Citation
Learning builds on learning, as you build your argument and content for your assignment, it is rather like a spider building its web. An argument is advanced by a thread of connected group of ideas but at the center of things is your own point of view, supported by the relevant body of knowledge. In order to connect with the past ideas a literature review is conducted and the work of individuals whose ideas influenced the writer's work need to be acknowledged/cited. Citation is the in- text reference that gives brief details of the source referred to i.e. partial reference. The full details of such a source would appear under the reference list to enable the reader to identify the work should they need to read further.
Referencing
All the works that were cited in-text should be included in the reference list. Care should be taken that the bibliographic details of all sources consulted are captured correctly. The order in which authors are listed in case of multiple authored works should be followed as it depicts the authority of such authors. The reference list is provided at the end of a research paper or article providing all the necessary information about the source which helps in locating such a source. The fundamental purpose of the references is that they link with the citation and includes enough information for the reader to be able to find the source again.
Note: The way you cite and reference varies depending on the style you use. It is important to be consistent in the citation and referencing style throughout.
Your Faculty or Department will recommend the citation and referencing style to use for your work, check with them first if you are not certain.
Direct quotes should be used sparingly and only if paraphrasing the original work would not capture the original essence of the message. Whenever direct quotes are used, the page number from which the quote was extracted should be stated together with the author(s) and publication date in parenthesis. The exact words quoted should be put in quotation marks.
e.g. “This is an example of a direct quote” (Seleka, 2019, p.82)
For direct quotations for more than 40 words, display the quote as a block of indented words without quotation marks, the author, publication year and page number should also be indicated in parenthesis. e.g.
This is an example of a direct quote derived from a source and it consists of more than 40 words. As a result, the researcher cannot use quotation marks, but rather has to indent the quote and present it as an indented block of words like this example. At the end, the source of where the quote was derived from has to be indicated in parenthesis. (Kgari, 2017, p.12)
N.B. Do not add a full stop/period after the closing parenthesis.
When writing the author can paraphrase the ideas using their own words but not losing the context in which the original writer articulated the idea or directly quoting from the source consulted. Paraphrasing is where the writer articulates someone’s ideas using their own words without losing the meaning and context of the original author. By paraphrasing, and doing it properly, the writer has an added benefit of merging ideas borrowed from other authors into their own style of writing thereby demonstrating a clear understanding of what the other authors are saying.
Paraphrasing should not be mistaken to summarizing. The latter provides a brief statement of the main points discussed in the source thereby omitting detailed points being covered in such a source. Whenever in doubt or failing to paraphrase, direct quotations should be used.
Each entry under the reference list should contain the following elements depending on its type:
In order to ensure that the details provided for each reference is correct, always check each entry against the original publication giving due attention to the spellings of proper names and words in foreign languages including special marks, completeness of the journal titles, years, volume and issue numbers, page numbers and electronic retrieval data.
In order to derive the above mentioned elements depending on the source used, the following should be considered:
The following rules should be followed when ordering the reference list:
During the course of writing an assignment or research, there may be items which you have consulted for your work, but not cited. These are what make up a ‘bibliography’ and they come at the end of your assignment. Just like with the reference list, the bibliography items should be listed in alphabetical order by author and laid out in the same way as items in your reference list. The bibliography goes a step further in showing the depth of research carried out by the writer and will show your extra effort put on the research.
The Complete Guide to Referencing and Avoiding Plagiarism by 
How to Write a Master's Thesis by 
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association by Be willing to ask for assistance on proper citation and referencing, contact your librarians for assistance.
Be consistent with the reference style you use; use it throughout your work.
Be thorough, check through your citations and reference list before submitting your work to eliminate any mistakes.
Practice, practice, practice... when used properly, citations and reference strengthen your writing and demonstrate that you devoted some time to consult what other researches has contributed on the topic researched on.
You can use Cite This For Me allows you to generate references and citations for free.
