Referencing isn’t just about having full stops and commas in the right places, it helps you show where your ideas come from and make sure you can’t be accused of plagiarism.

When you reference, remember that you need to:

• Be consistent: use the same referencing style throughout your work
• Give your reader enough information so they can find the same source you read
• Fully acknowledge the source you took the idea or quote from

The University of Worcester Assessment Policy (section 6) explains this in more detail.

Working out which style to use

There are lots of referencing styles and you need to use the right one for your subject. This table shows you which style to use and how to use it.

How to make referencing easier

Cite Them Right is an easy to use tool that helps you format your references correctly. It also has a handy referencing tutorial to help you understand the basics.

You could also try using a reference management tool like Mendeley or Zotero. These are free to use and help you store and organise references to things you’ve read. They also help format your references directly into your essays. Our overview of referencing tools will help you pick the best one for you.