Referencing is the academic practice of acknowledging the sources you have used in your work. Sources may be other people's words and ideas.
Referencing demonstrates your ethical use of information, the range of your research and reading, provides authority to your arguments, enables others to find materials cited, and avoids accusations of plagiarism.
Plagiarism is the use of another person's work without proper acknowledgment. Most plagiarism is unintentional and the result of poor academic practice. It's is important to reference when directly quoting or paraphrasing another person's work.
Referencing styles are sets of rules governing referencing practice. They prescribe the type, order and format of information in a reference. There are 3 main types of referencing style: in-text, footnote and endnote. Always check what referencing style is required by your department or assessment, as there may be local interpretations.
There is no single referencing style at the University of Warwick. The Departments of Politics and Philosophy follow Harvard referencing styles, which requires in-text citations (Author, Year) and an end-of-text bibliography or list of references. The School of Law follows OSCOLA referencing, which requires numbered footnotes and an end-of-text bibliography, lists of authorities (legislation and case law) and references.
There is no single Harvard referencing style. Different universities and departments have their own local versions of Harvard referencing. You are advised to check individual assessment guidance and follow guidance from each department. The OSCOLA referencing style is published by the University of Oxford and available as a free download from their website. For resources not covered in the departmental guides, you are advised to consult Cite Them Right which is available as an online learning platform, and a print and ebook in the library.
Further information and referencing styles are available in the Referencing section of the Library website. Advice and support about referencing is available from your Research and Academic Support Librarian.
Online interactive tutorials introducing the general principles of referencing and plagiarism:
Avoiding Plagiarism - an introduction to plagiarism and the consequences of plagiarism for students from the University of Warwick Library.
Introduction to Referencing - an introduction to referencing using the Harvard referencing style from the University of Warwick Library.
Cite Them Right Online - an alternative introduction to plagiarism and referencing from Cite Them Right Online.
Cite Them Right Online is the University of Warwick Library's new interactive referencing tool. It has rules and tutorials for referencing all major resource types across 8 major referencing styles including APA, Chicago, Harvard, IEEE, MHRA, MLR, OSCOLA and Vancouver.
Watch the short video to find out how Cite Them Right Online can help you.
To access Cite Them Right Online, click on Login > Login via your Institution > University of Warwick.
Referencing software allows you to manage references, insert citations and create a bibliography, in your referencing style.
EndNote
EndNote is referencing software from Clarivate. EndNote Desktop supports many Harvard referencing styles. EndNote is available from Warwick IT Services, and is supported by Warwick Library.
Please see the EndNote LibGuide for further information.
Discover a range of library and study skills guides including how to study at university, how to think critically, and how to write essays and prepare for examinations.
Discover how to find legislation, case law and journal articles using law databases, including Doing Legal Research online course, and Lexis+ UK and Westlaw UK law database training and certification courses.
Discover how to avoid plagiarism, how to use the Harvard and OSCOLA referencing styles, and how to manage references with EndNote referencing software.
Discover the library's research support services for research students and staff including literature searching, research data, open access publishing, and research metrics.
