Referencing is a way of acknowledging that you have used the ideas and written material belonging to another author. It shows that you have undertaken an appropriate literature search and that you have carried out appropriate reading |
Here are examples of sources you might use and need to reference:
Watch this useful video from Dr Jane McKay of the Academic Development Centre in the School of Health and Life Sciences. It answers frequently asked questions on referencing, but bear in mind it is aimed at social work students. Always check your own school and course guidelines!
When you have used an idea from a book, journal article or other source, you must acknowledge this in your text. We refer to this as 'citing'.
When you cite someone else’s work, you must always state the author or editor and the date of publication. If the work has two authors or editors you must cite both names when citing in the body of your own work. Only use the author and date; do not include the title, place of publication, and other information, because these full details of the item are written in your reference list at the end of your essay.
The next few pages will gave you examples of how to do it!
Here are some examples:
If the work has three or more authors or editors, you should use the abbreviation 'et al.' after the first author's name. Here are some examples:
If you cite an item which has the same author and was written in the same year as an earlier citation you must use a lower case letter after the date to differentiate between the two. Here's an example:
Some books may contain chapters written by different authors. When citing work from such a book, the author who wrote the chapter should be cited, not the editor of the book.
Secondary references are when an author refers to another author's work and the primary source is not available. When citing such work the author of the primary source and the author of the work it was cited in should be used.
Example
Ellis (1990 cited in Cox 1991), discusses ...
Top tip: Secondary referencing should be avoided if possible.
Often it is better to paraphrase than to use direct quotes. Paraphrasing is putting text from source material into your own words. This demonstrates that you have understood the meaning and context of what you have read. You must always reference paraphrased material.
If a direct quote from a book, article, or other source, is used you must:
Simpson (2002: p.6) declared that “the explosive behaviour was unexpected.”
Have a separate, indented paragraph for quotes over two lines.
Boden (1998: p.72) states:
“In 1664, the most common female crime prosecuted at the Quarter Sessions was that of battering men. This would suggest that women were not the passive and obedient members of society that men would have liked to believe they were.”
Alternatively…
“In 1664 the most common female crime prosecuted at the Quarter Sessions was that of battering men. This would suggest that women were not the passive and obedient members of society that men would have liked to believe they were.”
(Boden 1998: p.72)Alternatively…
Part of the original text may be omitted from the quotation as long as three dots are used to indicate this.
Example – Indicating that some words are omitted from the quotation
Boden (1998: p.72) states:“In 1664 the most common female crime prosecuted at the Quarter Sessions was that of battering men … women beating or dominating a man was a particularly sensitive issue as it threatened the perpetuation of the patriarchal society …”
Duplication of charts, diagrams, pictures and so on. should be treated as direct quotes in that the author(s) should be acknowledged and page numbers shown; both in your text where the diagram is discussed or introduced, an in the caption you write for it.
When citing from an interview always use the surname of the interviewee or practitioner and the year the interview took place.
Electronic journal (eJournal) articles
When citing from an eJournal article it should be treated in the same way as a paper journal, using the author's surname and the publication date.
Web page (WWW)
If the website has an obvious author and date of publication, the information should be cited like a book or journal article. If there is not an obvious author, but the work is situated on an organisational website, the organisation can be used as a 'corporate author'. Example:
The Department of Health (2003)
If there is no author or corporate author use the title of the document as the main point of reference.
CD-Roms
If there is not an obvious author use the title of the CD-Rom as the main point of reference. Example:
Encyclopaedia Britannica (2001)
Multimedia
If a video or DVD recording or audio-cassette is cited, the series title should be used as the author. Example:
World in Action (2002)
The reference list is a list of all the sources that have been cited in the assignment. You should check the terminology used as it may vary by school or department (it may be called a bibliography instead of a reference list). Look in your module handbook or ask your tutor. The list is inclusive showing books, journals, and other items, listed in one list, not in separate lists according to source type.
Your reference list contains all the items you have cited or directly quoted from.
Example of a reference list page at the end of your written coursework item.
Reference List
Edelson, S. no date, Asperger’s Syndrome, [Online] Available from: http://www.autism.org/asperger.html [Accessed 19th September 2002].Life on Campus. 2006, [DVD], Imperial College London, London.
Picard, J. 2001, Logistics and the Borg, Starbug Tribune, vol. 36, no. 3, pp. 44 – 49.
Rymer, J., Smith, T. & Jones, E. 2001, Nottingham Forest – Dream Team, Blackwell, London.
World in Action. 1995, All work and no play, [Video: VHS] London, ITV, 21st January.
The layout for each type of publication is given on the next section. The largest schools in GCU, (Glasgow School for Business and Society and the former School of Health and Social Care) are now moving away from using an amended form of Harvard referencing (known as GCU Harvard). If you are using RefWorks bibliographic software, you should use the ‘GCU Harvard’ styles which follow a similar format to this guide. Check with your lecturer whether they have moved to using standard Harvard referencing. Guidance and training on referencing styles is avilable from your librarian. Other forms of referencing used at GCU are:
Some schools prefer to know if there are items which you have consulted for your work, but not cited. You should always check with your tutor or the module handbook to see if this is required. You should also check the terminology used (it may be called a reference list instead of a bibliography). These can be listed at the end of your assignment in a bibliography. These items should be listed in alphabetical order by author and laid out in the same way as items in your reference list. If you can cite from every source you consulted, you will only need a reference list. If you wish to show to your reader (examiner) the unused research you carried out, the bibliography will show your extra effort.
Question: What do I do if the publication has no date?
Answer: You write ‘no date’ in brackets
Question: What if there is no obvious author for an item on the Web?
Answer: You can use the organisation whose website it is as the corporate author.
If there is no author and it is not a site belonging to an organisation - should you be using the information?
Question: There is no obvious publisher or place of publication, what should I do?
Answer: If you have publishing details you should write 'mimeo' in place of publisher and publication date.
Question: Can I mix referencing styles?
Answer: No. You must only use one referencing style, be consistent!
Question: What is the difference between a bibliography and a reference list?
Answer: A reference list is a list of all the sources you have cited from. A bibliography is a list of items you have read but not cited. This definition can vary by school - check with your tutor!
If you are unsure of the layout of a source in your reference list check the reference layout. If a type of source you have used is not listed please contact your librarian |