2. Referencing systems

There are two main referencing systems.

  • The in-text system incorporates within the text an abbreviated reference usually consisting of author and year of publication and a page number; and, provides a full reference in the list of references or bibliography at the end of the work.
  • The traditional footnoting system provides within the text superscripted numerals that direct the reader to references at the bottom of the page. A bibliography is also provided with this system.

Within the School of HASS, different disciplines have different referencing requirements. For full details see Discipline Referencing Styles below.

Using the in-text system

Make sure that each time you use the work of others in an assignment you provide an in-text reference with the required information, and in the correct format.

You will need to give a full list of all references you cite. Hence an alphabetical list of all references is placed at the end of your assignment. This list gives the full publication details of each source you cited in your assignment so that your reader can consult the same sources that you have used. Check assignment instructions and make sure you know whether a reference list or bibliography is required for the unit you are studying. They are somewhat different things. A reference list is made up of all sources that you cite in the text, while a bibliography also includes sources, which while not necessarily cited in the text have nevertheless influenced your assignment.

Using the footnoting system

For disciplines where the in-text system is inappropriate, the footnoting system is used. One difficulty with this requirement, and potentially confusing for undergraduate students, is that there is no single footnoting system. For example, there is the Documentary-note system as contained in the Australian Government Style Manual (now published by John Wiley); there is the MLA system based on the Modern Language Association of America's Style Manual, the Chicago system based on the University of Chicago's Manual of Style, the Oxford system based on its Guide to Style, and there is the Cambridge system as outlined in Copy-Editing: The Cambridge Handbook, to name but a few of the most common systems. These systems can display significant variations in their attractiveness and ease of use. Academic disciplines embrace the system that best serves their subject areas, though even within subject areas you will sometimes find different systems being used. This multiplicity merely reflects individual academic backgrounds, tastes and associations with different publishing houses. Unit coordinators may provide additional information, modifications and guidance relevant to their subject areas, and they will direct postgraduate students to more detailed, published manuals as the need arises.