Top 10 Assignment Referencing Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

 Top 10 Assignment Referencing Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) 

Here are the ten most popular questions I got from students, and these are the answers:

NO. 1: WHEN IS A REFERENCE REQUIRED?

When you:

• quote (use someone else’s exact words) 
• copy (use figures, tables or structure) 
• paraphrase (convert someone else’s ideas to your own words)
• summarise (use a brief account of someone else’s ideas) 

NO. 2: WHY SHOULD YOU REFERENCE?

References enhance writing and assist the reader by: 

• showing the breadth of research 
• strengthening academic argument
• showing the reader the source of information 
• allowing the reader to consult sources independently 
• allowing the reader to verify data

By using references appropriately, you will avoid plagiarism, which is falsely claiming someone else’s words or ideas as your own

NO. 3: WHAT ARE THE WAYS TO CITE?

a) Author Prominent Citation

Using the author’s surname as part of the sentence with the date and all the required detail in parentheses (round brackets): 

Example: Cowie (1996, p. 91) has argued that ‘socialism rejected the liberal ideals of individualism and competition’. 

a) Information Prominent Citation

The other way of citing references gives prominence to the information, with all the required referencing details in parentheses: 

Example: It has been argued that ‘socialism rejected the liberal ideals of individualism and competition’ (Cowie 1996, p. 91). 

NO. 4: SHOULD YOU PARAPHRASE OR USE QUOTATIONS?

a) Paraphrasing preferred

A general rule in academic circles is that no more than 10% of an assignment should be in the form of direct quotations. Therefore, paraphrasing is highly recommended.

b) Quotations 

Quotations should be used sparingly, selected carefully, used in context, integrated into your text, and reproduced exactly (including the words, spelling, punctuation, capitalisation and paragraphing of the original writer. A quotation is used if a misinterpretation would result from a change to the words or a major argument needs to be recorded as evidence 

NO. 5: WHAT IS PARAPHRASING?

Paraphrasing means to restate accurately and succinctly something you have read. Be sure to write this in your own words as far as possible. 

If your work does not refer to specific ideas on particular pages of a resource but to general themes mentioned throughout the resource, page numbers need not be shown. 

Two common approaches of paraphrasing:

a) General Theme 

Studies (Tanner 1999) indicate that the economic structure today is far more unpredictable and unstable than it was thirty years ago. 

b) Specific Idea 

Tanner (1999, p. 22) claims that the introduction of the GST in the Australian economic structure has not impacted the price of fuels. 

NO. 6: WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A REFERENCE LIST AND A BIBLIOGRAPHY?

The reference list only indicates sources cited in the text of your assignment. 

A bibliography uses the same format as a reference list but it includes all material consulted in the preparation of your assignment. 

A reference list and a bibliography can be prepared separately.

NO. 7: HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE REFERENCE LIST?

The reference list includes full details of all the sources which you cited in the text of your assignment. 

The reference list is entitled REFERENCES or REFERENCE LIST. 

• This is to be written in uppercase, and in bold and centred. 
• Headings are neither underlined nor punctuated. 
• Present the reference list using single line spacing and hanging indent for each entry.
• Insert a blank line between each entry. 
• Arrange the reference list alphabetically and place as the final page of your assignment. Do not use numbers, letters or bullet points to begin each entry. Any reference that starts with a number (e.g. 7:30 Report) precedes the alphabetical listing and is listed numerically.

For a book, the following elements should be presented in this order: 

• author’s surname and initials 
• year of publication 
• title of book (in italics) 
• the edition (e.g. 4th edn) if not the original publication 
• publisher 
• place of publication 

Example:

NO. 8: IS THE REFERENCE FOR A JOURNAL DIFFERENT FROM A BOOK?

For a journal article, the following elements should be presented in this order: 

• author’s surname and initials 
• year of publication 
• title of the article in single quotation marks 
• title of journal or periodical in italics 
• volume number where applicable 
• issue number or another identifier where applicable 
• page number(s) 

NO. 9: SIR, WHAT IF?

• IF there is more than one author of a publication, maintain the order of their names as they appear on the title page of the publication, even if they are not in alphabetical order on the title page. 
• IF a reference has no author, list it alphabetically according to the sponsoring body e.g. UNESCO
• IF there are two or more references by the same author, then list them in order of publication date with the oldest work first. 
• IF references by the same author have been published in the same year, then list them alphabetically according to the title and add the letter ‘a’ after the first date, and ‘b’ after the second date (e.g. 1993a, 1993b). 

