Referencing shows the breadth of your research and provides details of the sources that you have used to support your arguments and conclusions.
By acknowledging the sources used in your work, you will also avoid plagiarism.
All reference styles are made up of two parts - the in text citation and the full reference.
Depending on the style the citation may be the author's surname and date of publication or a number assigned to each source as it is used.
It is important to keep track of your sources as you research so you can show all the work you have done and acknowledge where you are using the ideas of others as evidence.
Cite Them Right will help you to reference just about any source you might need to use and understand how to avoid plagiarism. It also includes a Referencing tutorial to help you develop your skills.
Cite them Right includes extensive guidance as well as examples of the Harvard, APA 7th edition, IEEE, OSCOLA, Vancouver and Chicago referencing styles. To see the correct format, just select the type of source you want to reference and then filter the results by referencing style.
New to referencing? Watch this short video for an overview of how to reference using the Cite Them Right Harvard style. Use the chapter function to jump to the section you need.
The IEEE referencing style and other numeric styles are in use across the School of Engineering and Built Environment.
Sources are given a number in the order you are referring to them in your work. The first source you cite is [1] and second is [2] and so on. No matter how many times you use that source it keeps its number throughout. Note that for IEEE the numbers are in square brackets [...], other styles might use superscript numbers. The number is inserted into the your text next to the information being cited or at the end of a direct quote after the punctuation.
Citation: Narasimham [5] asserts that ....
Reference: [5] G. S. V. L. Narasimham, Recent trends in mechanical engineering : select proceedings of ICIME 2019. 1st ed. Singapore: Springer, 2021. [Online] Available: https://discover.gcu.ac.uk/
At the end of you work you then give your full list of references in numerical order.
There is help and advice online in Cite Them Right or from your Academic Librarian.
Check your module hand book on GCU Learn or with your module tutor which style you are required to use.
If you are using a style that requires superscript the number 1 is inserted into the your text next to the information being cited or at the end of a direct quote after the punctuation.
If citing more than one reference in one place separate the numbers with commas and no spaces between. 1,5
To find the superscript option in Word click in the further options menu under Font and select Superscript. You can also use the keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+Shift++
Reference management software helps you to keep track of your research, create bibliographies or reference lists and share these with others. There are many different reference management products available, free and paid for.
GCU Library subscribes to and provides support for RefWorks.
The RefWorks pages on our website include help with setting up a RefWorks account and learning how to use RefWorks.
Please note: When generating a bibliography or reference list using RefWorks, make sure you choose the correct output style. For most students this will be Cite Them Right, 12th edition - Harvard. If you're not sure which style to use, check your module handbook.
For further help with using RefWorks contact a librarian.