American Studies

Why should I reference?

Referencing is important in academic writing and an essential part of any of your assignments. It:

• allows you to acknowledge your sources,
• gives academic credibility to your work,
• demonstrates your knowledge of a subject area,
• prevents accusations of plagiarism.

What is plagiarism?

What should I reference?

You should always reference a source when:

• using a direct quote
• summarising a theory
• discussing someone else's opinion
• using case studies
• quoting statistics or visual data
• but not when stating your own opinion, observation or experience.

If you are unsure use this flowchart to check whether you need to reference (click on the image to enlarge).

History has its own style guide, which can be downloaded below. The guide is also available on blackboard.

RefWorks is referencing software which allows you to:

• store references
• organise references
• generate citations
• generate reference lists
• share references

It's available to all staff and students, click here to log in.

To find out more about RefWorks view the comprehensive online help or contact your Academic Subject Librarian.