References are usually required at university level and are used to support thoughts and arguments in an academic piece of writing. Your reference list demonstrates that you understand the question, you've critically read a range of materials and selected relevant and appropriate sources to include in your work. Academic sources include books, journal articles and databases.
Using a reference manager to automatically format in-text citations and generate your references list can be very helpful. To find out more, go to the Reference Management LibGuide.
Academic referencing can be unfamiliar and daunting for many students. When you start referencing, it might seem difficult and quite complicated but if you follow your school’s referencing guidelines you'll be fine.
University coursework usually requires a reference list of the sources you've used to support the arguments or theories in your writing. Read the marking criteria for your assignment very carefully. Marks can be awarded for good referencing and for following the correct referencing style. Referencing is an essential essential skill for all students to develop at university. Try this activity and test your referencing knowledge!
This is a question that students often ask! It depends on the question you're answering, your level of study and the assessment and marking guidelines.
Some assignment questions are straight forward and need only a few references. However, if you're working on a more substantial piece of work you may need a good number of references. Check your assignment guidelines, and if you're in any doubt, ask your module leader.
You need to follow the advice in your school referencing guidelines which have examples of citations and references for different types of sources. It's also worth looking at the referencing section of the university's Getting Ready For University Study website.