed to help students to develop good academic practice for completing assessments.
Engaging with AI in your education and assessment UCL student guidance on how you might engage with Artificial Intelligence (AI) in your assessments, effectively and ethically.
Introduction to referencing tutorial

Referencing style guides

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Next: Independent research >>
Last Updated: Sep 22, 2024 9:09 PM
URL: https://library-guides.ucl.ac.uk/referencing-plagiarism

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APA Formatting and Style Guide (7th Edition)

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Referencing

A Quick Guide to Harvard Referencing | Citation Examples

Published on 14 February 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on 15 September 2023.

Referencing is an important part of academic writing. It tells your readers what sources you’ve used and how to find them.

Harvard is the most common referencing style used in UK universities. In Harvard style, the author and year are cited in-text, and full details of the source are given in a reference list .

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Harvard in-text citation, creating a harvard reference list, harvard referencing examples, referencing sources with no author or date, frequently asked questions about harvard referencing.

A Harvard in-text citation appears in brackets beside any quotation or paraphrase of a source. It gives the last name of the author(s) and the year of publication, as well as a page number or range locating the passage referenced, if applicable:

Note that ‘p.’ is used for a single page, ‘pp.’ for multiple pages (e.g. ‘pp. 1–5’).

An in-text citation usually appears immediately after the quotation or paraphrase in question. It may also appear at the end of the relevant sentence, as long as it’s clear what it refers to.

When your sentence already mentions the name of the author, it should not be repeated in the citation:

Sources with multiple authors

When you cite a source with up to three authors, cite all authors’ names. For four or more authors, list only the first name, followed by ‘ et al. ’:

Sources with no page numbers

Some sources, such as websites , often don’t have page numbers. If the source is a short text, you can simply leave out the page number. With longer sources, you can use an alternate locator such as a subheading or paragraph number if you need to specify where to find the quote:

Multiple citations at the same point

When you need multiple citations to appear at the same point in your text – for example, when you refer to several sources with one phrase – you can present them in the same set of brackets, separated by semicolons. List them in order of publication date:

Multiple sources with the same author and date

If you cite multiple sources by the same author which were published in the same year, it’s important to distinguish between them in your citations. To do this, insert an ‘a’ after the year in the first one you reference, a ‘b’ in the second, and so on:

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A bibliography or reference list appears at the end of your text. It lists all your sources in alphabetical order by the author’s last name, giving complete information so that the reader can look them up if necessary.

The reference entry starts with the author’s last name followed by initial(s). Only the first word of the title is capitalised (as well as any proper nouns).

Sources with multiple authors in the reference list

As with in-text citations, up to three authors should be listed; when there are four or more, list only the first author followed by ‘ et al. ’:

Reference list entries vary according to source type, since different information is relevant for different sources. Formats and examples for the most commonly used source types are given below.

Entire book
Book chapter
Translated book
Edition of a book

Journal articles

Print journal
Online-only journal with DOI
Online-only journal with no DOI
General web page
Online article or blog
Social media post

Sometimes you won’t have all the information you need for a reference. This section covers what to do when a source lacks a publication date or named author.

No publication date

When a source doesn’t have a clear publication date – for example, a constantly updated reference source like Wikipedia or an obscure historical document which can’t be accurately dated – you can replace it with the words ‘no date’:

Note that when you do this with an online source, you should still include an access date, as in the example.

When a source lacks a clearly identified author, there’s often an appropriate corporate source – the organisation responsible for the source – whom you can credit as author instead, as in the Google and Wikipedia examples above.

When that’s not the case, you can just replace it with the title of the source in both the in-text citation and the reference list:

Harvard referencing uses an author–date system. Sources are cited by the author’s last name and the publication year in brackets. Each Harvard in-text citation corresponds to an entry in the alphabetised reference list at the end of the paper.

Vancouver referencing uses a numerical system. Sources are cited by a number in parentheses or superscript. Each number corresponds to a full reference at the end of the paper.

A Harvard in-text citation should appear in brackets every time you quote, paraphrase, or refer to information from a source.

The citation can appear immediately after the quotation or paraphrase, or at the end of the sentence. If you’re quoting, place the citation outside of the quotation marks but before any other punctuation like a comma or full stop.

In Harvard referencing, up to three author names are included in an in-text citation or reference list entry. When there are four or more authors, include only the first, followed by ‘ et al. ’

Though the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, there is a difference in meaning:

A reference list only includes sources cited in the text – every entry corresponds to an in-text citation .
A bibliography also includes other sources which were consulted during the research but not cited.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the ‘Cite this Scribbr article’ button to automatically add the citation to our free Reference Generator.

Caulfield, J. (2023, September 15). A Quick Guide to Harvard Referencing | Citation Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved 21 October 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/referencing/harvard-style/

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More APA Info

Wondering how to tell the parts of a reference? Download this handout:

APA: Parts of a Reference

Need more source types? Download our complete guide to APA Style:

APA Style Examples: References and Citations Comprehensive list of source types with sample references and citations.

