Writing at university may involve researching the ideas of other people, which you can combine with your own ideas and conclusions. Learning to acknowledge other people through in-text citing or footnotes in addition to providing a reference list will help differentiate between their ideas and your own.
This is central to the idea of academic honesty in Western academic institutions.
So why reference?
Read the VU Academic Integrity Policy for more details.
Study with Academic Integrity. As you start or continue your studies at Victoria University, complete the academic integrity modules. Understand what academic integrity means and why it is important to present authentic work and acknowledge the work of others.
To access these interactive modules you must be enrolled as a VU student.
Link through to Academic Integrity HQ on VU Collaborate - you need to self-enrol, even if you have completed one or more modules in 2022. Click on the 'Content' tab and within the table of contents, select a module under 'Academic Integrity Course Overview':
After successfully completing all five modules and quizzes you will receive a Certificate of Achievement. This is a downloadable PDF file which includes the your student name and date of completion. See Academic Integrity Student Guide for instructions on how to download your Certificate.
Different subject disciplines use different referencing styles. Be sure to check with your lecturer/ supervisor on their recommended style before using any of the following styles guides:
Referencing styles have different rules regarding punctuation, capitalisation, abbreviations and the use of italics. They also differ in how the acknowledgement of resources used is expressed in the body of your text and the reference list. A summary is provided in this guide, but refer to the individual style guides for full details.
Author-date styles
Documentary-note (Footnote) styles
VU Library has a number of reference management tools which can help you to: