Referencing can be one of the trickiest parts of essay writing. It can be hard to find the various components of a reference, or to understand why they’re even necessary in the first place. Difficulties with finishing up a bibliography are also one of the main reasons students submit essays late!
The good news is, referencing doesn’t have to be painful. If you invest a little time in learning how referencing works, it actually can become one of the most straightforward parts of your assignment.
To find out more about referencing, watch our Lightning Session! In this workshop, we challenge Kayleigh McGarry, one of the Digital Skills librarians, to use CiteThemRight.com to cite all kinds of sources. If you’ve ever struggled with referencing, this session is for you!
[To skip the intros, jump to 1:35]
In a hurry? Here are the main three things you need to know about referencing:
References have Two Parts
The first thing to know about referencing is that it consists of two parts:
- The in-text citation (either in parentheses, or a footnote)
- The reference in the bibliography (at the end of the essay)
To reference correctly, you must include both these parts. They each look slightly different, but don’t worry. If you use CiteThemRight.com, it will show you what each part looks like.
Use CiteThemRight.com as a Guide
There are all kinds of referencing guides on the internet, many of which are excellent. However, there are also many referencing generators, which are websites that ask you to input the information, and then they create a reference for you. This may sound too good to be true, and, sadly it is. Most of the time, reference generators make mistakes, so if you use one, you must check your references yourself before submitting.
To get it right the first time, we recommend using CiteThemRight.com. The University pays for a subscription, so you can sign in with your UoD credentials and get free access to all the information! The site shows you how to cite pretty much anything in all sorts of referencing styles, and it even offers templates you can use to create your own references.
If you’re new to CiteThemRight.com and you’re not sure how to use it, watch the recording above!
Start Early and Be Consistent
The best way to make sure your referencing is correct is to give yourself time. Work on your bibliography as you go along– don’t wait until the end! It’s no fun trying to proofread your bibliography just minutes before the deadline.
The other important tip is to be consistent. Sometimes, it can be hard to keep track of the fiddly little things, like whether or not there should be a full stop after the author’s name. While you should try to get these things right, the most important thing is to be consistent. If you have a full stop in one reference, make sure you have it in them all. Your marker may not notice if a full stop is in the wrong place, but they’ll definitely notice if you’re inconsistent!
Finally, if you’re struggling with referencing, it’s okay to get help! While we can’t “check” your references, our team is happy to help you find the information you need. Feel free to contact us at asc@dundee.ac.uk with any questions you may have!