NO. 10: WHAT ABOUT WEBSITES (ELECTRONIC SOURCES)?

Before you use any website as a reference, be mindful of evaluating the QUALITY AND TRUSTWORTHINESS of any electronic information on the web you wish to use in an academic assignment. Reliable sources generally include: 

• Refereed articles in online journals 
• Articles from databases selected by the university 
• Articles published by universities, government departments, business organizations, reputable lobby groups. 

a) Document on the World Wide Web (dated and author or sponsor given) 

IN-TEXT REFERENCING

Brown (1994) noted that …

MODEL TO FOLLOW IN THE REFERENCE LIST 

Brown, H. 1994, Citing Computer References, URL: http://neal.ctstateu.edu/history/cite.html, (accessed 3 January 2021).

b) Document on the World Wide Web (author or sponsor given but not dated) 

IN-TEXT REFERENCING
Adherence to the five food groups (Jones n.d.)  

MODEL TO FOLLOW IN THE REFERENCE LIST 

Brown, H. 1994, Citing Jones, P. n.d., Five Food Groups, URL: http://www.food.com.au/5foodgroups/sustenance.html, (accessed 3 January 2021).

c) Document on the World Wide Web (no author/sponsor and no date) 

IN-TEXT REFERENCING
As stated in Guidelines for Citing References and Electronic Sources of Information (n.d.),...

MODEL TO FOLLOW IN THE REFERENCE LIST

Guidelines for Citing References and Electronic, Sources of Information URL: http://www.eliz.tased.edu.au/refs.html, (accessed 3 January 2021).

 NOTE: 

• Always check the validity of a site that has no author or sponsor. The use of such sites is discouraged.
• There are no page numbers allocated to web site documents. However, it is important to indicate this by using n.p. in intext referencing. This shows the reader that the page number has not been forgotten, but rather that it is non-existent. This is ONLY valid for websites!

I hope the above has covered all the area you need to work on your references and avoid plagiarism. 

In the end, Choesay "whatever style of referencing you follow, please remember to remain consistent throughout your work". You will be fine!

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References:
How to Acknowledge What You Have Read: Abbreviations n.d.,URL: www.lib.monash.edu.au/vl/cite/cite l l.htm (accessed 3 February 2021)

Visited the 33rd Kuala Lumpur International Book Fairs

The 33rd Kuala Lumpur International Book Fairs is an international event organised by Majlis Buku Kebangsaan Malaysia (MBKM), Ministry of Education (Malaysia) in collaboration with 6 Industry association in this Country, with the theme for this year “Buku Menjana Kepintaran Kreatif”.

As a lecturer, this is a good time to update our subject reference list for the students. Textbooks are always important because they are the fundamentals of education. I hope our country's efforts to promote creativity through books will be able to cultivate a better learning environment for the students.

It is becoming uncommon for students to read reference books in higher education. The advancement of Information Technology, and fast and easy access to information using the Internet has become an excuse for many students not to use reference textbooks in their study. I may be 'old-school' but I still think that before we go onto the fast and easy platform to access for knowledge with the purpose of studies, we should value the reference textbooks as the fundamentals of learning. When the foundation is right, then we can use the Internet to enhance our knowledge or for quick reference.

If you agree with me, why not drop by to the fairs to see what are the fundamentals of education can help you in your studies. There exhibitors are not only from the local publisher, but also from ASEAN Country and International Publisher as well (Europe, United State, Australia, India and Middle East). The fairs will be from 24th April 2014 to 4th May 2014 at Dewan Tun Hussein On, Dewan Tun Dr. Ismail, Dewan Tun Razak 3, 4 and Legar Putra Pusat Dagangan Dunia Putra (PWTC), Kuala Lumpur. The gate will be opened to the public on 24th April 2014, from 10.00am to 9.00pm. Admission is free.

Related Post: Reading Academic Textbooks

Reading Academic Textbooks for Undergraduate Studies

While I was having dinner with my ex-colleague, another lecturer, we were having a debate over the use of textbooks for undergraduate studies. I got so engaged in this debate because before I went for the dinner today, I just told a few of my current students (Gen-Y) about the importance and usefulness of reading academic textbooks.

Personally, I always think that one of the best way to improve on academic writing is to start with reading the subject related textbooks. Althought there are various alternatives for readings, such as online journals, websites and even blogs; these are all good to have alternatives for reference purposes but it is not the core materials and blogs cannot be used as academic reference. 

