Writing your assignment

  Integrate references in your writing

When writing your paragraphs, it is important that you include relevant references which support the ideas you are presenting.  The references you use need to be included in a way that convinces the reader of your overall argument. For an overview of what referencing is and how to do it, watch the short video below. Then scroll down for examples of in-text references and what they might look like when they are integrated into a paragraph.

  Watch the video

  Video length: 2 minutes, 22 seconds

  Key points from the video

‘Referencing is a standard practice used in academic writing to show your reader which ideas you have gathered from other sources and where those ideas came from’ (UniSA 2018, p. 2).  

Referencing:

• acknowledges the ideas of others
• allows you to use these ideas to build an argument
• shows the range of ideas and approaches you have found and thought about
• reflects standard academic practice and values
• emphasises that you have used expert and reliable sources
• prevents circumstances where plagiarism can occur. 

To learn more about referencing and to access useful resources, visit the Referencing website.  

  Understand in-text referencing

When including the ideas of others in your paragraphs, paraphrase them to demonstrate that you have understood what you have read, and use in-text references to acknowledge where those ideas came from. Your own voice should also be included in your paragraphs to let the reader know why these ideas are important and how they relate to the main topic and/or your argument.

Click through the slides below for examples of how to include in-text references in your sentences, and how to effectively integrate other people's ideas into your writing.

  Use the Referencing website 

Visit the Referencing website to find out more about how to reference.  To find out about specific referencing style(s) you are required to use in your Program of studies, visit the Referencing style guides section of the Referencing site.