Why should I use referencing?

If you use someone else’s work or ideas without acknowledgement, you are effectively stealing these as your own. This is known as plagiarism and is a serious academic offence. On a more positive note, appropriate referencing shows an ability to analyse and apply suitable information sources. You will be given credit for this.

Other reasons include:

• That it allows you to support your discussion points by referring to the work of others.
• It allows your work to be judged against published information.
• It places your work into a broader context.
• And it allows others to find further information that will be useful to them.