Referencing is considered an essential part of any assignment. Universities of countries such as the UK, USA, Australia and Canada, it expects the students to submit assignments that are authentic and genuine. The authenticity of an assignment is shown by the appropriateness of its reference. Hence, it is vital you do referencing in a proper way so you can establish the authenticity of your work well. Because referencing has a huge significance in academic work, it is vital to understand different references. A student should have a knowledge of different types of referencing so he can use it whenever needed as per the assignment.
Some common types of referencing used include APA, MLA, Oxford, Harvard and Chicago. These referencing styles of have their own set of rules. It expects you to follow proper rules when citing sources in work as per these styles. For instance, in the case of APA, MLA and Harvard, the author’s name is inside the content of the work. In the case of Chicago and Oxford, the author’s name is put in a footnote at the bottom of the page. There is a reference list given at the end of the assignment writing, in which, all the sources are properly listed. The researcher is expected to provide proper in-text references for the work.
Let’s take examples of different reference styles to understand how in-text referencing is done in them.
For APA, the in-text referencing looks like –(Taylor 2008, p.52)
In MLA, the in-text referencing looks like -
(Taylor 2008)
In these two styles, the alignment of comma and inclusion of page number decides the difference between the two.
It is vital to understand these referencing styles properly and ensuring that you consider tips when doing referencing.
Things to be considered when using these referencing styles
As referencing styles vary so it is expected that you keep several things in mind when using these types. A list of these things is given below.
- Understand the rules of every style: As shown earlier, every referencing style has its own rules, so it is vital you understand the rules of every style. It should not be done that you mix different styles. It can cause a complete failure. Therefore, it is vital you understand the rules of every style in a proper way.
- Practice each style well: If using different styles often then the best thing is to practice each style well so you can use them properly. It is said the practice can make you perfect so always keep practicing.
- Give proper in-texts: The styles including APA, MLA, and Harvard have in-texts to be given in the assignment's content. Therefore, it is expected that you provide them properly so you can ace the referencing style. With Chicago, there is numbering done as in-texts.
- Refer to the referencing guides: Every assignment usually has a referencing guide. So it is vital you refer that guide for sure if you think you are facing trouble with referencing. These guides can provide you best help for your work.
These are things you should keep in mind for different styles of referencing. However, if you still face issue with doing proper referencing, then you can take custom assignment writing services.
Overall, referencing must be done carefully, and it is vital to ensure that you do the same referencing as asked for.