WHEN TO REFERENCE Colin Neville Effective Learning Service

1.Statistics, tables, diagrams, illustrations T o inform the reader of the source of tables, photos, statistics and diagrams you include in your assignment. These may be items directly copied or a source of any collation done by you.

2.To identify the source of a theory When describing, analysing or or discussing a theory, model or practice associated with a particular writer

3.To give credibility to your arguments To give weight, emphasis or credibility to an argument or point of view presented in your assignment

4.To give emphasis to an idea When giving emphasis and credibility to a particular idea that has found a measure of agreement and support amongst commentators.

5.Sources of quotations To inform the reader of sources of direct or paraphrased quotations in your assignment

6.paraphrasing significant or contentious ideas When paraphrasing another person’s idea that you feel is particularly significant or likely to be a subject of debate

You don’t need to use references:  When summarising what has happened over a period of time, using information drawn from a variety of sources and when the summary is unlikely to be a cause of dispute or controversy  When pulling together a range of key ideas that you have already introduced and referenced earlier in the assignment  When stating or summarising ‘common knowledge’ : obvious facts and/or when there is unlikely to be any significant disagreement with your statements or summaries.

‘ Common Knowledge’ There are two elements to it: Public domain: factual information easily available to all in reference books where there is little disagreement on the facts between one reference book and another Subject specific: general understanding of terminology and subject-specific facts that would be common knowledge within the discipline, but not necessarily in the community