Referencing and Academic Integrity

This resource will help you to:

• Build awareness of general referencing conventions
• Recognise the importance of academic integrity

Referencing is acknowledging the source of information and ideas that you have used in your own writing (Neville, 2010). A single reference usually includes two sections:

• In-text citation (authordate or footnotes)
• The corresponding full entry in the reference list.

Citation

Noun

• "The act of citing or quoting;
• The quoting of a passage, book, author, etc.; a reference to an authority or a precedent" (Macquarie University, 1996, p. 403).

In-text citation

In-text citations are placed within the paragraphs you write. In-text citations identify every source of information or evidence used in the form of a paraphrase or direct quotation. Check out this Writing with Evidence resource for in-text referencing strategies

A list of references

A reference list must be included at the end of your written work. The list contains the publishing details of every source you have cited in your work.

• Information and ideas that are not your own.
• Paraphrases
• Quotations
• Theories or concepts
• Definitions
• Tables and graphs
• Images

Referencing is important to:

• Acknowledge the ideas and work of others
• Lend credibility to your arguments
• Demonstrate you have read widely
• Avoid plagiarism
• Allow the reader/marker to locate the source

A referencing style is a set of rules about what information to include and specific formatting requirements. All referencing styles have these fundamental details:

1. Who: Who is responsible for creating the work?

• Author(s)
• Organisations
• Directors
• Artists

2. When: When was the work created?

• Year
• In press
• Year, month, date (if continually updated)

3. What: What is the work called?

• Title
• Journal article title
• Book or chapter title
• Webpage title

4. Where: Where can you find the work?

• Where it was published
• Journal details, name, volume, issues and pages
• Where it is archived online

• Referencing styles will vary across courses
• Assessment pieces will usually indicate the style of referencing that is required
• If this is not noted in your assessment criteria and rubric, consult your course outline or ask your tutor

APA7 and Harvard are the two most common referencing styles used at UniSC. Click on the links below to access resources, including quick guides.

APA7

The UniSC APA webpage has some practical resources including a quick guide, examples of the most common APA referencing entries, and a link to the APA Style webpage.

Harvard

The UniSC Harvard webpage has some practical resources including a quick guide and examples of the most common Harvard referencing entries

Vancouver and AGLC4 are two other referencing styles used at UniSC. Click on the links below to access useful resources, including quick guides.

Vancouver JAMA style

The UniSC Vancouver – JAMA style webpage has some practical resources including a quick guide, examples of the most common Vancouver referencing entries, and a link to the AMA Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors.

Australian Guide to Legal Citation (Fourth Edition)

The UniSC Australian Guide to Legal Citation (AGLC) webpage has some practical resources including a quick guide, examples of the most common AGLC4 referencing entries, and a link to Australian Guide to Legal Citation – Fourth Edition

Academic integrity involves taking an ethical, honest, and responsible approach to study and research. At UniSC, you are a member of an academic community that values academic integrity. The pre-study Academic Integrity modules are designed to help you develop your understanding of academic integrity.

• Australian Government Publishing Service. (2002). Style manual for authors, editors, and printers (6th ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
• Macquarie University. (1996). The Macquarie dictionary (3rd ed.). Macquarie University.
• Neville, C. (2010). The complete guide to referencing and avoiding plagiarism. McGraw-Hill Education.
• Thomson, P., & Kamler, P. (2016). Detox your writing: Strategies for doctoral researchers. Routledge.
• Queensland University Technology. (2022). Your introductory guide to citing, referencing and academic writing at QUT. QUT cite|write - QUT cite|write