As you make your way through this session, you’re probably starting to experience the joys of referencing! Referencing is the acknowledgement of information sources in your work; it is the appropriate way to give credit to the original owner of an idea, piece of writing, or creative work. All assignments at Charles Sturt University are expected to be fully referenced unless advised otherwise, and most schools within CSU use the American Psychological Association (APA) referencing style – commonly known as APA 6th. To help you succeed with referencing, the Library has put together a few tips to help you get started with APA!
The Academic Referencing Tool (ART) provides detailed examples for the referencing style APA 6. The tool includes examples of in-text referencing, direct quotations and paraphrasing. Bibliography/Reference List and detailed style notes are also available. Another great tool is the CSU APA Referencing Summary, A guide to referencing based on the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). This summary gives examples of the APA referencing style for a number of commonly used information sources.
Since starting at Charles Sturt you may have heard of EndNote – a software for referencing that moves you through the research process as you search, organise, write, publish and share. EndNote can be downloaded for free from the Library website, and you can explore using EndNote by checking out the Library’s EndNote resource guide. The Library is also running free Online Library Workshops on EndNote for PC and Mac, so if you’d like to learn more about using EndNote, register now for one of our workshops.
Another great resource that’s available to students through the Library website is the Academic Writer database, which is the American Psychological Association’s authoritative solution offering you a complete digital environment for teaching, learning, and writing academic papers. The database is an invaluable resource for staff and students, and consists of 3 main sections:
- Learn – Use the Learning Center to find video quick guides and tutorials to help you get started and refine your research and writing.
- Reference – Use the Reference Center to find tools to assist you with building and managing a reference library.
- Write – Use the Writing Center to select an APA Style paper template, collaborate with peers and reviewers, and check your work.
You can access Academic Writer through the CSU Library’s Journal Databases page (under the letter A), and on the Referencing at CSU page of the Student Portal.
Remember, the Library and your ALLaN’s Team are here to help you with your referencing journey! For more information about Academic writer, EndNote, or assistance using CSU’s referencing tools, please contact us at the Library.