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Cite them Right & Referencing Practice
You will need to reference all information that you use as sources in your assignment. This includes:
- direct quotations (using the authors exact words).
- information you paraphrase (re-write in your own words) or summarise.
- sources of particular theories, arguments or viewpoints you reference.
- data or specific information such as statistics or case studies.
Knowing how to reference and doing it correctly protects you from plagiarism. Beyond that, it helps readers to find sources that you’ve used, gives recognition to the authors of the research you have included, and demonstrates your wider reading, and how well you understand your subject, to your lecturer.
Most students are asked to use the Harvard style of referencing. When doing your references two elements are required:
- In-text citations
- Reference list
Always check your module guide and make sure you know what referencing style you are required to use.
Use the menu on the left to explore this guide. We’ll look at in-text citations and reference lists used in the Harvard style, and support you in using Cite Them Right Online when you need guidance with referencing. Cite Them Right provides guidance on using may referencing styles including Harvard, Oscola, APA and Vancouver.
In-text Citations
In-text citations within the Harvard style, are added within the text of your assignment – next to where you have paraphrased, summarised or used a direct quote. This acknowledges the work of others and enables your reader to differentiate your work from that of other people.
In-text citations should include the author or editors surname and the date of publication. If you have used a direct quote or ideas from a specific page, you should also add a page number.
ACTIVITY 1 – Take the In-text citations quiz
Read the Cite them Right page about in-text citations You will need to login. The Login button is at the top right of the Cite Them Right page – use the Institutional login.
After looking at this page take the quiz below and test your knowledge.
Reference List
The reference list is included at the end of your written work. It is a list of all the sources cited in your work, arranged alphabetically. Each reference on the list includes full details for each source following a set format. Most students will be expected to use the Harvard format although students on some programmes may be expected to use another (always check your module guide).
Example reference list (excerpt)
Here we reference 3 example sources, a news article on a web page, a journal article and a book.
Ball, J. & Harby, J. (2023) ‘Pet therapy helps soldier recover from stroke’, BBC News, 2 May, Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-65428478 (Accessed: 11 May 2023)
Cudworth, E. (2021). ‘Mudding living: making home with dog companions’, International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 41(3/4), pp.424–439, Available at: https://doi-org.ezproxy.sunderland.ac.uk/10.1108/IJSSP-08-2019-0165 (Accessed: 11 May 2023)
Kogan, L.R. (2023) The gifts we receive from animals : stories to warm the heart, New York, NY, Routledge.
You may become familiar with how to reference some common sources such as books and journal articles but you’re not expected to remember how to reference everything – that is why the Library subscribes to Cite Them Right Online. You can check Cite Them Right Online to learn how to reference everything from traditional scholarly source such as journal articles, to YouTube videos, or graffiiti.
Next we’ll explore Cite Them Right Online and how you can use it to help you when you are writing your assignments.
Cite Them Right Online
The University of Sunderland Library subscribes to an online referencing guide called Cite Them Right Online that you can access from anywhere at any time.
Cite Them Right Online contains guidance on referencing lots of different sources, from books and journals, to live music and graffiti. Whatever information sources you use in your assignments you will find information and examples of how to reference them on Cite Them Right Online.
The video below has closed captions and chapters.
ACTIVITY 2 – Practice Your referencing.
If you’re not sure about referencing use the 3 questions below to help you practice. Use the arrow to move between questions.
We recommend you have Cite Them Right Online open in a browser tab while completing these questions.
Avoiding plagiarism
The Basics section of Cite Them Right Online provides some good information about plagiarism – what it is and how to avoid it. You may also find the guides on our Study Skills web page useful. They include how to avoid plagiarism, and advice on summarising and paraphrasing.
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