What is referencing?
Referencing is a standardised method used particularly in academic writing to acknowledge the sources used in an essay or paper. "It serves as evidence from secondary sources to your research" (Badenhorst 2007, p. 21).
Where do you reference in your paper?
What must be referenced?
Direct quotation - this is when you use the direct words of the author as they exactly appear in the text. This must be cited and enclosed in the quotation marks.
Paraphrase - This is when you take a passage from a source and re-write it in your own words but the ideas or facts you are expressing are based on what you read. This must be cited as well but is not enclosed in quotation marks.
Summary - A summary is similar to a paraphrase since you also re-write this piece of information in your own words. However with summary you select only the main ideas and and supporting details. This also needs to be referenced but is also not enclosed in quotation marks.
Why do you need to give references to your work?
What is plagiarism?
Plagiarism is the act of using somebody else's ideas or words without giving credits to the originator. It is treated as an academic crime and can result in failing the whole course or being expelled from the institution. There are two kinds of plagiarism (i) Accidental plagiarism = this type of plagiarism happens when you did not intend to plagiarise but you still failed to acknowledge the sources. (ii) Blatant plagiarism = this is when you commit plagiarism deliberately - e.g. you copy and paste a passage from somebody else's assignment without acknowledging the source.
Accidental Plagiarism:
Blatant Plagiarism:
Harvard Referencing Style
Harvard is also known as the Author-Date system. The author's surname and year of publication are cited in the text of your work. The full details of the book are included in a reference list at the end of the assignment.
Quick links for citing in Harvard
Citing books
More about citing books
Citing journal articles
Citing other types of periodicals
Emails, blogs
YouTube videos, website publications
Miscellaneous sources
EndNote is reference management software with features to keep all your references and reference-related materials in a searchable personal library.
EndNote enables researcher to:
Endnote Installation Guide:
More information and tips on using EndNote and links to resources can be found here:
Mendeley is a free reference manager and academic social network that serves as an information system to support research.
It can help researchers to:
Mendeley Installation Guide:
APA 7th Edition Referencing Style
This guide shows you how to reference various types of information sources, according to the APA Referencing Style. In general, when you acknowledge your sources, you are required to follow two sets of rules:
1. the in-text referencing rule in the body of your assignment; and
2. the rules pertaining to your bibliography or reference list.
Both elements should be correctly compiled. This guide will help you to do this.
Use the menu below to see how to reference different formats of information.
Quick links for citing in APA 7th Edition:
You may refer to the full manual or follow the key information from https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/references/examples#textual-works.
University of the Western Cape,
Robert Sobukwe Road,
Bellville,
7535
Tel: 021 959 2946