Referencing Many students have been confused by the fact that different styles of referencing have been demanded by different disciplines within the University and sometimes even by different lecturers in the same discipline. There is no one 'correct' way of referencing. Whichever style you are required to use, it is important that you be consistent within the one piece of work and follow the conventions as prescribed by your audience - whether university lecturer or publisher. Students may find that individual unit coordinators or academic areas prefer variations of the approaches presented here. If in doubt, students should consult their unit coordinators.
Full documentation is an essential part of any essay or thesis chapter.
It enables the reader to follow up the source of ideas, interpretations and information in the essay and it makes clear when you are drawing your conclusions from the evidence presented. Failure to document adequately and fully is to ignore scholarly rules and may mean that you may not receive full recognition for originality. Documentation should be used not only to provide the source of a direct quotation but also to give the source for any information, ideas or interpretation that you have used. How to document There are various conventions with respect to acknowledging the works of others and different disciplines have their own traditions. Your choice of referencing style will be determined largely by your discipline and unit coordinator.