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Writing references

When you write your student thesis or other independent texts, you must clearly show which information is your own and which information you have received from someone else. You do this by using references.

Referencing and citing

The references lend credibility and support to your own ideas and allow the reader to find what work you are referring to.

If you use someone else's information without citing the source, you are plagiarizing. Plagiarism is considered a form of cheating. You must therefore clearly show what are your own thoughts and what you have taken from others.

You have to be careful when writing and show what your own thoughts and formulations are and what you have taken from someone else. This applies to all texts; books, articles, the internet, and more.

When you quote

  • Copy and paste the text exactly.
  • Put the text in quotation marks, or with indentation if it is a longer paragraph.
  • Indicate the source of the citation.
  • Cite the source in the bibliography and bibliography.

When referencing

  • Rephrase the text in your own words.
  • State the source.
  • Cite the source in the bibliography and bibliography.

You can't reuse your own texts in any way, for example from a previous essay or work.

If you use wording from your own text, you must indicate it with quotation marks and a reference.

A good rule of thumb is to handle your own texts in the same way as others, and cite in the same way.

Reference management according to the APA system

There are several different styles for referencing and writing reference lists, and even the same reference system can look a little different depending on which reference guide is used.

At GIH, APA is most often used in undergraduate education, but always start by finding out what style or reference guide is used in your particular education.

Reference management tools

In Word, there are tools for simple references. For those of you who do a larger job and need more order, a reference management program such as EndNote Online, Zotero or Mendelay can be useful.

Referencing function in Word

In Word, there is a feature called "References". It can help you create citations and a list of references. Click on the link below to get descriptions of how it works.

Create references in search engines and databases

Reference management software

There is software that can help you manage your credentials. EndNote Online, Zotero, and Mendelay are some programs that you can use free of charge.

Students at GIH have access to the web-based reference management program EndNote Online. To be able to use EndNote Online, you need to create a free account and then log in.

Problems with the connection to Word

Please note that there have been problems with the connection between EndNote Online and Word. It is unclear when the problem will be fixed, but EndNote has a suggested solution.

Another option is to use Zotero instead (see below).

Zotero is a reference management software

Mendelay is a reference management program.

On this page

Writingguide

Writingguide is a support to students in their academic writing, with practical advice on the writing process, how to manage sources and references, and how to publish your thesis.

Practical helpHere is the student thesis template and word help

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Last modified:21 Dec 2023