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Study Skills- Referencing

A guide to referencing and avoiding plagiarism

What is Plagiarism and how can I avoid it?

Plagiarism occurs when the source of the information has not been acknowledged and the work is presented as the original idea of the student. This goes against the University of Sunderland Academic Misconduct Regulations. 

We reference to:

  • Demonstrate your reading and research.
  • Acknowledge the sources that have informed your work.
  • Credit the hard work of other researchers.
  • Enable the reader to locate the information you have used.
  • Signpost the reader to the ideas that are not your own.
  • Avoid plagiarism.

 

Check out the quiz below and identify if the statements below are examples of plagiarism or not:

Check out the plagiarism quiz below:

Below is an escape room style game to test your referencing knowledge:

 

Spot the Referencing Errors

An element of avoiding plagiarism is developing the skill to spot referencing errors when proofreading your work. 

The Thinglink below includes a sentence with an incorrectly cited and referenced journal article in the Harvard Referencing Style. Try and spot the mistakes before clicking on the Thinglink to discover how to correct the mistakes. 

Use the link to Cite Them Right Online below to explore how to format your references in the style used on your course. Get in touch at our study skills drop in if you have any quick skills questions or book onto one of our Harvard Referencing Masterclasses to explore this skill further.