Referencing

Referencing also know as citing is a way of giving credit to individuals for their creative and intellectual works that you used to support your assignment or research. It can also be used to locate particular sources and combat plagiarism. 

A reference (citation) style dictates the information necessary for a reference (citation) and how the information is ordered, as well as punctuation and other formatting.

Referencing is important because it: 

• Helps your readers to find the original sources of the ideas/facts you have referred to or based your arguments on
• Makes it clear which ideas are your own and which are someone else's
• Shows how widely you have researched your subject
• Shows your understanding of the topic by incorporating other people's arguments and evidence alongside your own analysis
• Protects the writer's intellectual property
• Helps to avoid plagiarism

Good note taking habits can assist you in differentiating between references from other sources and your own ideas.