When you use someone else's words or ideas in an assignment, you must cite them. By citing them, you are acknowledging that the words/ideas are not your own.

This will make it clear to your instructor what ideas are your own, and what ideas belong to someone else.

It's perfectly okay to use someone else's ideas, as long as you cite them!

There are TWO elements to a citation:

In-text citation : These appear in your paper, and indicate to your reader that the information immediately preceding the citation came from another source.

References : This is the list of sources at the end of your paper that list all of the sources you used in your assignment.

A citation is not complete unless both elements -- an in-text citation, and corresponding References entry -- are present.

Note : You only have to cite sources that you used in your assignment. If you read an article and it was helpful, but you did not use it in your assignment, do not include it in your References.

Your References entry will depend on the source you used -- for example, a book, article, etc. Consult the examples in the left side menu of the Guide to see specific examples for your References entries.

If there is only one entry in your References list, the heading is: Reference

Note: Do not change the order of the authors' names for the sources you list in your References! The order of the authors' names is selected by the authors.

1 Author List the author in your References.

2 Authors For sources with 2 authors, list both authors connected with an ampersand.

3-19 Authors

List all of the authors and connect the second-last author and last author with an ampersand.

20+ Authors

List the first 19 authors, then include an ellipsis to represent additional authors’ names, followed by the final author’s name.

When you quote from other sources in your paper, you can use a Direct Quote (take the author's words exactly) or Paraphrase (when you take the author's ideas and put them in your own words).

Direct Quote example

If the quote extends across multiple pages:

No Page Numbers If no page number is available (as is the case with websites), include the paragraph number.

If there are many paragraphs that are too difficult to count, add a section/heading (if available).

If the quote extends across multiple paragraphs:

Abbreviated Authors Include the full name in the first mention of the text, then include the abbreviation.

If the group name first appears in an in-text citation, include the abbreviation in square brackets:

Paraphrase example Do not include quotation marks if you are paraphrasing.

2 Authors For sources with 1-2 authors, list the last names of both authors in your in-text citation:

3 or More Authors For sources with 3 or more authors, list the first author only and replace the remaining authors with "et al.":

The date of publication must be included in your in-text citations and References.

Which Date Should You Use?

The date may be the year, the year and month, or the year month and day (it will depend on what kind of source you are citing). The examples on this guide will indicate what form of date should be entered for the resource you are citing.

For books : use the copyright date shown on the copyright page.

For journal articles : use year of the volume (even if it is different than the copyright year).

For websites and webpages , use the date that applies to the content you are citing. Do not use the copyright date from the website footer as this date may not apply to the content you are citing. Use the "last updated" date for a webpage if it applies to the content you are citing. If there is no separate date for the work you are citing on the webpage, treat the work as having no date and enter "n.d." in the date field.

In-Text Citation

For more information on dates, please consult the APA Manual, 7th edition , page 289.

You may cite more than one source in an in-text citation.

List the sources alphabetically by the author's last name and separate the citations with a semicolon.

The language in which the student's paper is written is considered the "main language" and any other language in the paper would be considered "another language".

To cite a work that's in another language, the student should cite the source in the original language, but also translate the title only (in square brackets) for the reader. The translation does not have to be a literal translation.

When a corporate entity is the author of a source, use the corporate name.

Public Health Agency of Canada. (2012). Curbing childhood obesity: A federal, provincial and territorial framework for action to promote healthy weights. http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/hp-ps/hl-mvs/framework-cadre/pdf/ccofw-eng.pdf

There may come a time when you have multiple sources that are published by the same author and in the same year.

In these cases, you will add a References entry for each source. Assign lower case letters in the date field to distinguish them, starting with a. The letters are assigned alphabetically, by title.

Public Health Agency of Canada. (2012a). Biosafety and biosecurity. https://www.canada.ca/en/services/health/biosafety-biosecurity.pdf

Public Health Agency of Canada. (2012b). Food safety. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/food-safety.pdf

Include the letters in your in-text citation:

Quotations longer than 40 words are formatted as block quotations:

Start on a new line
Omit double quotation marks
Indent the entire quotation about half an inch from the left margin
Double space the entire quote
Place citation after the final punctuation mark in the quotation

The following information pertains to block quotes:

This is a block quotation, longer than 40 words. Notice how there are no quotation marks and the entire quote is double-spaced and indented from the left margin. The citation comes after the closing punctuation. (Jones & Smith, 2010, p. 121)

According to the APA Manual, 7th edition, "self-plagiarism is the presentation of your own previously published work as original."

If you do wish to use work you completed for a previous assignment in a new assignment, please discuss it with your instructor first.

There may come a time when you are required to use information from a previous assignment in a new assignment.

The APA Manual advises to place all of your duplicated work together, when possible (in a single paragraph or a few paragraphs), and include a citation. It's also recommended that you introduce the duplicated work with a phrase such as, "as I have previously discussed". Do not use quotation marks around your own material.

Cite your previous work as an "unpublished work":