I agree that some of these alternatives sources may be easily accessible and very looks informative but the scope can be very wide too as there are uncountable websites when searching by keywords. Also, a lot of web publishers simplify the subject information to make it easy to read, keeping it short and simple. By doing so, it will only provide some points or even without appropriate explanation on any concepts or models.

Web sources can be very specific on explaning some terms, concepts or models that myay provide limited elaboration or justification. Many web authors simply extract points from textbooks (in note form), similar to a student taking their notes in the class or while reading a text.

In this circumstances, how can a student learn the subject matters properly and able to see how the topic area can be explained or elaborated? Therefore, students only able to provide answers in point form and if essay is required, the student will just combine all the points they learned from the Internet in a paragraph, without taking into consideration the efforts of writing an essay.

At this point of time, I am not against the use of Internet as the medium for undergraduate studies. There are benefits of using the Internet for research or reading e-book too. However, how many students or even lecturers prefer to read e-book online and use the e-book as a main source of reference for assignment and preparing for exam? I am referring to academic e-books, not fictions or online magazine. Maybe there are some who prefer to do so, but how about you? Does your university or college provide e-books?

I belief the fundamental of learning comes from reading, and if it is for academic purpose, it should start from reading subject related textbook. This helps to build cognitive skills and expose the student to the fundamental academic writing style. Only when this is achieved, the student may go online to identify and read more sources to extent the knowledge and scope of the subject area. Textbooks provide definitions, explanations, implications, pros and cons, and illustration using valid examples, which are all critical for developing strong foundations of subject matters. Being in undergraduate means a student should build on the foundation of degree specialisation. To achieve this, there is no other better way but to read textbooks or e-books (as long as it is a published subject related book).

My philosophy is very simple. If someone want to think out of the box, this person should fill up the box with content before thinking out of the box. Think out of the box doesn't meant must go away from the box and never come back. A great mind can think out of the box only if this person has gained significant knowledge inside the box. If want to go to the world wide wide to look for answers for your studies, first thing to do is to understand the basic subject matters from textbooks, which are dedicated for teaching the subject purpose. This is the reason why textbooks still exist today (for a reason).

Top 5 Tips for Essay Writing in Exam

Most of the final examination would requires a student to write a full essay, especially you are asked to discuss on a particular topic, compare and contrast, analyse, evaluate and give recommendations. Therefore, you will need to make sure that you can present your essay in a professional and yet resourceful manner. Remember, your examiner will be looking for good content of your answer and at the same time, the ease of reading your essay for understanding. That's how you can earn more marks for your answer given.

The following are 5 simple tips to improve your essay:

#1: Essay should consist of 'introduction, body and conclusion';

#2: Use paragraphs to differentiate the main discussion points;

#3: Provide a simple heading for each section of discussion (i.e. The Advantages of Using Mass Media); 

#4: Construct short and simple sentences for the ease of understanding; 

#5: Don't start your essay by giving examples. Examples should be given after your explanation on the discussion point.

All the best!

Top 5 Tools Needed For Examination

As a student, final examination is always the most challenging and stressful assessement. However, you can reduce the stress and challenges by preparing yourself well, not just to have the knowledge and skills to answer the exam questions but to have the right tools ready to go for your final examination.
The top 5 tools needed for examination:
#1: Ball Pen (preferably black color)
Always bring more than 1 pen when you go for exam as contingency. You will never know when the ball pen will run out of ink, got stuck or leaking. Why black? It makes your answer bold and solid - looks more confident and easy to read.
#2: A Watch
You need to time yourself because it is better to have enough time to attempt all the questions rather than spend all the time on a few questions. Do not rely on the clock in the exam hall. Nothing is better to have your own timer on your desk.
#3: Correction Tape
If possible, use the correction tap instead of liquid type corrector. You need time to wait for it to dry and it may not be smooth for you to make the necessary corrections. If not dried, it may be very messy too.
#4: Ruler
It is good to have a ruler in case you need to draw lines. For example, drawing tables, charts, diagrams or underlying key points/titles for essay.
#5: Water Bottle
Exam hall can be very cold and dry. Always make sure you have some water to drink when you feel thirsty. Thirsty means unfulfilled needs; means tense. You can think better if you can minimize the tense.
There you go, the top 5 tools for exam.
Good luck!