Referencing is a way of acknowledging the sources of information that you use to research your assessment. You need to provide a reference whenever you draw on someone else's words, ideas or research.
You should also provide references for any graphic information you use. Films, television programs, personal communications and online sources also need to be referenced.
Not referencing other people's work can constitute plagiarism. See our guides on Understanding and Avoiding Plagiarism.
Choosing the right referencing system
Preferred referencing styles vary between schools (or even courses), so check your course outline (usually found on Moodle). If you can't find any information there, try the Faculty website or school offering your course. If they don't indicate a preference, ask your tutor.
Different styles of referencing
Below you will find short style guides to three systems: Harvard, APA and Footnote-Bibliography.
- The 'In-Text' or Harvard method
- The Footnote / Bibliography method
- The APA (American Psychological Association) method
Other Styles
There are a number of other referencing styles available. For information on other styles, try an internet search or look for published guides in these Citation style manuals.
- Referencing Vancouver Style
- MLA (Modern Languages Association) style guide - Monash University
- IEEE Referencing - Victoria University
Learn more about referencing and acknowledging the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in your assessments here.
