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Referencing

Referencing correctly is an important part of academic writing at University. Referencing allows you to demonstrate how widely you have researched your subject, to show the basis of your argument and conclusions and helps you to avoid plagiarism. This involves noting down the source for any information that you access, recording in a systematic manner where you got the information from. 

Referencing ensures that you can demonstrate how your ideas build upon the research of others. If someone is reading your assignment, they should be able to use your referencing to find the sources you have used in your assignment. Most assignments during your time at University will be assessed on the quality of your referencing which will count towards your grade. Correct referencing helps to ensure that you avoid being accused of plagiarism

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the act of using or copying someone else's work and pretending that you thought of it or created it. In order to avoid suspicion of plagiarism it is important to make appropriate use of references.

If you are in doubt about what plagiarism is and how to avoid it you should consult your tutor and read the University's code of practice on academic misconduct

There are several referencing systems used within the University. The referencing style used for your subject will be stated in your module guide and Canvas.

Whatever style you use, it is important to be clear, consistent and correct, making sure you include all the relevant details.

Our Librarians are on hand to help you get started so drop-in and find out more about referencing.

Skills for Learning run a regular programme of workshops covering a range of topics to support your studies. Below are recommended workshops that can help support your skills in referencing and reference management. 

Harvard Referencing (Cite Them Right)

Learn the building blocks of Harvard referencing and develop a skill that will benefit you throughout your time at University. This interactive workshop includes: the importance of referencing, where to find referencing tools, and how to construct references in the Harvard style.

Referencing With RefWorks

This workshop will introduce you to RefWorks, the University's online reference management system.You will learn how to import references from the library catalogue, academic databases and Google Scholar as well as format your papers in the correct referencing style.

You can book on to Harvard Referencing and RefWorks workshops via our workshops webpage

RefWorks is a web-based reference management system that allows to collect references from a range of online sources, manage and organise your reference library, and import your references into Word using ‘Write-N-Cite’. RefWorks is available to all staff and students.

New users (September 2017 onwards)

  1. To access RefWorks go to http://refworks.proquest.com
  2. Click on Create Account
  3. Follow the on-screen instructions to create your account. Please note: The email address must be your University of Wolverhampton account

RefWorks Guide

Please see our RefWorks guide for instructions on how to set-up and use RefWorks: LS138 Guide to New RefWorks

Existing users

A new version of RefWorks has been introduced, to see how this change will affect you, including details of how to move from Legacy RefWorks to new RefWorks 

To access Legacy RefWorks go to  http://www.refworks.com/refworks from a University computer.

For Legacy RefWorks help and user guides please visit the RefWorks Help page or view these helpful videos

In September 2018 The University of Wolverhampton adopted Cite Them Right as the preferred referencing style for all new students (levels 3, 4 and 7). The Library has subscribed to an online interactive guide Cite Them Right to support this move. Cite Them Right supports referencing systems including Harvard, Vancouver, APA, MLA, OSCOLA and MHRA.

It has also been agreed that returning students, (level 5 and 6), can continue to use the referencing system they have used during their course. However students should always ask for guidance from their lecturer or supervisor.

Cite Them Right access issue 19th March 2020

Cite Them Right is currently experiencing some access issues due to the increased traffic to the site. They are working to fix this as a priority, but in the meantime you may have problems when trying to access the site.

Referencing Guides

Cite Them Right (Including Full Harvard Guide) 2018 Online guides to various referencing styles at the University 

Cite Them Right (Online Guide)

Cite Them Right Harvard Referencing  (Quick Guide) 2018 Most commonly used referencing style at the University (Quick guide) Harvard referencing (Quick guide) 2018 (Word doc 53k) Harvard referencing (Quick guide) 2018
Uni of Wolverhampton Harvard Referencing (Full guide) 2017 Previous referencing style still used by some returning students  Harvard referencing (Full guide) 2017 (Word doc 1,303k) Harvard referencing (Full guide) 2017
Uni of Wolverhampton Harvard Referencing (Full guide) 2017 Large Print Previous referencing style still used by some returning students (large print)
Harvard referencing (Full guide) 2017 Large Print (Word doc 1,299k) Harvard referencing (Full guide) 2017 Large Print
Uni of Wolverhampton Harvard Referencing (Quick guide) 2017 Previous referencing style still used by some returning students (Quick guide)
Harvard referencing (Quick guide) 2017  Harvard referencing (Quick guide) 2017
Oxford Referencing (Full guide) 2018 Recommended for law students Oxford referencing (Full guide) 2018 (Word doc 237k) Oxford referencing (Full guide) 2018
Oxford Referencing (Quick guide) 2018 Recommended for law students Oxford referencing (Quick guide) 2018 (Word doc 61k) Oxford referencing (Quick guide) 2018 
APA Referencing (Full guide) 2018 Recommended for psychology students APA referencing (Full guide) 2018 (Word doc 234k) APA referencing (Full guide) 2018
APA Referencing (Quick guide) 2018 Recommended for psychology students APA referencing (Quick guide) 2018 (Word doc 97k) APA referencing (Quick guide) 2018
English Subject Style Recommended for English students Please see your Canvas course pages

 

Watch our Harvard Referencing (Cite Them Right) Tutorial

Take a look at our short introduction to Harvard Referencing (Cite Them Right).

You can also watch our video on the previous referencing style - which is still used by some returning students here.

More Skills videos can be found on our YouTube channel

 

Oxford Referencing Tutorial

Watch our short Panopto video about Oxford Referencing for some useful tips and advice. 

More Online Resources

Skills4Study Campus is a fully interactive online resource designed to help students with essential study skills. The Referencing and Understanding Plagiarism module covers the importance of referencing and why it it used in academic work.
https://www.wlv.ac.uk/lib/skills-for-learning/referencing/
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