ABSTRACT
There are three main reasons for giving references: a) To avoid the charge of plagiarism, which is using another person’s
ideas or research without acknowledgement. b) The reference can give more authority to your writing, for it shows you
are familiar with other research on the topic. c) The reader can find the original source by using the reference section,
which would list the full publishing details of Donner’s book: Donner, F. (1997) Macroeconomics. Borchester: Borchester University Press
2. Decide which of the following need references. a) A mention of facts or figures from another writer
b) An idea of your own
c) Some data you have found from your own research
d) A theory suggested by another researcher
e) A quotation from a work by any author
f) Something that is agreed to be common knowledge
3. In order to give references accurately it is important to follow the following procedure: a) When reading and note-making, keep a careful record of the details of
your sources. For a long piece of writing such as a dissertation a card index is useful.
