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what is difference between referencing and citation?

Describe three common


referencing styles that are used in academic research? .

Referencing and citation are two important components of academic research that are often

used interchangeably. However, they have different meanings and serve different purposes.

Citation refers to the act of acknowledging the source of information within the text of a

research paper or report. It involves providing brief details about the author, publication date,

and page number of the source material used in the research. Citations are usually

presented in parentheses within the text or as footnotes or endnotes.

Referencing, on the other hand, refers to the detailed information about the sources used in

the research that is presented in a reference list or bibliography at the end of the research

paper or report. Referencing provides more comprehensive details about the sources, such

as the author's full name, title of the publication, publisher, place of publication, and other

relevant details.

Three common referencing styles used in academic research are:

1. APA (American Psychological Association) referencing style, which is commonly

used in the social sciences, education, and business fields. It involves providing the

author's last name and publication year within the text, and presenting the full

reference in alphabetical order in a reference list at the end of the paper.

2. MLA (Modern Language Association) referencing style, which is commonly used in

the humanities and literature fields. It involves providing the author's last name and

page number within the text, and presenting the full reference in alphabetical order in

a works cited list at the end of the paper.

3. Chicago referencing style, which is commonly used in history and the social

sciences. It involves using footnotes or endnotes to provide detailed citations within

the text, and presenting the full reference in a bibliography at the end of the paper.
Overall, referencing and citation are both important components of academic research that

help to acknowledge the sources used in the research and avoid plagiarism. Different

referencing styles are used in different academic fields, and researchers should be familiar

with the specific style used in their discipline.

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