In your work, you will use ideas and information from other sources to support points and arguments you want to make. When you use someone else’s ideas in your work, either by using your own words: paraphrasing or summarising, or by using a direct quotation (the exact words from the text) you must reference the source, in order to:

Show you are aware of other people’s ideas and are including them
Acknowledge other people’s ideas
Support points and arguments you want to make with evidence, and show where you found this evidence
Allow the reader to find the original material you have used in your work
Avoid plagiarism

You can look back at the section on critical writing to understand how best to use each of these techniques (paraphrasing, summarising, direct quotation), and decide which to use when.

Remember, your essays at university should be based on what you have read, and, therefore, you are expected to cite often throughout your writing. One citation at the end of a 200-word paragraph would likely not be considered sufficient as your readers would be unsure of where the majority of that information came from.

If you don't reference correctly, you may be in danger of plagiarising.

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