A referencing style is the preferred format for creating references to sources of information. Format includes the order of elements of a reference as well as punctuation.
There are many different styles, and you must not mix and match them. It is important to follow a single style. Your department will have a policy on which style you should use. Ask your lecturer or consult your course outline to find out which style to use.
Below are some of the most popular referencing styles:
to acknowledge the work and ideas of others
to avoid plagiarism. Not referencing another person's work is a serious offence
to indicate the range of sources you used; how up-to-date your sources are and whether you used relevant material
Click on the link below for a PowerPoint presentation on why we should reference and examples of how it is done.
Students are often required to have both citations and references when creating their assignments.
“Citation management" or "reference management" tools help you collect, manage, and prepare bibliographies of your research sources. They help you import citations from research databases, websites and other electronic sources, as well as allowing you to manually enter citations. In addition, you can add citations to your documents and generate a bibliography in your desired citation format with plug-in tools for word processing programs.
Plagiarism is not just about copying a classmate's assignment but also taking someone else's ideas and writings from books, journals and websites and pretending they are your own.
In the academic environment it is essential to indicate where you got your information and ideas from - your lecturers want to see what you have read.
Turnitin is an internet based tool used to check and detect plagiarism in an essay or any kind of academic related document. It is licensed based software which is obtained through a subscription.