|
|
|
|
This section is designed to gently ease you into the part of essay writing that many students dread - the Referencing! |
At the end of your essay, you should include a list of materials you have used to write your assignment. This is called a bibliography, or a reference list. You also need to insert information into the text of your essay to show when you have used information from other people - this is known as citing in the text.
Different disciplines use various types of referencing. The one we are concentrating onin this module is called the APA style (short for American Psychological Association). This style is used for many subjects, including Education, Sociology, and of course, Psychology.
You can check out the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. (5th ed.). (2001) for more in-depth information on referencing in your essay.
Other referencing styles are used at JCU and they include the Harvard and MLA styles. Information on these styles can be obtained in the Other Links section of this module. One important and useful link provided in this section is the one to the JCU InfoHelp Referencing Styles.
In the APA style of referencing a reference list gives materials that you have cited from in your essay. These are things like books and articles that you have cited in the text. On the other hand a bibliography includes these, as well as readings that you consulted in your research but didn't quote, or material for background or for further reading.
Citing in the text is when you provide the author's name, date, and page numbers so that the reader can find the source of the information from your bibliography/reference list. This is required when you quote, summarise or paraphrase another person's information.