REFERENCING
Introduction
In a Western education system you are expected to read many books and journal
articles, not just one set textbook for each unit. Mostly, you will be expected to read
these books and journal articles in order to complete your assignments. Within
your assignment and at the end of your assignment you must give details of all the
books and articles (and sometimes newspapers, radio and television programs,
lectures, emails and internet sites, art works, poems etc.) you have used to support or
develop your argument within your assignment. You must provide references
whenever you use someone else’s words or ideas. This is called referencing.
What counts as another person’s work?
Another person’s work can be:

Original ideas or theories

Strategies

Research

Pictures

Writing

Computer programs

Charts

Websites

Lecture notes

Handouts
Why would you use someone else’s ideas?
Academic writers need to support their arguments with evidence – because academic
arguments should be based upon fair and sound judgement. This means that other
writers’ ideas must be used as evidence to support your points. If you don’t include
evidence to support your points, it may sound as though your essay is just your own
(uninformed) opinion.
The first step in including evidence in your writing is to look at your plan and decide
where evidence needs to be placed in relation to the points you are making.
Remember that the role of evidence is always to support or expand upon a point
that you have already made in your own words within that paragraph.
What does referencing look like in an assignment?
Adapted from Nunan, D. (1999). Second language teaching and learning. Boston:
Heinle & Heinle, p.288.
Without references
In the writing classroom, several specialists have suggested that topical structure
analysis is a promising technique for improving the coherence of written work. There
is a technique for analysing writing in terms of the relationship between the discourse
topic and the sentence topics that make up a text. Texts can be developed in three
different ways, and these ways are evident in the distribution of topics in succeeding
sentences in a text.
With references
In the writing classroom, several specialists (Lautamatti, 1978; Witte, 1983: Connor
and farmer, 1990) have suggested that topical structure analysis is a promising
technique for improving the coherence of written work. Lautamatti (1978) develops a
technique for analysing writing in terms of the relationship between the discourse
topic and the sentence topics that make up a text. She argues that texts can be
developed in three different ways, and these ways are evident in the distribution of
topics in succeeding sentences in a text.
When do you reference?
You must reference some one else’s work when you are :
1. Quoting directly (using another author’s exact words) (Called a DIRECT
QUOTE)
2. Paraphrasing (using another author’s ideas, but writing these in your own
words) (Called an INDIRECT QUOTE)
3. Summarising (using only the main points of some one else’s work) (Called an
INDIRECT QUOTE)
How many quotations can you use?
(From Unilearning, 2000)

There are no rules about the number of direct or indirect quotations you should
use in your essay or assignment. However, it is generally agreed that the use of
indirect quotation suggests that the student has a higher level of
understanding.

Using too many direct quotes can make it difficult to follow your argument.

However, in some cases direct quotes are most appropriate, such as:
o When you are quoting a well known authority or acknowledged
‘classic’ text
o When the wording is particularly concise, clever, or relevant to your
assignment.
Example paragraph (Unilearning, 2000):
The divisiveness between the states was another major obstacle to national unity.
Despite sharing a common heritage such as the Roman Empire, the Renaissance and
Catholicism, many divisions were evident between the Italian states. One example of
these divisions was that the majority of the population only spoke the dialect of their
own region. In fact, when Italy was unified, only four per cent of the population had
knowledge of the official Italian language (Duggan, 1994:156). The enormous
differences between the regions were exacerbated by the keen political and
commercial rivalry that existed between these states: Guise Mizzen, the leading
agitator for the unification of Italy at this period, declared:
We have no flag, no political name, no rank among European nations.
We have no common centre, no common fact, no common market. We
are dismembered into eight states... all independent of one another,
without alliance, without unity of aim, without connection ... (these
factors) divide us and render us as much possible strangers to each
other (1845:36).
A striking example of the commercial division and rivalry between the states which
impeded the national economic interest was the existence of as many as twenty two
customs' barriers around the Po River region of Italy (Mack Smith, 1959). In addition
to these divisions between the states, mistrust of each other's economic and political
motives was also evident.
How do you reference?
There are many different systems of referencing. Often, each Faculty within a
university will select one system that they expect their students to use. Each unit
outline for UTAS should tell you which referencing system to use. If it doesn’t, you
should ask your lecturer. Most Faculties (or Schools within those Faculties) will
provide you with a Guide to Assignments that states which referencing system should
be used.
Referencing Systems
There are two major referencing systems.
1. Author/Date systems (e.g. APA, Harvard):
Two major features:
i.
Short citation in the text:

Smith (1998) argues that the main features…

In a recent study of student performance (Smith, 1998)…

Jones (1999) explains that “the majority of Australian
immigrants…” (p. 24).
ii.
A reference list at the end of the assignment.

