References/Referencing Styles

The sources provide comprehensive details on referencing and different referencing styles, which are crucial for acknowledging the work of others and avoiding plagiarism. Here’s a detailed breakdown of referencing, including its importance and various styles, as described in the sources:

Definition of Referencing

• Referencing involves indicating the sources of borrowed information, including words and ideas, in a research paper. This is done both within the text (in-text referencing) and at the end of the paper in a reference list.
• Referencing applies to all types of written sources, such as books, articles, and web pages.
• The primary goal of referencing is to tell the reader where the ideas used in the research paper have come from.

Importance of Referencing

• Giving Credit: Referencing gives credit to other researchers and authors for their work and ideas.
• Providing Evidence: It provides evidence, credibility, and authority to your arguments.
• Facilitating Further Reading: It allows readers to track down the original sources for further information. A reference acts as a signpost guiding readers to the source of facts, theories, and opinions.
• Showing the Big Picture: It demonstrates how your arguments relate to the broader research context.
• Avoiding Plagiarism: It helps you avoid accusations of plagiarism, which is the intentional or unintentional presentation of another’s work as your own.
• Reinforcing Arguments: It reinforces your arguments.
• Distinguishing Ideas: It helps distinguish your ideas from those of others.
• Enabling Fact-Checking: It allows for verification of the information used.
• Demonstrating a Solid Argument: Referencing indicates to the reader that you have created a solid argument.

Common Referencing Styles

The two most common referencing styles are APA (American Psychological Association) and MLA (Modern Language Association). Other styles include Vancouver, Chicago, and Turabian.

• APA (American Psychological Association) Style

  • In-text Citations: Uses the author’s last name, the year of publication, and sometimes a page number.
    • Example: “Diabetes mellitus is associated with the development of hypertension” (Kayizzi & Serugo, 2015, p. 36) or (Kayizzi & Serugo, 2015). Or Kayizzi and Serugo (2015) reported that “Diabetes mellitus is associated with the development of hypertension” (p. 36).
    • When directly quoting, page numbers must be included.
    • If referring to an entire work, include only the author’s last name and year.
  • Reference List:
    • Appears at the end of the work on a separate page.
    • Includes only the references cited in the work.
    • Uses a hanging indent, where the second and subsequent lines of each reference are indented.
    • References are alphabetized by the last name of the first author.
    • Journal Article Example: Kayizzi, G., & Serugo, I. (2005). Diabetes mellitus is associated with development of hypertension. The lacent, 9, 36. Note the format: last name, first initial(s), year, title of article, name of journal in italics, volume, and page number.
    • Textbook Example: Kayizzi, G. (2014). Managing Diabetes Mellitus. Kampala: Ink co.. Note: Book title is underlined or in bold, followed by city of publication and publisher.
    • Multiple Authors:
      • Two Authors: Cite both names every time (Cox & Gould, 1998).
      • Three to Five Authors: Cite all authors the first time, and in subsequent citations use the first author’s surname followed by “et al.”. For example, (Hall et al., 2007).
      • Six or Seven Authors: Cite only the first author’s surname followed by “et al.” (Roeder et al., 1967).
      • Eight or More Authors: Include the first six authors’ names, then add three dots and the last author’s name. For example: Yoon, P. W., Chen, B., Faucett, A., Clyne, M., °whin, M., Lubin, I. M.., . Muir(, J. (2001).

• MLA (Modern Language Association) Style

  • In-text Citations: Do not include the year or commas. Example: (Kayizzi & Serugo 36).
  • Reference List: Uses full first names instead of initials.

• Chicago Style

  • Uses an author-number system with superscript numbers in the text that refer to corresponding notes at the bottom of the page (footnotes) or at the end of the paper (endnotes).
  • Example: “A union soldier, Jacob, claimed to have seen Forrest order killing.” and then the footnote would be “12. Brian steel wills, A Battle from start; the life of Nathan Forrest (New York; Hapecollin 1992), 187″.

• Vancouver Style

  • Similar to Chicago, it uses an author-number system.

Plagiarism

• Plagiarism is defined as the intentional or unintentional presentation of another’s work as your own. It is unacceptable and unethical in research.

Key Differences Between Referencing Styles

• APA uses an author-date style, whereas MLA uses author-page number.
• Chicago and Vancouver styles use a numbered system linked to footnotes or endnotes.