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References Student writing guide

How to Cite Sources and Build a Reference List

Citations show which ideas, words, data or methods came from other people. The reference list gives readers enough information to locate the sources. A consistent style matters, but accurate source details and honest attribution matter first. Use the style and local rules your department requires.

A practical guide from FINAL YEAR NG Check your department's current instructions before you submit.

Capture source details when you read

Save the author or organisation, year or date, full title, journal or publisher, volume and issue, page range, DOI or stable URL, and the date you accessed changing online material where your style requests it. Note page numbers for direct quotations. Record enough context to distinguish two works by the same author and year.

  1. Open the original publication or a reliable institutional record.
  2. Check names, title, date and publication information against the source itself.
  3. Save a DOI or stable link where available.
  4. Mark uncertain or missing details for follow-up instead of guessing.
  5. Keep the in-text citation and reference-list entry connected as you draft.

Attribute ideas as you write

Cite a source when you quote, paraphrase, summarise a specific argument, report a fact that is not common knowledge, or adopt a method or definition. A paraphrase still needs attribution even when every word is yours. Keep a direct quotation exact, use quotation marks or block formatting as required, and include a locator such as a page number when the style requires it.

Citation audit

For every author-date citation in the chapters, find its matching reference entry. Then read the list in reverse: every entry should be cited in the text unless the department's style asks for a separate bibliography or further-reading list.

Choose one style and apply it consistently

APA, Harvard, MLA, Chicago and other systems differ in punctuation, ordering, dates, quotation rules and reference formats. “Harvard” also has institution-specific variants. Do not combine examples from different guides. Start from the department's approved handbook or library guide and use an official style guide for unresolved cases.

  • Keep author spelling and publication year consistent across the text and list.
  • Check the required order and hanging indent in the final document.
  • Use sentence case or title case as required by the selected style.
  • Check whether a DOI should appear as a link and whether access dates are required.
  • For legal, archival, software, datasets or interviews, use the discipline-specific source rules.

Prevent fabricated or broken references

Never accept plausible-looking bibliographic details without opening the source. A DOI that resolves to another paper, a journal issue that cannot be found or a page number that does not exist must be corrected or removed. If an app or draft marks source details as incomplete, treat that as a task to resolve; do not submit placeholders as verified references.

Citation checklist

  • Can every non-original claim be traced to the source read?
  • Are quotations exact and appropriately marked?
  • Does every in-text citation match a complete list entry?
  • Are all entries accurate, complete and consistently formatted?
  • Do the source details and final formatting meet your department's current instructions?

Sources and further reading

These university writing resources inform the general advice here. They do not replace your department's handbook or supervisor's guidance.

  1. Purdue OWL: APA Style
  2. Purdue OWL: MLA Style
  3. Purdue OWL: Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing
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