It’s not too early to start thinking about referencing. Once you have researched and begun writing your dissertation or project you must remember to correctly acknowledge the sources of any information which you refer to. This allows readers to trace the original material while also ensuring that you avoid potentially committing plagiarism.
To help you with your referencing, Library staff have prepared several online guides with useful examples. We have a generic guide on Referencing and Citing as well as other guides on specific referencing styles or subject areas:
Please be sure to look at the referencing guidance which has been provided by your department. You can read advice on avoiding plagiarism on the Student Learning Service’s website and you can check in MyAberdeen for materials on academic writing and avoiding plagiarism.
We also have access to a really useful book by Colin Neville called Complete guide to referencing and avoiding plagiarism which goes over topics from why you need to reference, where, the different referencing styles, plagiarism and how to express your own ideas in an assignment.
Cite them right: the essential referencing guide by Richard Pears is another great resource, available to access online or in print from Floor 4 at shelfmark 808.027 PEA in The Sir Duncan Rice Library.
There are many different software solutions that will help you manage your references. RefWorks is a cloud-based reference management service that is free for all University of Aberdeen students and staff to use. See the library website for guidance on using RefWorks, and referencing in general.
Using reference management software allows you to import references from online databases and other sources. There are writing tools that work with the software, for example RefWorks includes a Reference Citation Manager plugin which allows you to automatically generate references from your RefWorks account while you write in Word.
We run occasional workshops for postgrads covering the main features of RefWorks and how to get started. These workshops will be advertised on the Library website and you can also check on the course booking system and filter by category: Library Information Skills.
Library staff can also advise on using RefWorks. Email library@abdn.ac.uk with any questions you may have or come and speak to us in the library. During term time, you can also ask for one-to-one help in an online support session.
