Referencing | How and why it's important

When you are writing a piece of work and you use someone else’s thoughts, words or ideas, you must reference them.

But why do we talk about referencing so much at University, and why is it so important? Why should you bother spending time on ensuring that your references are consistent, accurate and correct?

If you're interested in finding out more about what referencing is, check out this helpful video. 

Why bother?

It all comes down to why we reference in the first place:

• To make your contribution clear by showing which words and ideas are yours, and which have come from your reading 
• To acknowledge the work of others and to demonstrate how you have built on the knowledge that you've gained from your reading 
• To ensure that the reader can follow up on your references for themselves
• To avoid being wrongly accused of plagiarism 

Watch our short video to find out a little more about why we should bother with referencing:

The key with referencing is to be consistent and methodical, ensuring that you keep track of the information you read and where you have gathered your knowledge from.

To get started with referencing:

1. Check your programme and module handbooks for the preferred referencing style in your school. There are thousands of referencing styles, that all formal references in a slightly different way, so don't lose marks for using the wrong style. 
2. As you read, make a note of the sources you have read. Keep basic details such as the author, title, and URL. 
3. Consider using features such as the cite button in Library Search to copy a basic reference for your bibliography or reference list. 
4. Reference as you go. When you start to write, make annotations in your document that indicate where you need a reference so that you don't unintentionally plagiarise someone else's work. 

How to Reference like a Pro 

Referencing is formulaic and certainly takes practice, to ensure that you are formatting your references in the preferred referencing style for your subject. Luckily the University Library subscribes to a resource which is the go-to guide for referencing, accessed using your University user id and password.

Cite Them Right Online is an interactive web resource that you can use to help you reference just about any type of information. Whether you have used a book chapter, journal article, company report, market research, legislation, scientific data or Tweet, Cite Them Right Online will tell you which details you need and how to format them correctly to construct an accurate reference.

Cite Them Right includes guidance for a number of common referencing styles used at Newcastle University, including Harvard at Newcastle, IEE, MLA, MHRA, OSCOLA, APA and Vancouver.

If you want to up your referencing game, take some time to work through the Cite Them Right Tutorial. Structured as 11 short topics, the tutorial is ideal if you want access to more help and tips for avoiding plagiarism, guidance on inserting in-text citations and practice using your school referencing style. You can find the tutorial on the Cite Them Right homepage.

Be sure to log in via Library Search as you will need to enter your University User ID and password. 

Want to know more? Why not check out the Library's latest guidance on referencing websites