Referencing

Referencing

• What is referencing?

  Referencing is the way of giving proper credit when you use other people’s words or ideas in your writing.  Many students find referencing quite tricky, but learning how to do it properly is extremely important.  Good referencing will impress your tutors and almost certainly help you get better grades. 

• Why is refencing so important?

  At university, you will be expected to engage with the ideas and knowledge of scholars, or to put it another way, do a lot of reading.  Demonstrating that you have done the reading can be as important as getting questions “right” or “wrong”. Referencing allows your tutor to see that you have done the reading and considered relevant thinkers in your work.  

  The other important function of referencing is that it openly acknowledges the sources you have used in your work.  Failing to show when you use other people’s words or ideas is a serious academic offence.  It is known as plagiarism in universities and is regarded as a form of theft.  

• Why aren't all referencing systems the same?

  Over the years thousands of referencing styles have evolved, all aiming to make it easier for readers to find the sources used in books and articles.  Different people like different styles for different reasons and no single style has ever come to prominence over the rest.  Each variation will have its particular quirks, but most are based on the numbered (for example Vancover style) or author/date systems (for example Harvard style). 

  At university, you will have to know how the basic systems work either because you will be expected to use one in your assignments, or because the texts you are reading will use these styles.  Don’t panic! The basics are easy so reading and writing references will soon become second nature. 

  Our citing and referencing webpage explains about the different referencing systems used at the University of Southampton and there is a table where you can check which is the referencing style used by the academic department or school who you will be studying with when you join the university.