Referencing: Formatting for Assignments - transcript
This is a transcript of the video Referencing: Formatting for Assignments.
Transcript
[Caption] Referencing: Formatting for Assignments. Part of QUT Library's Learning for study video series. .
Once you've completed your research, and kept the details of your sources, you will then need to complete the referencing of your sources in your assignment.
At QUT there are four referencing styles: Vancouver, Law, APA and Harvard. The official guide to referencing in these styles is called cite|write - style guides can be found on the cite|write website.
Your lecturer or tutor will tell you which style to use. You can also find out the required style on blackboard, by checking the unit outline or week one document.
Both APA and Harvard are author-date systems. This is because you use the in-text citation of the author's last name and the date to find the full reference in the reference list. There are many different ways you can cite in text, for example, you may like to use the author's name as part of the sentence. You may also need to use a page number to show exactly where you found your information. The reference list is ordered alphabetically by the author's family name.
The Vancouver system works by the same general principle but instead uses a number in the text of your essay to identify the full reference in the reference list. The reference list reflects the order in which the sources were cited in your essay.
There are a few different ways of using your sources in your writing. Your in-text citation can be a direct, word-for-word quote from a source, an indirect paraphrasing of an author's idea using your own words or a summary of an author's complete argument. It is important to get this part right, so that you are referencing fairly and accurately.
Once you have all the details of your sources, arrange them according to the style you are required to use. While these styles use different punctuation and formatting, they generally use the same details to describe the source. The trick is to be organised and have all the details you need ready.
Let's now look at a few examples of sources formatted in the reference list, starting with the full reference for a book. For this reference we'll use APA style. The author's name is broken down into last name, and first name initial. The title is italicised. All you need to know is to follow the template, swapping in the details of your source and noting what punctuation is used.
An ebook is similar - let's use Harvard style this time. The author is broken down into name followed by first name. The title is also italicised. Date used will be the date you accessed the source.
A book chapter is a little more complex. This example uses APA. Note that there are two authors, the chapter author and the editor. The chapter author is listed first. There are also two titles, it is the title of the book which is italicised.
Here is a journal article in Harvard style. Note that there are also two titles for journals, the article title and the journal title. The journal title is italicised. Details specific to a journal article include the volume, the issue, so that the specific journal can be found, and the DOI.
For our last example, a website in APA. Most often, a website fit for academic use will have a corporate author, a group or organisation responsible for the content. Note that when you are referencing a web site, the title is not italicised.
Before your first assignment, make sure you are familiar with the basic rules of referencing in the cite write booklet, and the particular formatting used in your referencing style on the Cite|Write website.
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