Referencing and citing – what is it and where to get help?

Kia ora koutou,

As Unitec students, you are responsible for acknowledging the sources you used in writing your research projects and assignments. There are two parts to acknowledge others' work within your own: 

1. You use an in-text citation in your work which provide a brief information of the source.
2. You provide the complete information about the source at the end of your work, i.e.a reference list or bibliography.

The acknowledgement serves several purposes:-

• Readers of your work can find the original sources you used.
• Author/s of the source you used are given credit for their work
• Your own ideas are evident and you shall receive the credit for your work
• Your work has credibility in the larger realm of scholarly knowledge.

There are several referencing styles (such as APA, MLA, etc.) and your lecturer/s should have clearly indicated which style to use. You normally use a single style throughout your work. Information on these styles are available on the Library website. Te Puna Ako organizes scheduled and course-specific workshops for students as well as small group and one-to-one help where necessary. You can also refer to the Study Toolbox to find more information. Referencing software can be used to organize and manage your references. Consult your lecturer/s if you need to use them. At Unitec, we support three software: Endnote, Zotero and Mendeley. Endnote is most suitable for postgraduate students.

Contact Te Puna Ako or Library and Learning Commons for any referencing help:

• Library and Learning Commons: Dr Nora Md Amin namin@unitec.ac.nz
• Te Puna Ako Learning Center: Caroline Malthus cmalthus@unitec.ac.nz