How to reference

Learning Skills Centre Jo G
Learning Skills Centre Jo G Holmesglen Staff • 12 May 2023
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But why do I have to reference?

It shows how much you’ve researched  (& impresses your teachers)

Readers can go directly to original resources

Quotes can be verified

To avoid plagiarism.

What has to be referenced?

Quotes, images, graphs, tables, ideas, theories, facts.

Where do I reference?

In two places:

  1. In-text (the body of the assignment) &
  2. On a separate page titled References at the end of the assignment

To help you avoid common errors, here's a quick list of Do's & Don'ts based on mistakes we often see at the Learning Skills Centre:

DO:

Keep track of your sources

Use the organization’s name as author if you can’t find a personal author.

Write (n.d.) if you can’t find a date from your source.

Centre the word References (not reference list) & put it in bold.

List the References in alphabetical order (according to surname).

Include the author’s surname as part of the in-text citation – as well as year e.g. (Gregory, 2023)

Include the full details (initial, title of article/book, publisher etc) of the in-text citation in the reference list. 

Check the library website for formatting & punctuation

https://holmesglen.libguides.com/apa7

DON’T

Mix up the first and last name of the author. First names (or initials) are NEVER included in-text.

Include author’s qualifications and name of the article in the in-text citation.

Include links that do not link to anything i.e. check your links!

STILL NOT SURE?

Book a session with a Learning Skills teacher click here:

https://holmesglen.edu.au/Students/Learning-Skills-Centre/

We’re happy to help!