MODULE 7 - Managing references
Introduction

It is very important to keep a systematic record of your search at all stages of your research. You will need to produce a bibliography with references to support all of your comments at the end of your paper. To do this effectively and efficiently, you should keep a detailed record of: the following:

• every source that you search and maybe the keywords used
• every reference you find

This is important because there is nothing more frustrating than reaching this stage in your work only to find that some of your references are missing, or that you have incomplete information. You can record your references on index cards and sort them in alphabetical order by author, which will be a great help when you come to writing your bibliography. There are also electronic systems for this purpose, some more sophisticated than others. Examples include ProCite®, Reference Manager® and Endnote®. If you have a simple database package on your computer, you can also use that.

This module will introduce you to the concept of citing and the essential elements of a citation. It will also demonstrate how to quote references within your text and will give some standard alternative styles for writing a reference list and bibliography.

At the end of this module you will be able to do the following:

• produce a bibliography and/or reference list according to recognised standards in order to meet requirements for term papers, theses, dissertations or other scholarly writing.
• produce in-text citations in accordance with recognised standards in order to enhance the quality of scholarly writing and facilitate ease of reference tracking.
• assess the importance of crediting sources and avoiding plagiarism in order to adhere to legal and ethical standards related to scholarly writing and publishing.
• We will begin by examining a definition of a citation, and then move on to some frequently asked questions (FAQs) regarding citations.

Page Updated: April 13, 2011