Referencing Styles

Importance of Referencing

Referencing is a very important part of research process and academic writing. It allows
researcher o acknowledge the contribution of other writers and researchers in your work.

Referencing is also a way to give credit to the writers from whom you have borrowed words
and ideas. By citing the work of a particular scholar, you acknowledge and respect the
intellectual property rights of that researcher.

Referencing is a way to provide evidence to support the assertions and claims in your own
assignments. By citing experts in your field, you are showing your marker that you are aware
of the field in which you are operating

References should always be accurate, allowing your readers to trace the sources of
information you have used. The best way to make sure you reference accurately is to keep a
record of all the sources you used when reading and researching for an assignment.

Citations also make academic writing more persuasive and establish the credibility of a
researcher.
Printed books are not the only sources that require acknowledgement. ANY
words, ideas or information taken from ANY source requires a reference.

Reference when you are using words or ideas from:

 books and journal articles

 newspapers and magazines
 pamphlets or brochures
 films, documentaries, television programs or advertisements
 websites or electronic resources
 letters, emails, online discussion forums
 personal interviews
 lecturers or tutors. (Not always necessary but check with your lecturer or tutor about
their preferences before you draw on their ideas.)

You also need to reference when you reprint any diagrams, illustrations, charts or pictures.

Types of Referencing

1. In text citation- Citing others within your writing by parenthesis or narrative stye
2. Reference list- List of all works that have been cited in text
3. Bibliography- List of all works that have been consulted and read for the research.
Some may not have been quoted or cited in research writing
 4. End notes and footnotes- Acknowledging contribution of others in footnotes or
endnote (at end of the chapter). Endnote or footnote may be short references, followed
by full reference list at end of chapter/ at end of the thesis

Referencing has to be done in a particular style. A referencing style is a set of standardized

guidelines for citing sources in academic writing, ensuring proper credit is given to authors
and avoiding plagiarism. It dictates how information about sources is presented both within
the text (in-text citations) and in a separate list at the end (reference list or bibliography).
Different styles, like APA, MLA, and Chicago, have specific formats and requirements for
different types of sources (books, articles, websites, etc.).

Common Referencing Styles:

APA (American Psychological Association): Commonly used in psychology, education, and

social sciences.

MLA (Modern Language Association): Commonly used in humanities disciplines like

literature and language.

Chicago/Turabian: Often used in history and the humanities, with a focus on footnotes or
endnotes.

Harvard: A widely used author-date style, particularly in social sciences and education.

IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers): Commonly used in engineering and
computer science.

Choosing a Referencing Style:

Different disciplines often have preferred styles. Different universities also may recommend
different Once a style is chosen, it's important to apply it accurately and consistently
throughout the work.

...

1. APA Style (American Psychological Association)

Overview

 APA style is a versatile framework applicable to both quantitative and qualitative

research, offering standardized guidelines for citing sources and formatting research
papers to ensure clarity, consistency, and credibility. While the core principles remain
the same, specific guidelines may vary slightly depending on the nature of the
research, such as reporting statistical data in quantitative research.
 Widely used in social sciences like psychology, sociology, education, and
geography.
  Known for its focus on author-date citation format and clear guidelines for citing
diverse sources, including digital content.
 Emphasizes publication date, making it suitable for disciplines where recent research
is critical.
 The most recent edition is the 7th edition (2019).

In-text Citations in APA

 Paraphrasing: (Smith, 2020) or According to Smith (2020)...

 Direct Quote: (Smith, 2020, p. 45)

Number of authors to include in in-text citations

The format of the author element of the in-text citation changes depending on the
number of authors and is abbreviated in some cases.

 For a work with one or two authors, include the author name(s) in every citation.
 For a work with three or more authors, include the name of only the first author plus
“et al.” in every citation (even the first citation).

The following table shows the basic in-text citation styles:

Author type Parenthetical citation Narrative citation

One author (Luna, 2020) Luna (2020)

(Salas & D’Agostino, Salas and

Two authors 2020) D’Agostino (2020)

Three or more
authors (Martin et al., 2020) Martin et al. (2020)

Group author
with abbreviation
(National Institute of National Institute of
First citation a Mental Health [NIMH], Mental Health
2020) (NIMH, 2020)
Subsequent
citations (NIMH, 2020) NIMH (2020)

Group author
without (Stanford University, Stanford University
abbreviation 2020) (2020)

a
Define the abbreviation for a group author only once in the text, choosing either the
parenthetical or the narrative format. Thereafter, use the abbreviation for all mentions
of the group in the text.
 Exceptions to the basic in-text citation styles

 when two works in a paper would both abbreviate to the same “et al.” form (spell out
as many surnames as needed to disambiguate)
 when multiple works in a paper have an identical author (or authors) and publication
year (append letters to the years)
 when the first authors of multiple references in a paper share the same surname but
have different initials (use initials in the in-text citations)

Dates in a citation

 The year in the in-text citation should match the year in the reference list entry.
 Use only the year in the in-text citation, even if the reference list entry contains a
more specific date (e.g., year, month, and day).
 For works with no date, use “n.d.” in the in-text citation.
 For works that have been accepted for publication but have not yet been published,
use “in press.”

