Why Referencing is Essential in Academia?

Academic referencing and citing are essential while submitting your research papers to academic journals. Referencing involves giving credit to the sources you use in your academic work. Referencing sources shows your acknowledgment to the referred authors’ work. It also helps your readers locate the sources you have mentioned and allows them to explore more ideas related to your topic.

When you use words, facts, ideas, or explanations from other sources in your work, it is important to cite those sources. This is necessary not only when you directly copy text (called a quotation) from an essay, article, book, or any other source, but also when you use someone else's idea or fact, even if you do not use their exact words.

There is one exception to this rule: when the information is widely known and considered common knowledge. However, if you are unsure whether to reference something, it is a good practice to include a reference.

Academic referencing serves multiple purposes. It allows your readers to trace back to the original sources if they want to explore further or verify your information. It also helps them understand the recency of the information you present. Ultimately, appropriate academic referencing adds credibility to your arguments and strengthens your work.

Academic Referencing and Plagiarism

Failing to give proper credit for someone else's work can lead to plagiarism – a severe offense in academia. Plagiarism encompasses copying texts or ideas without citing them, using incorrect citations, or even rephrasing someone else's work without giving credit. Plagiarism can result in the cancellation of academic degrees, especially at the doctoral level.

Plagiarism is similar to cheating, theft, or misusing academic materials, for instance, manuscripts, books, or essays. In fact, it is considered a criminal offense by The Office of Research Integrity (ORI). Simply put, plagiarism is a form of fraud because it involves taking someone else's ideas and presenting them as your own, and hence, should always be avoided.

Citing Academic References The reference list is a compilation of all the publication details for the sources you've used and cited in your study. Its primary purpose is to provide readers with all the necessary information to locate those sources. In academic referencing, there are two key components: in-text citations and a reference list. In-text citations provide information sufficient for readers to locate the sources in the reference list. Typically, in-text citations include the author's last name in the order it appears in the original publication, followed by the publication year. If you quote directly from a source, be sure to include page or paragraph numbers. Academic Referencing Styles

Academic referencing involves using a structured system to format citations and references correctly. Authors must adhere to established rules and standards when creating citations and reference lists. While referencing may seem challenging initially, with time and patience, it can be mastered. Different educational institutions, journals, and organizations may require specific referencing styles, such as APA, MLA, or CMS.

APA Style

This was developed by The American Psychological Association, and is widely used in literature developed by science and social science professionals. The APA style employs the author-date system for citations. In-text citations typically include the author's last name and the publication year within the text, (e.g., Michael, 2010). For direct quotations, add the page number, (e.g., Michael, 2010, p.34).

The reference list using the APA style should be organized alphabetically by the last name of the first author for each publication. If a source lacks an author's name, arrange it alphabetically in the reference list based on the first significant word of the title.

APA Style In-text Citation

• ...(Jason, 1991) or William (2010) stated that "....." (p.14).

APA Style Reference List

• Dawkins, R. (2009). The Oxford book of modern science writing. Oxford University Press.

Chicago Manual of Style (CMS)

Also known as the Turabian style, CMS was designed by The University of Chicago. It offers two primary documentation systems: notes-bibliography and author-date. The notes-bibliography system is commonly used in humanities, while the author-date system is preferred in the physical, natural, and social sciences.

In the notes-bibliography system of CMS, there are two components: a numerical reference within the text and either a footnote or an endnote. Footnotes appear at the bottom of the page, while endnotes are placed at the end of the paper. These notes are numbered sequentially, and are unique to each article, chapter, or paper.

In the author-date system, citations consist of the author's last name and the publication year of the cited study. No punctuation separates the author's name and the date.

In both systems, the reference list is organized alphabetically, based on the last name of the first author for each cited study.

The Chicago Style In-Text Citation (Note-Bibliography)

• ...1 1. Dawkins, Richard. 2009. The Oxford book of modern science writing (New York: Oxford University Press, 2009), 37.

The Chicago Style Reference List

• Dawkins, Richard. “The Oxford book of modern science writing.” Oxford University Press (2009): 37.

The Chicago style in-text citation (author-date)

• (Dawkins 2009, 37)

MLA Style

This was established by the Modern Language Association, and is typically employed in humanities studies.

In the MLA style, in-text citations include the last name of the author(s) and the page number, enclosed in parentheses and integrated within the text.

To create a reference list using the MLA style, arrange entries alphabetically based on the last name of the first author for each publication.

MLA Style In-text Citation

• ... Dawkins (37) or Dawkins stated that "..." (37)

MLA Style Reference List

• Dawkins, Richard. “The Oxford book of modern science writing.” Oxford University Press (2009): 37.

We’re here to help!

At Inkorporated, our editors are specialists in handling formatting services for academia. With extensive understanding of various subject areas, we will help you edit and format your manuscripts in line with target journal requirements.