Referencing

WALT: WRITING FROM MULTIPLE SOURCES: REFERENCES AND QUOTATIONS/ USING VERBS OF
REFERENCE
Key words
1.Paraphrase
2.Cite
CONTENT
• What are references and quotations?
• Why give references?
• Reference systems
• Writing the in-text citation
• Using quotations
• Using verbs of reference
• Writing the list of references
INTRODUCTION
• One aim of academic writing is to generate knowledge through
research.
• Firstly, the writer finds out what knowledge already exists in the
subject area by reading from textbooks and other sources and
attending lectures, seminars, and other such academic functions.
• Then, the writer collects and records information on the topic from
the sources before beginning to write. This process is called research.
• One important convention in conducting research involves
referencing or acknowledging other researchers’ ideas.
What are references and quotations?
• References and quotations refer to the appropriate recording of the
particulars and words of other writers whose works you have used in
your work.
• Whether you read or heard the idea, you must record both the idea
and the particulars of the individual or group whose idea it was,
originally.
• Sometimes, you record word-for-word what the original writer has
said or written; that is, a quotation or direct quotation.
• Other times, you summarize or paraphrase the original.
Why give references?
• To show that you have read some of the authorities on the subject, which will give
added weight to your argument.
• To allow readers to locate your sources, if they wish to examine them in detail.
• To avoid plagiarism.
HOW TO AVOID PLAGIARISM
• Use direct quotes - or don't quote at all. Sometimes in your research you will come
across a passage that makes a point so eloquently that you can't imagine saying it
any other way.
• Paraphrase with care.
• Give credit where credit is due.
• Beware of cutting and pasting
References are given in two stages:
• At the first stage, you give a citation at the point where you have used
the writer’s idea. This is known as in-text citation.
• At the second stage, you write a list of all sources that you have used
in your essay at the end of the work. This is known as end-text
reference
Referencing systems
• The reference systems (also referred to as reference style) are the established
conventions for writing citations and lists of references in an academic text.
• There are several reference styles, such as the American Psychological
Association (APA) style, Modern Language Association (MLA) style, Chicago
style, Harvard style, etc.
• Institutions and departments typically use one particular reference style.
• Reference styles are often recorded in a document called the style sheet.
• The style sheet provides guidelines for both in-text citations and end-text lists.
• The next discussion focuses on in-text citations.
Writing in-text citation
• Any time you use another writer’s idea in your work, you must give an in-
text citation, that is, you must cite the source where you used it.

• When you cite a direct quotation (i.e., using the exact words that the
original writer has used), use quotation marks and state the surname of the
writer/author, date of publication, and page number.

• On the other hand, when you cite a summary (i.e., capturing the key idea of
the writer briefly in your own words), use the surname and publication date.
• Consider the following illustrations in Examples 1, 2, and 3:
Example 1
• Quotation
• Concerning a child’s ability to acquire language, Hoff asks: “Is the
development of language in children the result of nature’s innate
endowment (like the development of upright posture and bi-pedal
locomotion), or is it the result of the circumstances in which children are
nurtured (like the development of table manners or the ability to do
calculus, both of which depend on particular experiences)” (2014, p. 16)?

• In the above citation (direct quotation), the surname is Hoff, the

publication year is 2014, and the page number is 16.
Example 2
• Summary

• According to Hoff (2014), researchers wondered if a child’s ability

to use a language was built into his/her body or came from training.

• In the above citation (summary), only the authors surname and year
of publication are used
Example 3
• Quotation and Summary
• It is possible to merge a summary and a quotation, as illustrated below:
• According to Hoff (2014), researchers wonder if a child’s ability to use a
language was built into his/her body or came from training. She explains that
“this is the nature-nurture debate, and it predates not only the modern study of
language development but also the emergence of psychology as a discipline”
(Hoff, 2014, p. 17).

• Note that the citations for both the summary and the quotation are
appropriately written.
• (The style used in the illustrations in Examples 1, 2, and 3 is the APA style).