Citing and referencing sources acknowledges the ideas, work and opinions of authors or organisations and how they have influenced your work. It helps differentiate between your work and opinions and those of the authors you have read and used in the text. It shows your reader that you have read the relevant resources and that your work is built on solid academic evidence.
Plagiarism is using or passing off another person's work as your own. Using anyone's words, ideas or images in your course work and not acknowledging it, even unintentionally, is a serious breach of the Student Code of Conduct.
Good note keeping and using reference management software like RefWorks can help you keep on track.
You must include a citation whenever you use a quote, summarise a piece of writing or rewrite an idea in your own words (known as paraphrasing). This avoids confusion for the reader and protects you from plagiarising another's work.
Please note that formatting and punctuation should follow the examples laid out by the guidance in whichever style you have been asked to use.
Always check your module handbook for the preferred style of your lecturer.
If you’d like to find out more and test your skills, try the Cite Them Right Referencing tutorial.