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Referencing
Referencing correctly is an important part of academic writing at University. Referencing allows you to demonstrate how widely you have researched your subject, to show the basis of your argument and conclusions and helps you to avoid plagiarism. This involves noting down the source for any information that you access, recording in a systematic manner where you got the information from.
Referencing ensures that you can demonstrate how your ideas build upon the research of others. If someone is reading your assignment, they should be able to use your referencing to find the sources you have used in your assignment. Most assignments during your time at University will be assessed on the quality of your referencing which will count towards your grade. Correct referencing helps to ensure that you avoid being accused of plagiarism
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the act of using or copying someone else's work and pretending that you thought of it or created it. In order to avoid suspicion of plagiarism it is important to make appropriate use of references.
If you are in doubt about what plagiarism is and how to avoid it you should consult your tutor and read the University's code of practice on academic misconduct
There are several referencing systems used within the University. The referencing style used for your subject will be stated in your module guide and Canvas.
Whatever style you use, it is important to be clear, consistent and correct, making sure you include all the relevant details.
Our Librarians are on hand to help you get started so drop-in and find out more about referencing.
Skills for Learning run a regular programme of workshops covering a range of topics to support your studies. Below are recommended workshops that can help support your skills in referencing and reference management.
Harvard Referencing (Cite Them Right)
Learn the building blocks of Harvard referencing and develop a skill that will benefit you throughout your time at University. This interactive workshop includes: the importance of referencing, where to find referencing tools, and how to construct references in the Harvard style.
Referencing With RefWorks
This workshop will introduce you to RefWorks, the University's online reference management system. You will learn how to import references from the library catalogue, academic databases and Google Scholar as well as format your papers in the correct referencing style.
You can book on to Harvard Referencing and RefWorks workshops via our workshops webpage.
As the information in RefWorks needs to be unique to you, the account is not set up automatically. It does not use the general Library authentication/login system so please ignore any links to 'login from your institution'.
- Enter your University email address and follow the instructions on screen. You will need to have access to your Outlook emails to be able to validate the account and complete set up
The Skills for Learning study guides webpage has a basic guide for using RefWorks. The RefWorks site itself also has a lot of built-in help.
If you forget your login details, please use the 'Forgot your password' link on the RefWorks login page. The Library does not have access to your details as the account is unique to you.
Please note there are two versions of RefWorks currently in use. The old (Legacy) version is being phased out and all new accounts should be set up on New RefWorks. If you are prompted for a 'group code' when registering, you are on the Legacy version and should not continue on that system. Please go to the Proquest RefWorks site instead on the link above.
RCM (RefWorks Citation Manager) is an add-in for Word which can make inserting references simpler. For guidance on this, see here. Note if you are using Word 2016 (or older), you should follow the guidance for Write-n-Cite, see here (2016) or here (2010 and 2013).
Cite Them Right Harvard
Cite Them Right Harvard is the University of Wolverhampton’s preferred referencing style and is used by the vast majority of our students. Full details about the style can be found on the Cite Them Right Online website, while the Cite Them Right textbook is available to borrow as a print copy or an e-book through LibrarySearch.
| Cite Them Right (Including Full Harvard Guide) | Online guides to various referencing styles at the University | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Cite Them Right Harvard Referencing (Quick Guide) | Most commonly used referencing style at the University (Quick guide) | Harvard Referencing (Quick Guide) (Word doc 48k) | Harvard Referencing (Quick Guide) |
Other Referencing Styles
If you study a subject that does not use the Harvard style, the Cite Them Right textbook and website still offers full support on a range of other referencing styles. These include APA 7th, Oscola (Oxford), Vancouver, Chicago and MHRA. The referencing style used for your subject will be stated in your module guide and Canvas; failing that please check with the module leader.
| Oxford Referencing | Recommended for law students | Cite Them Right (Oxford Referencing) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| APA Referencing | Recommended for psychology students | Cite Them Right (APA Referencing) | |
| MHRA Referencing | Used by some Humanities subjects | Cite Them Right (MHRA Referencing) | |
| Chicago Referencing | Used by some Humanities subjects | Cite Them Right (Chicago Referencing) | |
| Vancouver Referencing | Used by some Science subjects, such as Pharmacy | Cite Them Right (Vancouver Referencing) | |
Watch our Harvard Referencing (Cite Them Right) Tutorial
Take a look at our short introduction to Harvard Referencing (Cite Them Right).
You can also watch our video on the previous referencing style - which is still used by some returning students here.
More Skills videos can be found on our YouTube channel.
Oxford Referencing Tutorial
Watch our short Panopto video about Oxford Referencing for some useful tips and advice.