Contains full bibliographic details of the sources you have
cited, in alphabetical order.
2. Number note (e.g. Oxford, footnoting):
Three major features:
i.
A number in the text:

ii.
A recent survey1 suggests that…
The footnote/endnote to match (with publication details including
author).
iii.
A full reference citation in a reference list.
The reference list
The exact information required and formatting of the reference list will depend upon
which referencing system you are using.
Sample references (APA 5th Edition):
Book:
Barone, T. (2001). Touching eternity: The enduring outcomes of teaching. New
York: Teachers College Press.
Chapter in a book:
Barone, T. (1995). Persuasive writings, vigilant readings, and reconstructed
characters: The paradox of trust in educational storysharing. In J. Hatch & R.
Wisniewski (Eds.), Life history and narrative (pp. 63-74). London: The Falmer Press.
Journal article:
Barone, T. (1997). Among the chosen: A collaborative educational (auto)biography.
Qualitative Inquiry, 3(2), pp. 222-236.
Website:
Collins, P. (1998). Negotiating selves: Reflections on unstructured interviewing.
Retrieved March 30th, 2004, from
http://www.socresonline.org.uk/socresonline/3/3/2.html
Frequently asked questions about quotations

Do I need to reference every quotation?
Yes, every quote needs to be referenced. It is usual to include the page number
in the reference so the reader can check the source of the statement easily.

What does ‘citation’ mean?
‘Citation’ means the actual reference itself. A short citation in the text in the
author date system is the information contained in the bracket in the text. The
long citation is the detailed information about a source provided in the
reference list.

What can I do if the passage I want to quote is too long and dense?
It is better not to quote the whole passage. Try to summarise what the author
is saying in your own words or paraphrase the passage. You could limit your
quotation(s) to the key phrases in the passage.

What is the difference between a long quote and a short quote?
As a general rule a quotation of more than 30 words is considered a long
quotation and can be separated from the rest of the text by indenting the text of
the quote. Quotations of less than 30 words should remain within your
paragraph but should be identified by quotation marks.

What if I need to put a word or two into a quotation?
Sometimes you will need to insert a word to make the meaning clearer or
maintain grammatical consistency as you move from the grammar of your
sentence into the quotation. Do this by putting the word(s) inserted into the
quotation into square brackets [ ]. This tells the reader these words are yours
and not quoted from your source. Here is an example:
Van Gogh lists the colours he uses in the painting and concludes '... all this [is
set] in an atmosphere like a devil's furnace, of pale sulphur'.

What if I want to leave some words out of a quote?
It is important to quote the source exactly. Sometimes, though, you will wish
only to refer to a part of a sentence. In that case use an ellipsis, which is three
full stops (...), to indicate that a word or words have been omitted. Look at the
following example:
In another letter he expands upon this notion, stating '... I have tried to
express the idea that the cafe is a place where one can ruin oneself'.

What if I want to use a quote but there is something wrong with it?
If the original has a misspelling or is wrong in fact then put the word 'sic' in
square brackets (thus: [sic] ) after the quoted material. This tells the reader you
have quoted the material 'as stated' and the error is not yours.

What if there is no author for a source I am quoting?
Generally, you would reference a corporate author if available (e.g. Australian
Bureau of Statistics), or list the title of the source in-text, for example:
In a study of students and research decisions (“Tutoring and APA,” 2000)…

What if there is no date for a source I am quoting?
Generally, you would then write “n.d.” where the date would normally appear,
such as:
In a study of students and research decisions (Jones, n.d.)…

What if I am quoting an interview, telephone conversation, or email?
Generally, you would write “personal communication” in-text, along with the
initials and last name of the communicator, and the exact date of the
communication. Also, you would not list this in your reference list, so:
A.P. Smith also claimed that many of her students… (personal communication, March 30,
2004)
Note that these are only general examples – for information specific to your subject,
consult your unit outlines/lecturer.
Useful sites to help with referencing:
1.
The University Library’s Guide to the Presentation of Assignments:
http://www.utas.edu.au/library/assist/gpoa/gpoa.html
This site has information about referencing using author/date, footnoting, and
Vancouver systems. It also contains sample essays referenced using the
Harvard system. Please note that the information on this site is quite general,
and you should still consult your School/Faculty for specific information.
2.
Online Writing Lab’s guide to using APA 5th Edition:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/print/research/r_apa.html
This is an authoritative guide to using the latest version of APA (used by a
number of Schools at UTAS).
3.
Unilearning’s Academic Writing unit:
http://unilearning.uow.edu.au/academic/4c.html
This site contains a range of resources and examples to help you understand and apply
the concept of referencing.