Links to your guidelines:

Exemptions

The Chemistry subject area has been given special permission to use the Royal Society of Chemistry referencing style: How to reference using the RSC style. [PDF download]

Links to other pages in this guide

Paraphrasing Bibliographic Software (RefWorks & EndNote)

What is referencing?

Referencing is acknowledging the sources of information (originated by another person) that you have used to help you write your essay, report or other piece of work.

In your work, you should use the existing knowledge of others to back up and provide evidence for your arguments. This makes your arguments stronger and gives them true academic value. The sources of information you use may include books, journal articles, newspapers, government publications, organisational reports, websites, videos, computer programs and so on.

When must you use a reference in your work?

You MUST use a reference whenever you:

Quote directly from a source.
Paraphrase (put into your own words) someone else’s ideas. This is often a better alternative to using a direct quotation. We have a separate page on paraphasing.
Use statistics or other pieces of specific information which are drawn from a source you have read, viewed or heard.
Use photographs, diagrams, illustrations or charts that you have not designed and created yourself.

Avoiding plagiarism

If you do not use a reference in the circumstances above or follow the conventions of referencing your work, you run the risk of committing the serious academic offence of plagiarism. Plagiarism is taking the work of others and passing it off as your own work (even unintentionally). This may ultimately result in failure or expulsion from the University. Don't panic though, it is easy to avoid if you follow the basic rules given on this page and in your referencing system guidelines.

If you would like more detailed information on avoiding plagiarism then please see this guide: Plagiarism: What is it and how can I avoid it?

Self plagiarism

If you use part or all of a previously completed essay in a new assignment or you do not acknowledge that you are borrowing from your own previous work then you are committing plagiarism. If you need to refer to a previous assignment then cite yourself as any other author in the text and include your unpublished essay in the reference list:

Bartram, J. (2016) An analysis of story theory [undergraduate essay]. University of Hull, unpublished.

[This example is in UoH Harvard Style].

How do you reference?

You reference using a referencing system. This is a set of guidelines to show you what information is needed in a reference and how you should format it, both within your text and in your reference list at the end of the document. There are two common types of referencing system:

Author-Date (e.g. Harvard, APA): Author surnames and date of publication are given in the text and an alphabetical reference list/bibliography is given at the end.
Footnote-Bibliography (Chicago, OSCOLA): A superscript number in the text refers to footnotes found at the bottom of each page and an alphabetised reference list/bibliography is given at the end.

Your tutors will advise you on the appropriate style to use.

Here are links to the four referencing systems used here at the University of Hull:

Harvard Referencing

APA Referencing

Footnotes Referencing

OSCOLA Referencing

Related books and eBooks available in our university libraries

Academic research, writing and referencing - eBook by Mary Deane
Referencing & understanding plagiarism - pocket guide by Kate Williams