Library - Information Literacy Module: Tutorial 1: When to reference and cite information sources

The tutorials and examples are explained by means of the Harvard reference style.

Citing

When Neo refers to another author's work in his written assignment he must cite his sources by providing the last name of the author and the year of publication.

Referencing

At the end of Neo's work, under the heading 'List of Sources' or 'References', or 'Sources Consulted', he must write a full description of each source he has cited, listing them in alphabetical order by the author's last name.

Neo needs to cite references to:

• support his arguments and give his work a factual basis.
• protect himself against charges of plagiarism.
• demonstrate to assessors or critics that he has carried out the necessary research.
• allow the reader to locate the material he has consulted.
• Accuracy and completeness are important. Neo must keep track of all his sources throughout his research process.

Neo must cite his sources when he

• paraphrases
• summarises
• quotes
• refers to the ideas or theories of another's work in his assignments.