Repeating a citation

When repeating a citation, show the entire citation; do not, for example, include only
a page number (the abbreviation “ibid.” is not used in APA Style). Instead, use the
following guidelines:

 Include the author(s) and year for every parenthetical in-text citation.
 Do not repeat the year for narrative in-text citations the second and subsequent times
they appear in a single paragraph. Follow this guideline with each new paragraph (i.e.,
include the year in the first narrative citation in a new paragraph).
 However, if you cite multiple works by the same author or authors, regardless of the
publication years, include the date in every in-text citation to prevent ambiguity. For
example, if you cite Mohammed and Mahfouz (2017) and Mohammed and Mahfouz
(2019), include the year with every citation, even when one of the references is cited
multiple times in a single paragraph.

Further guidelines for in-text citations

 Each in-text citation must correspond to only one reference list entry.
 Do not include suffixes such as “Jr.” in the in-text citation.
 For works with an unknown author, include the title and year of publication in the in-
text citation.

Reference List/Bibliography in APA

 Format: Listed alphabetically by the author’s last name at the end of the paper.
 Hanging indent is required for all references.

Examples
Book

 Smith, J. A. (2020). Title of the book: Subtitle if any (7th ed.). Publisher.

Book Chapter

 Smith, J. A. (2020). Title of the chapter. In L. K. Brown (Ed.), Title of the book (pp.
45-67). Publisher.

Journal Article (Print)

 Smith, J. A., & Brown, L. K. (2020). Title of the article. Journal Name, 12(3), 45-67.

Journal Article (Online)

 Smith, J. A. & Brown, L. K. (2020). Title of the article. Journal Name, 12(3), 45-67.
https://doi.org/10.1234/abcd.efgh

Book

 Smith, J. A. (2020). Title of the book: Subtitle if any (7th ed.). Publisher.

Book Chapter

 Smith, J. A. (2020). Title of the chapter. In L. K. Brown (Ed.), Title of the book (pp.
45-67). Publisher.

Journal Article (Print)

 Smith, J. A., & Brown, L. K. (2020). Title of the article. Journal Name, 12(3), 45-67.

Journal Article (Online)

 Smith, J. A. & Brown, L. K. (2020). Title of the article. Journal Name, 12(3), 45-67.
https://doi.org/10.1234/abcd.efgh

2. Chicago Style
Overview

 Offers two citation systems: Notes and Bibliography (humanities) and Author-
Date (social sciences).
 In the notes and bibliography system, sources are cited in numbered footnotes or
endnotes. Each note corresponds to a raised (superscript) number in the text. Sources
are also usually listed in a separate bibliography. The notes and bibliography system,
Chicago’s oldest and most flexible, can accommodate a wide variety of sources,
including unusual ones that don’t fit neatly into the author-date system. For this
 reason, it is preferred by many working in the humanities, including literature, history,
and the arts. The most recent edition is the 17th edition (2017). The source need to be
mentioned by a number (in superscript) in the writing which is linked to the footnote
orendnote

In-text Citations (Notes and Bibliography)

 Footnotes or Endnotes:
o Books: 1. John A. Smith, Title of the Book (Publisher, 2020), 45.
o Articles: 2. John A. Smith, “Title of Article,” Journal Name 12, no. 3 (2020):
45.

Bibliography Format

 Alphabetically ordered by author's last name.

 Hanging indent is required.

Examples

Book

 Smith, John A. Title of the Book. Publisher, 2020.

Book Chapter

 Smith, John A. “Title of Chapter.” In Title of Book, edited by L. K. Brown, 45-67.

Publisher, 2020.

Journal Article (Print)

 Smith, John A., and Laura K. Brown. “Title of the Article.” Journal Name 12, no. 3
(2020): 45-67.

Journal Article (Online)

 Smith, John A., and Laura K. Brown. “Title of the Article.” Journal Name 12, no. 3
(2020): 45-67. https://doi.org/10.1234/abcd.efgh.

Newspaper Article

 Smith, John A. “Title of Article.” Newspaper Name, March 15, 2020.

Report

 Organization Name. Title of the Report. Publisher, 2020.