Referencing

How to reference correctly and use reference managers

In academic work, you should always reference another person's ideas or information. Work through this page in order or use the links to jump to a particular section.

Why reference

  • It shows that you have read and understood relevant research
  • It ensures you have given due credit to the creators of ideas and information
  • It enables your readers to consult the works you have referenced
  • It helps you avoid plagiarism

When to reference

You should reference any source of information you draw on in your work. This makes it clear which ideas are yours and which come from other sources. Here are two good rules to follow: 

  • If the information comes from outside your own head, then cite the source.
  • If in doubt, provide a citation.

How to reference

There are many different referencing styles.  Use the style required by your program or school. Check your course or module handbook, or speak to your tutor to find out which style you should be using.

  • Harvard and APA use in-text citations
  • MHRA, OSCOLA, Chicago, IEEE and RSC use footnotes
  • Vancouver uses endnotes.

Your work should include citations and a bibliography or reference list.

Use Cite Them Right to help you with referencing:

  • get detailed guidance on how to accurately cite different types of sources including books, journal articles, webpages, reports, government documents, laws, and AI-generated content
  • learn how to correctly summarise, paraphrase and quote using your specific referencing style
  • view sample texts and reference lists

Reference management software

Many students and staff use reference management software to keep track of their sources and save time when writing.

The most commonly-used referencing software packages are EndNote, Mendeley and Zotero. Regardless of which one you use, it will allow you to store and organise sources, as well as quickly insert citations into a piece of writing and automatically generate a reference list or bibliography.

If you are not sure which reference management tool is right for you, we can help you: