Stuck with Referencing? Our Referencing Guide is here to help! But how best to use it to find out how to reference which sources you are using? Here are some hints and tips to help!
- Where can I access the guide?
- How is the Guide arranged?
- What if I am unsure which source type to use?
- Help, none of the examples seem to be relevant, what should I do?
- I am using Zotero, is there any guidance on using this software?
Where can I access the guide?
How is the Guide arranged?
The first tab (Index & General Information) contains:
- A list of reference examples by source type
- Referencing basics, including how to format your reference list, in-text citations, direct quotes & paraphrasing
- Plagiarism and general advice on formatting your work
- Additional guidance and useful links
You can navigate your way around the guide in two ways; either by the tabs along the top or by using the index on the left-hand side of the Index & General Information tab (please note that the sections are not listed in alphabetical order but in order of the most commonly used sources).
Decide which type of source you would like to reference (website, blog, ebook etc) and navigate to the corresponding tab on the Guide. Each tab includes guidance on formatting your reference list entry, with a template and examples given in green text.
Advice for in-text citations is given in the How to Write In-text Citations tab with any non-standard citation formats included within the reference list guidance arranged by source type.
An Additional Guidance box is present on each of the source type pages, covering reference elements that apply across formats.
What if I am unsure which source type to use?
Sometimes sources do not neatly fall into any one category, but don’t panic! The key is consistency – decide which source type(s) to use and then use the same style when referencing sources of a similar type.
Sometimes you will need to use guidance from more than one section of the Guide, for example if you are referencing a film where the title was in a non Roman script then you would need to follow the format given in the Film, TV, Radio, Stage & Music section and also consult the Additional Guidance box for Translated works and works in non Roman script / works written in languages other than English.
For some source types, such as interviews, the reference format depends on where the source was accessed, therefore you need to decide on the format of the source then navigate to the corresponding tab on the Guide for further advice.
Help, none of the examples seem to be relevant, what should I do?
Send details of the material you are trying to reference to the Library Team (library@educ.cam.ac.uk) and we can advise which section(s) would be the best fit.
I am using Zotero, is there any guidance on using this software?
Guidance can be found on our Zotero Guide which has guidance from setting up your Zotero to generating your references and beyond.
How can I get further help?
Of course your Education Library Team are happy to support you with this and can help via email (library@educ.cam.ac.uk) or you can book a 1:1 session with a member of the team (just fill out the booking form on the Library Moodle Site).
FYI: for your information 