Know the terminology - Glossary of terms
- Attribution
- Bibliography
- Citation
- End-text referencing
- In-text referencing
- Plagiarism
- Paraphrasing
- 'References' list (list of References)
- Referencing
- Summarising
Attribution
A synonym for the word 'citation' meaning that the author of the source has been appropriately acknowledged.
Bibliography
A list of resources listed in author alphabetical order at the end of the document. The bibliography is made up of texts that have been referenced in-text (the full citation for these texts would normally appear in alphabetical order in the "References" list) and mentioned by author or cited in-text. The Bibliography also includes other resources that have been read but NOT cited in-text. Check with your lecturer as to whether a Bibliography or a References list is required.
Citation
This is a synonym for the term 'attribution' meaning that the author of the source has been appropriately acknowledged. A citation needs to accompany all in-text referencing, that is, if you use a direct quotation and/or an indirect quotation. Also, each completed reference in the 'References' list or Bibliography is also called a citation.
End-text referencing
This refers to the 'References' list or the Bibliography
In-text referencing
This term refers to different types of referencing in the document or paper, that is, direct quotations or indirect quotations (paraphrasing and/or summarising).
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the act of not acknowledging your source. In other words, you have tried to pretend that the written ideas are yours when they are another author's. To avoid plagiarism, always cite your source!
Paraphrasing
Paraphrasing is changing the original language and sentence structure. In this case, you must still cite your
source. Link: Paraphrasing, referencing and 'your voice'.
'References' list (list of References)
This is a list of references at the rear of the document. This list refers to all the resources cited (mentioned) in your document. If you have directly quoted, paraphrased or summarised in your document, then you will have the full bibliographic details of that source listed in your "References" list. Based on the APA (American Psychological Association) this can include: author's surname and initials, year of publication, title in italics, publisher, e.g. Smith, R. P. (2004). Smith family stories across generations. Cootamundra, NSW: Peterson. The 'References' list is arranged in author alphabetical order. It is strongly advisable to consult the current APA Referencing Guide and your Study Guide for expectations regarding your referencing style.*
Charles Sturt University's APA referencing resources are available on the Learning skills web site or obtain a hardcopy pocket version: Perrin (2007).
Referencing
This refers to in-text and end-text referencing of all resources referred to within the document,
as well as the 'References' list.
Summarising
A summary is similar to a paraphrase except that a summary is shorter. When you summarise, you compress large amounts of information into the fewest possible sentences. To do this, you include only the main points and main supporting points, leaving out the details. You must not change the meaning of the original text.