Citing a cited source
If the author of a book or article (Author A) cites another author (Author B) then it may be a good idea to follow up the reference to author B and read the original. If you are unable to do this then it is acceptable to cite author B as being referred to in author A.
For example…It has been suggested that redintegration is sensitive to item length and familiarity (Brown and Hume, 1995, cited in Turner, 2000, 460).
You should only include the source/s you actually looked at in your reference list or bibliography. In this example, that would mean that you included both ‘Brown and Hume’ and ‘Turner’ if you had looked at the original, but only ‘Turner’ if you had not.
Every reference that appears in your text must be included in the reference list or bibliography at the end of your work. This list should include full details of the references in alphabetical order, carefully formatted in accordance with your school handbook (seeReferencing 2: Citations & bibliographiesfor some examples). The key is to be consistent, especially if you have to reference unusual sources like TV or radio programmes; find an example of how to cite these sources in your school’s preferred style and stick to it.
For more information…
See our guideReferencing 2. Citations & bibliographies
See our guideReferencing 3. Avoiding unintentional plagiarism
See the Library website -
For more on this and other aspects of academic study, see our website at© Dr Judy Turner, Dr Angela Taylor, Dr Michelle Reid & Dr Kim Shahabudin. University Study Advice team & LearnHigher CETL (Reading). /
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Using references in your work
Referencing1 /
This guide covers the basics of academic referencing:
- What referencing is and why you need to do it
- How to cite references
- How to use direct quotes and paraphrases
Correct referencing is the cornerstone of all academic work. It gives due credit to the authors of any sources you may have used in your study, as well as demonstrating your understanding and familiarity with the resources and your ability to work in a disciplined and rigorous manner.
Many students are unsure about how and when to reference, and how to get the balance right between demonstrating research and using their own ideas. Developing this knowledge is an essential part of academic study, and will help you to avoid the risk of unintentional plagiarism.
It’s important to check which of the many different styles of referencing your department prefers, and how they want you to use it. The examples in this guide use Harvardreferencing, which is the style most commonly used at Reading.
What does your department do…?Check in your course handbook (usually available online or on Blackboard if you don’t have a copy) to see which style of referencing you are expected to use.
What do we mean by referencing?
Referencing is the name for the process used to acknowledgethe books, papers and other published and unpublished materials that you have used while researching your essay or report. You may find these materials described as ‘references’, ‘sources’ or ‘citations’.
The acknowledgment has to be made twice:
- in short form in the body of your text (or sometimes in footnotes) in the place the source is referred to; this is your ‘in-text citation’
- with full details at the end of your work; this is your ‘reference list’or ‘bibliography’.
References acknowledge that part of your work is based on the research and analysis of others. All academic work is partof a greater body of knowledge; showing how your work fits into this is key togood academic practice at university and will improve your marks.
- References show the range and nature of your source materials.
- References to published sources should provide sufficient detail to enable anyone to find for themselves the work you are citing.
- Learning how to reference properly is a key part of academic writing. It shows that you can work in a meticulous and disciplined fashion. You are likely to lose marks for incorrector careless referencing.
- Failure to acknowledge that some of your opinions and information have come from others may be regarded as plagiarism (See Referencing 3:Avoiding unintentional plagiarism).
Academic writing involves using sound evidence to support and strengthen your own arguments. You are trying to demonstrate how widely you have read but also that you have understood what you have read and can interpret it in relation to the essay question you are answering andthe argument you are making.
It is good practice to use direct quotes sparingly. Whether it is a quote or a paraphrase, it’s always a good idea to ask yourself why you are including a reference. Use your references to support your own arguments and ideas, not replace them.
Citation in the text
Sometimes it will be most appropriate to use the exact words found in your reading and interpret them. Mostly you will show your understanding more clearly by paraphrasing the source material and then adding an in-text citation.See Referencing 2: Citations & bibliographies for more on how to do this for different materials.
Here are two alternative ways to build a citation into your writing:
a)Smith (2005) proposed a three stage model of memory.
b)A three stage model of memory has been proposed (Smith, 2005).
If there is more than one author then give all the surnames on the first mention (Shahabudin, Reid & Taylor, 2007). On subsequent mentions, if there are more than two authors use just the first author and add “et al.” meaning “and others” e.g. (Shahabudin et al., 2007).
How to use quotes
Sometimes it is necessary to quote exact words. These direct quotations should be as brief as possible. Always interpret the quotation and show how it relates to the argument you are making and the essay question.
Start long quotationson a new line, indent the whole quotation, use exact wording and punctuation. If you omit words, replace them with … and use [ ] if you add words of your own. Do not add quotation marks.
For example…Working better not longer is an important concept … [you should] learn to work more effectively in the time available … rather than working longer hours (Turner, 2007, 14).
Turner’sargument illustrates the focus ofstudy advice on effective study.
Using short quotationsmeans you save your word count for your own arguments. Integrate theseinto your sentence & use quotation marks.
For example…In an illustration of study advice’s focus on effective study, Turner (2007, 14) suggests that you should work “better not longer”.