How To Make Your Reference In Your Essay
It can be quite difficult to reference everything that you mention in your paper, however it is an important aspect of essay writing that you should not dismiss. In this article, we will discuss the correct method of making a reference in your paper.
Why?
The question on many students’ mind, when essay writing, is simply why should they be making references? Well, the truth is that when writing any form of academic writing, of which paper writing is one, you inevitably build upon the ideas laid down by previous writers. Thus, a large part of your writing is composed of quoting or using other authors’ work. As such, it is up to you to acknowledge when you are quoting or using the ideas of different sources. Referencing also helps the reader in distinguishing your own ideas from that of others.
Research
If your work is going to reference many sources, it is pivotal that you do your due research. This means that before you begin writing your work you should have a list of sources you plan to use that clearly has the following information:
- Name of the author
- Date the source was published
- Title of the text
- Part of the book you are going to be using and/or volume number
Having everything laid out like this will save you the hassle of researching this vital information needed for proper referencing while you are writing your paper.
When?
You should use referencing when the work you are writing is not your own idea, and is clearly the idea of another person. For example, if you are going to be providing a survey conducted by a research, then, since this is not your own research, you will have to reference it. Another example is if you are quoting from another piece of work, then you will also need to reference this. Acquiring writing help can be extremely beneficial in seeing when you use referencing.
How?
There are many different reference systems used depending on the institution you will be writing for, but by far the most common is the Harvard referencing system. In this reference system, also often called the ‘author, date’ system, you will write the name of the author and the year in which they published in your essay text next to when you introduce the source.
Once you have done this, it is time to make a section named ‘bibliography’ in your essay that gives a full reference, including the points we discussed while you are doing your research.
As you can see, you have to be diligent in your research when referencing, and be aware when to reference. If you still need some help regarding this, then it is best to seek an essay writing company for assistance.
