Referencing skills

Plagiarism is not just copying and pasting text without crediting the owner/s – it can take a lot of different forms. For example:

• Using someone else's ideas, images, or data without referencing them properly
• Copying text or images from the internet (or anywhere else) without a reference
• Paraphrasing or summarising someone's ideas without acknowledging the source
• Copying from another student's work
• Reusing your own previously submitted work without permission (sometimes called self-plagiarism)
• Letting someone else copy your work or working too closely together when you are meant to submit individually (collusion)
• Asking someone else to complete your work, buying assignments, or submitting work that is not your own (commissioning)
• Using artificial intelligence (AI) in a way that is not allowed and presenting the work as entirely your own
• Breaking exam rules, such as using unauthorised notes, devices, or communicating with others
• Making up research data or carrying out research without required ethical approval

If you are unsure whether something counts as plagiarism, it is always best to check before you submit. Avoiding plagiarism is mostly about building good habits early. Here is how you can stay on track:

• Start referencing as soon as you begin your research, recording full details of every source you use. If you are including your own views or arguments alongside your notes on a source, you must easily identify them as yours.
• Keep clear notes, making it obvious whether you have quoted directly, paraphrased, or written your own ideas (using a different colour or font can help)
• Reference as you write, adding citations and quotation marks in your first draft – do not leave it until the end
• Use a range of sources rather than relying too heavily on just one. Always be clear about why you are using each source.
• Never cut and paste from sources into your assignment
• Give yourself enough time to read, think, and add your own analysis and critical comments
• Do not share drafts or notes unless it is part of an approved group task; never use another person's laptop, and keep your files secure
• Use Library Search to find academic sources rather than Google. The 'Citation' button will create a reference list entry for that source
• Keep Cite Them Right open while you are writing so you can quickly check your Harvard referencing

There are three ways to reference other people's text in your own work:

• By directly quoting – copying and pasting or typing an author's words exactly as they are and putting quotation marks around them
• By paraphrasing – using your own words and style to describe what the author is saying
• By summarising – for example, talking about the main points of a whole book or article

To avoid plagiarism, you must complete both of the following to acknowledge the sources you've used:

• Identify your sources by mentioning the author, date, and page number(s) (if applicable) briefly in the body of your work, immediately when you quote/paraphrase/summarise someone else's work. This is known as citation or in-text citation (see the guide here on citations, requires logging in)
• List each of your sources in detail (author, date, title, publisher if applicable, link if applicable, etc.) at the end of your work in alphabetical order by author's surname. This is known as a reference list or bibliography (see in the guide here on reference list entries, requires logging in).

These two parts, in-text citations and reference list entries, should correspond to each other. 

You may use short direct quotations (a couple of sentences) or longer direct quotations (a whole paragraph, for example). However, according to Cite Them Right, there are strict rules for separating your own words from what you have taken from someone else.

• A short quotation should start and end with quotation marks. After you close the quotation marks, you then immediately enter your in-text citation in round parentheses.

• A long quotation should be entered as an indented new paragraph by leaving space between your words and the quotation – you do not need to use quotation marks. At the end of the paragraph, you immediately enter your in-text citation in round parentheses.

See example here in the guide (requires logging in).

When paraphrasing, you are not using the author's words exactly as they are, so you do not need to use quotation marks or separate paragraphs.

Because you are using your own language and style, the placement of the in-text citation may vary – it does not need to be at the end of the sentence. Some of the information required can also be outside the round parentheses.

See example here in the guide (requires logging in).

The rules for summarising are similar to those for paraphrasing. As you are using your own language and style to summarise the main points of someone's work, there's more flexibility with the placement and contents of the in-text citation. Page numbers are also no longer applicable.

See example here in the guide (requires logging in).

A reference list is a list of everything you read and quoted/paraphrased/summarised from in your work. Your assignments are more likely to have a reference list at the end as they are short pieces of work.

A bibliography is generally for bigger pieces of work such as dissertations and major projects. They include everything you read as background reading, as well as everything you read and quoted/paraphrased/summarised from in your work.

Start creating your reference list or bibliography as soon as you start writing. When you enter your in-text citation, you should scroll down to the bottom of your work and complete your reference list entry as well. If you do not do it immediately, you may forget, and your in-text citations and reference list entries may not match.

You can use automation where available to create your reference list entries (in Library Search, Zotero, Microsoft Word, and others), but always check the output to make sure it complies with the University referencing guide.

See the guide here on how your citations and reference list entries should match (requires logging in).

Generative AI is becoming a frequently used tool all over the world in every field. You may use tools such as ChatGPT to help you with your studies, provided you do so within the guidelines of the University – AI can assist you but cannot do your work for you.

If you do decide to use it, always check with your lecturers on how they want transparency of use. As well as referencing, this may include a signed declaration and/or an appendix of generative AI prompts and outputs.

Important things to note include:

• Transparency is key – always acknowledge the use of AI tools
• Output type matters – specify whether you're referencing the tool itself, the output it generated, or both
• Adopt University guidance – always cross-check against Cite Them Right (and select the correct referencing style) as citation styles may update their guidelines for emerging technologies
• Fact check all AI outputs – generative AI is predicting results based on the information you put in and its stored data. It isn't always accurate, so don't rely on it for research purposes

There are two types of generative AI – those that are publicly available and those that are personal to you:

• If the material is available online for everyone to access, reference it as an electronic version of a source (same as referencing a report or article)
• If the end product (for example, use of ChatGPT in conversation) is only available to you, reference it as a personal communication and include a description of the material in your in-text citation. Consult your lecturer in case they require you to provide a copy as an appendix to your work.

If you are using generative AI in your work and want to reference it, please follow the Cite Them Right Harvard referencing rules on how to reference generative AI in your work (requires logging in).