Getting started at GCU. Pre induction course for all new GCU students.
What is referencing? Referencing is one of the most noticeable and most important characteristics of academic writing.
It enables students to demonstrate their depth of understanding on a particular topic and
means academic writing is based on fact rather than opinion.
Why does it matter? Referencing is an academic convention that means essays and
assignments are based on theory, research and policy.
It allows students to demonstrate knowledge, understanding and awareness of important issues in their area of practice.
It's important to take a critical approach to evaluating evidence-
not everything you read will be relevant or rigorous.
It's also important to reference to show what has influenced your thinking and
safeguard against plagiarism.
How do I do it? The best place to start is to look at the resource list for your module. This will point you towards useful introductory texts.
Use these resources to help formulate questions about your topic- Where are the gaps?
What more do you need to know?
These questions will help shape your search terms and the resources you use.
How do I do it? There's lots of great information on the GCU Library site about finding resources online.
Look under the Subject help menu for Essential Search Skills and Resources.
Make notes when you are reading on which aspects of a book, journal paper or website you find useful for your assignment.
Will you be referring to a theory, piece of research, statistic or recommendation, for example?
Will you be using a direct quote ( that is, where you use an author's words exactly)?
If so, remember to write down the page number.
As these notes evolve they can help you plan your assignment as well as build up your reference list.
Different referencing systems. There are a number of different referencing systems in use at GCU. Examples include:
GCU Harvard- uses in-text references (surname, date) and full citation (reference) in an alphabetised reference list at the end.
Vancouver- uses in-text references (numbers corresponding to referenced materials) and a full citation in a numbered list,
ordered by occurrence in the text.
Footnotes- uses in-text superscript numbers and full references at the bottom of the page.
GCU Harvard is the most commonly used referencing system at GCU.
However, please check your module handbook to confirm which referencing system you should be using.
What type of material can I reference? A variety of sources can be used as references.
Blogs, books, conference proceedings, discussion boards, journals, newspaper articles, reports, standards, tweets, video and websites.
Guidance on how to format each type is available on the GCU Library website.
What does referencing look like? There are two parts to any reference:
1. The in-text citation in the body of the text. In GCU Harvard this takes the form of the author's surname and date of publication in
in brackets: e.g. (Cooper, 2009).
2. The full reference in a reference list or bibliography at the end of the essay:
e.g. COOPER, N. 2009. Interdisciplinary project management. London: Routledge.
In text examples: You can vary the way you incorporate references in your writing:
Reflective writing encourages students and practitioners to examine their critical decision-making (Ryan, 2011.)
Ryan (2011) suggests that reflective writing encourages students and practitioners to examine their critical decision-making.
According to Ryan ( 2011, p.28) "reflective practice is a lifelong learning system that ensures continuous improvement".
The page number is required for a direct quote.
Reference list examples. For each reference you use in your essay there will be a
corresponding full reference in the reference list at the end.
These are ordered alphabetically by author's surname and regardless of what type of resource it is.
References for journal articles, books and book chapters, for example, require different details.
RefWorks is an online reference management tool that can help you keep your references organised.
It can also help you format your reference list and in-text citations.
To set up an account and for more information on how to use it click on the RefWorks box on the Library homepage.
Further information. For further guidance on referencing, including the full GCU Harvard
guide click on the Referencing box on the library homepage.
Contact your Academic Librarians or your school Learning Development Centre with any referencing questions.
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