We all understand how important assignments are for students. But writing assignments without copying from others can be challenging. Many students struggle with this because they don’t know how to do it right. To help, our professional writers who offer online assignment help have shared a simple way to avoid copying, which is called referencing. Let’s talk about what referencing is, why it’s important, and how to do it.
What Is Referencing?
Referencing is a way to give credit to others for their ideas or work that you use in your own assignments. This includes things like books, articles, websites, and more.
Why Is Referencing Important?
Referencing is important for a few reasons:
- It shows that your arguments are supported by evidence from other sources.
- It shows how much research you’ve done.
- It helps readers check that your sources are reliable.
- It lets you talk about different ideas on a topic.
- It helps you compare different sources.
- It shows which ideas are yours and which are from other people.
Which Referencing Style Should You Use?
When writing assignments or other academic papers and referencing research or reports, it’s important to highlight the author’s ideas and words that you’ve used. However, you might be unsure about which referencing style to use, as there are many different styles followed around the world, such as Harvard, OSCOLA, APA, etc. For more details on each of them, you can visit our referencing page.
- There isn’t a single standard referencing style that applies everywhere.
- Sometimes, a specific college or university may have a standard style, but even then, individual lecturers might require a different style.
- In such cases, you should check the course profile or ask your lecturer.
- Researchers submitting papers for publication in journals should consult the journal’s instructions for authors, which are usually available on the journal’s website.
There are many referencing styles to choose from and use in your assignment, but it’s important to do it correctly. Here are a few tips to help you do it properly.
How to Do Referencing in Assignments?
The first thing you need to do when referencing an assignment is to get organized. This means keeping track of all your notes, sources, and journal articles, as well as the websites you’ve visited during your research.
Once you’re organized, referencing becomes easier. Here’s what you need to do:
- Author’s Name:
Start by mentioning the authors’ names. Write the surname first, followed by the first name. If there are more than three authors, just cite the name of the first author and then use “et al,” which means “and all.”
- Date of Publication:
Also mention the year of publication for journals and articles. If possible, include the specific date. For web pages, include the date when the page was last updated.
- Title of the Piece
Always include the name of the piece along with the author’s name and the year of publication. This could be the title of a book, a journal, or a web page. Try to italicize the titles. For books, also mention the edition.
- Page Number
For accurate referencing, include the page number of the book you referenced.
- URL and Access Date
For web pages you referenced, provide the URL along with the date you accessed it.
So, that’s how you should do referencing. Once you’ve included all the items listed above, you’ve done everything you need to reference correctly. Also, remember to include a reference list at the end of your paper.
