Referencing

In order to demonstrate your understanding of your subject area, it is clear that you will need to do a great deal of reading around your subject. As mentioned in the section on reading skills, you will be expected to refer to source material to support your ideas both in written assignments as well as in tutorials and seminars.

In your written work you will be required to follow the rules and conventions which relate to appropriate incorporation of source material. If you are unfamiliar with these established referencing norms, then you will inevitably lose marks in your written work. You may even unwittingly commit the academic 'offence' of plagiarism (see plagiarism website).

The advice included in this section will, we trust, provide you with everything you need to know concerning referencing skills in academic writing. However, we would stress that if you need any extra help or are unsure about the specific conventions adopted in your own particular Department, then you should not hesitate to consult your tutors.