Help with referencing (2 Viewers)

[alexd88]

Hi,

I've just gone back to uni and am struggling with recalling the best methods to reference. I've gotten the structure right, but I'm not sure whether I need to mention what I'm referencing where.

For instance, to add (author, date) in the text *and* at the reference section at the bottom, or just in the text, or, just at the bottom in the references? Or is it best to just add a '1' '2' etc. in the text and then list 1,2 and so forth in the references at the bottom?

This is one small area of confusion that no referencing help guides seem to make much sense of.

Thanks, if someone can help.

 

[Aquawhite]

Despite not being in university myself, I believe that the best referencing system that most tertiary education systems want will simply use either footnotes or endnotes (which also leave room for some discussion which is tangential to your work) and then include an Appendix or Bibliography at the end of the essay/report or whatever this is for.

 

[xeuyrawp]

Hi,

I've just gone back to uni and am struggling with recalling the best methods to reference. I've gotten the structure right, but I'm not sure whether I need to mention what I'm referencing where.

For instance, to add (author, date) in the text *and* at the reference section at the bottom, or just in the text, or, just at the bottom in the references? Or is it best to just add a '1' '2' etc. in the text and then list 1,2 and so forth in the references at the bottom?

This is one small area of confusion that no referencing help guides seem to make much sense of.

Thanks, if someone can help.

You generally pick either in-text or footnotes. To make a footnote in MS Word, you hit alt + ctrl + f - it does the numbers automatically for you.

 

[babikakez]

Despite not being in university myself, I believe that the best referencing system that most tertiary education systems want will simply use either footnotes or endnotes (which also leave room for some discussion which is tangential to your work) and then include an Appendix or Bibliography at the end of the essay/report or whatever this is for.

Not always, most of my units have specifically specified Chicago as the only method of referencing they will accept.

 

[Gmac_0]

Hmmm, none of my subjects use footnotes, its all in text for me, like Thompson (2005) written into the sentence, then the entire publication type details and so on at the end in the reference list. I've also found the referencing a bit of a change. Times gone by I'd just chuck a few footnotes down or a bibliography, now its like there has to be a real consistency, there can't be a dot in the wrong place, you need a hanging indent, you can only use 'et al' after the 1st reference etc. - basically all these rules and I've got four different subjects and 3 different refering systems - this one uses MLA, the next is APA, the other goes for Harvard...Won't take too long to get used to I'm sure but imo high school could've covered it a little.

 

[babikakez]

Hmmm, none of my subjects use footnotes, its all in text for me, like Thompson (2005) written into the sentence, then the entire publication type details and so on at the end in the reference list. I've also found the referencing a bit of a change. Times gone by I'd just chuck a few footnotes down or a bibliography, now its like there has to be a real consistency, there can't be a dot in the wrong place, you need a hanging indent, you can only use 'et al' after the 1st reference etc. - basically all these rules and I've got four different subjects and 3 different refering systems - this one uses MLA, the next is APA, the other goes for Harvard...Won't take too long to get used to I'm sure but imo high school could've covered it a little.

Give it a semester and you'll be fine. I don't even remember referencing in high school AT ALL (just name and title), and I consider referencing one of my stronger points now.

 

[Aquawhite]

Not always, most of my units have specifically specified Chicago as the only method of referencing they will accept.

Yeah, each uni is different on what they want and how strict they are with the referencing styles.

 

[Absolutezero]

struggling with recalling the best methods to reference.

Your university will teach you which system to use. If it's Havard referencing system, then you use author date for intext referencing, then write the reference out in full at the end.

 

[RDX]

Your university will teach you which system to use. If it's Havard referencing system, then you use author date for intext referencing, then write the reference out in full at the end.

Yes, this.

I remember last year different subjects needed different referencing methods for me. Some were foot notes, others APA.

 

[Trebla]

If you're referencing academic articles from an online database, the actual citation should be already written out (I think in Harvard style), so it's just a matter of copy and pasting the citation

 

[Absolutezero]

If you're referencing academic articles from an online database, the actual citation should be already written out (I think in Harvard style), so it's just a matter of copy and pasting the citation

Yes. Just always check that it's the same style.