Referencing

Referencing

Referencing often causes students problems, so if this is an issue for you, then you are not alone. Students sometimes struggle with referencing because they have not needed to reference on a previous course or because they need to learn a new referencing system for their course at UW. Either way, it is important to get on top of referencing as soon as possible, otherwise you may be accused of plagiarism.

Plagiarism is using the ideas, words or findings of others without acknowledging them as your source of information or inspiration. It is a form of cheating and is treated very seriously in Higher Education. In order to avoid plagiarism you need to use a referencing system to acknowledge other people’s ideas etc.

Referencing queries?

The information below will help you to understand why, and practice how, to reference. However, if you have a specific query or would like to learn more about referencing properly, you can book a 1-2-1 session with your Academic Liaison Librarian. These sessions cover plagiarism and referencing queries, plus learning how to use Refworks (an online referencing tool), just email askalibrarian@worc.ac.uk for more information or to make an appointment.

Why reference?

  • To verify the source of the ideas and theories in your assignments
  • To demonstrate that you have researched the topic
  • To enable other interested readers (and yourself) to find and use your original sources
  • To show that you have read a range of sources, and to indicate whether you have used the original work (the primary reference) or whether you are just referring to a citation in someone else’s work (secondary referencing)
  • Marks given for an assignment partly reflect your understanding of the topic – by using someone else’s words and ideas, it is difficult for your tutor to judge your understanding and to award your work an appropriate mark

How do I reference?

To make it easy for people to check references a number of referencing systems have been developed, the two used at Worcester University are the Harvard System and the Numeric System (except the Psychology department which uses the APA system). * If you are not sure which referencing system your department uses, check with your tutors or see your subject handbook.

The most important thing to remember about referencing your work is to be clear, accurate and consistent.