Effective Citing and Referencing

Introduction

In the school we produce different types of documents and other forms of work, some of which rely on resources by other people. Following good academic practice, it is expected that we appropriately acknowledge any ideas, words, or work of other people.

This means that, when creating an authentic piece of work, we are expected to:

• undertake research on what is already known

• analyse the research in the context of the work to be produced

• compare and/or contrast existing knowledge against our own findings/thoughts/opinions

• synthesize and present the document in an appropriate way for the expected audience

• acknowledge all contributing sources appropriately.

The ways in which we can acknowledge contributing sources appropriately may vary according to the type of work we produce. Sources are acknowledged differently in a press release or magazine article, in a piece of fiction, in artwork or a musical performance, a slide presentation, film clip or radio broadcast. The important, honest thing for us to do in these and other types of work is to acknowledge our sources and influences in some way. In academic writing, and in any work presented for assessment, not only is it necessary to acknowledge our sources appropriately, but it is regarded as important that the acknowledgments be made using a consistent style. The use of a style guide helps us to ensure this consistency.

When we use other people’s words, work and ideas to support our own ideas, or to demonstrate divergent opinion, it is essential that we indicate whose words and work we are using. Any reader would benefit from seeing just how the other person’s work contributes to ours.

If we fail to show that we are using someone else’s words, work or ideas by not indicating that they originated with someone else, then we mislead the reader. If we give the impression that these words or ideas are our own when they are not, this is not good scholarship and, deliberate or unintentional, may be deemed as academic misconduct.

We also need to recognise even if we cite everything that we use, if the work that is not substantially your own work then this is also not acceptable. The best way to look at this is have you done any thinking of your own or is the work just largely a reproduction of other people's thoughts.

All material in this section is adapted from the IB website

“Effective citing and referencing.” International Baccalaureate, April 2022, https://www.ibo.org/contentassets/76d2b6d4731f44ff800d0d06d371a892/effective-citing-and-referencing-en.pdf. Accessed 19 January 2023.