Referencing - Giving Credit to Others' Work
When you prepare any assignment, particularly those which require written tasks, it is very important to acknowledge the source of your information and ideas in a reference list. This is important for THREE reasons:
a) You will learn and remember information much better if you are re-wording it, and summarising it in your own words. Copying someone else's information and pasting it into your assignment will not help you at exam time.
b) If you copy someone else's work without giving them credit, you are essentially stealing their ideas. Would you like somebody to take something of yours that you have worked hard on, and pass it off as their own work?
c) Not only is it increasingly expected as you make your way through high school, but if you plan on going to university, knowing how to reference is a requirement, and claiming somebody else's work as your own can be considered plagiarism, something that could result in you failing your course.
However, referencing is actually quite easy. If you remember nothing else, keep these points in mind:
Following are some sites that explain referencing in more detail, and how to acknowledge various text types.
a) You will learn and remember information much better if you are re-wording it, and summarising it in your own words. Copying someone else's information and pasting it into your assignment will not help you at exam time.
b) If you copy someone else's work without giving them credit, you are essentially stealing their ideas. Would you like somebody to take something of yours that you have worked hard on, and pass it off as their own work?
c) Not only is it increasingly expected as you make your way through high school, but if you plan on going to university, knowing how to reference is a requirement, and claiming somebody else's work as your own can be considered plagiarism, something that could result in you failing your course.
However, referencing is actually quite easy. If you remember nothing else, keep these points in mind:
- Always say where you found the information
- Its author
- The date it was published
- It is okay to quote the information or source; just remember to use "inverted commas" around the actual words of the author, then say who or what (in the case of a website) you are quoting.
Following are some sites that explain referencing in more detail, and how to acknowledge various text types.
- The NSW Board of Studies has created an excellent interactive learning guide to referencing and plagiarism. All My Own Work is often completed within schools by students heading into Year 11, but it can also be found online for anybody to use.
- The University of Newcastle has provided an excellent resource online, which not only explains referencing but also gives hints on how to effectively paraphrase and summarise. You will find the guide here.
- Roehampton University in London has compiled an extensive study guide for students, which not only covers referencing, but other useful academic skills as well. You can find their Study Skills for Students booklet here.
- For those students looking for a concise, visual representation of the 'how-to' of referencing, Sarah Pavey's slideshow (shown below) will be most useful.
Many websites refer to different styles of referencing, such as 'Harvard', MLA' 'Oxford' to name but a few. Each of these styles vary slightly, and are more relevant at university level when different faculties and subject areas will have a preferred method of reference. In high school, however, aim for consistency: choose one method or style and stick to it.
