Study Skills - Referencing

A reference is...

• Crediting the original author, found in the bibliography

• When you copy someone else's ideas or words

• When you refer to the source in the body of text

Answer explanation

A reference is found in the reference list or bibliography, and gives credit to the original source

A citation is...

• A full reference in the bibliography/reference list:

  Skinner, B. 1948. Theory of Behaviourism. [Online]

• An in text reference to the original source:

  (Skinner, 1948)

• When you rephrase someone else's ideas into your own words

  Skinner believed that behaviour...

Which one of these is an example of plagiarism?

• Quoting someone else's words using quotation marks, a citation and a reference

• Copying the definition of a key term from google to use in your writing

• Rephrasing someone else's words with a citation and reference

What should you mention in a citation for a website article?

• (Surname, Initial. Title)

• (Surname, Initial. URL)

• (Initial, Surname)

• (Surname, Year)

Using references can _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ the point you are making.

A reference list/bibliography should be ordered alphabetically (A-Z) by...

• The authors surname

• The authors forename

• The order they appear in your writing

• The publisher

You should always cite and reference somebody else's words, ideas, research, opinions, resources or work.

• True

• False

You are writing about theories of cognitive development and want to find a fact/statement to support your point. Which of these would be the most reliable source?

• Newspaper article about a private school

• Psychology journal on cognitive development

• Blog on cognitive development

• Wikipedia on Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development

Answer explanation

Be wary of your sources when selecting information to reference. 

A newspaper may be biased towards advertisement/profit, particularly for private schools.

A blog could be written by anybody - is the writer a true professional in psychology?

A wikipedia page can be edited by any user.

A scientific journal is evidence-based, logical, un-biased and credible. 

'What Bowlby observed is that even feedings did not diminish the anxiety experienced by children when they were separated from their primary caregivers' (K.Cherry, 2019)

What point would this quote best support?

• Young children should never be separated from primary caregivers

• Feeding helps to calm young children

• When children are frightened, they seek closeness to their primary caregiver

What is missing from this reference?

Environment Agency. 2013. River and Coastal Maintenance Programmes 2013-14. [Online]. Available from: __________ [Accessed 25 August 2017].