2022 LST 110 Lecture 3 - Unit 2 (Referencing)
2022 LST 110 Lecture 3 - Unit 2 (Referencing)
2022 LST 110 Lecture 3 - Unit 2 (Referencing)
Readers need information on the sources you used if they wish to locate and consult those sources.
A successful piece of academic writing, regardless of its genre, will incorporate sources in order to ensure its
validity. The author of any piece of writing has an ethical and legal obligation to give other people credit for
their work. If you do not recognise the sources you used to inform your thoughts you are committing
plagiarism. Proper referencing guards against inadvertent plagiarism.
What is plagiarism?
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is a serious problem at universities today. Current technology has made it
extremely easy to download, cut and paste from the internet.
Social media, such as Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest are based almost
exclusively on information downloaded, or cut and pasted from a variety of sources –
and in these media such practices are completely 'legitimate’.
Given how easy it is to appropriate information generated by others, students may be
tempted to submit work that has already been researched and compiled by another
person.
This is a serious offence within the academic world as it amounts to intellectual theft.
When caught out these students often claim that they were not aware that they had
committed a criminal offence.
What is the difference between
cheating and plagiarism?
Plagiarism: usually the student unintentionally copies
work from a source. This is either achieved through
incorrect referencing, not acknowledging sources or
working too closely with another student.
What is the
Cheating: this is intentional. The student has bought
their paper, copied on purpose or stolen ideas and
difference?
sources from the internet.
1. Never copy from another person.
By all means, discuss your work with others working in the same
How to avoid
or similar fields, but you may not copy their work. Stick to verbal
discussion to limit any chance of copying others, or others
plagiarism:
copying you.
Referencing is done both in the text (in-text referencing) and at the end of the
document (in a reference list).
When selecting a source, you want to ensure that it is the best ‘fit’ for the topic and
genre of your task. Initially, before you integrate your source into your arguments,
you want to determine that it will be a strong source. To achieve that ask yourself:
How to evaluate
Does the author base their findings on credible evidence?
a source:
Is the purpose or aim of the text obvious?
Another important deciding factor is whether or not the author predominantly uses
facts or opinions in their work. Remember: a fact is not open to debate. It should
not change in the hands of various authors. Whereas an opinion is based on an
author’s interpretation of the facts and can vary. An opinion is open for debate, but
you should always support your opinion with well-documented facts and a well
thought-out argument.
The CRAAP test helps you to evaluate source to determine whether or not they are appropriate for an academic assignment
Currency
When was this information published or posted?
Has the information been revised or updated?
Does your topic require current information, or will older sources work as well?
If it is a web source, are the links functional?
Relevance
Does the information relate to the topic or answer your question?
Who is the intended audience?
Is the information at an appropriate level (not too elementary or advanced for your needs?)
Would you be comfortable citing this source for your assignment?
Authority
Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor?
What are the author’s credentials or organisational affiliations?
Is the author qualified to write on this topic?
Is there contact information, such as the publisher or email address?
If a web source is given, does the URL reveal anything about the author or source? (.org .edu .gov)
Accuracy
Where does the information come from?
Is the information supported by evidence?
Has the information been reviewed or referred?
Does the language or tone seem unbiased and free of emotion?
Are there spelling, grammar or topological errors?
Purpose
What is the purpose of the information? Is it to inform, teach, sell, entertain or persuade?
Do the authors make their intentions clear?
Is the information fact, opinion or propaganda?
Does the point of view appear objective and impartial?
Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional or personal biases?
Ways of referencing:
In-text and your final reference list
In-text referencing:
text referencing) OR
margin” (Rodgers, 1983:229).
Paraphrase (plus
the original text is written in a language your
audience may not understand;
Original Paraphrase
Different acknowledge the same information. The following is a slightly adapted version:
Citation/Direct quotation
ways to use As Nelson Mandela observed, "Mass action was perilous in South Africa [in
1950], where it was a criminal offence for an African to strike, and where the
rights of free speech and movement were unmercifully curtailed."
Paraphrase
acknowledge Mandela (1994:135) pointed out that mass action was dangerous for a black
person in the 1950s, as he or she might be charged with committing a
the same
crime. Freedom of speech and movement were severely limited.
information
Strikes and other forms of action were forbidden to black people during the
1950s, as Mandela has noted (1994:135).
Compiling a reference list
Reference list vs
from them directly or rephrase their content in
your own words. In other words, all the sources
American Association for the Advancement of Science. 1989, 1990. The nature of science. Online available:
http://www.project2061.org.publications/sfaa/online/chap1.htm. Accessed 18 December
2015.
American National Standards Institute. 1998. American National Standards for Product Safety Signs and Labels.
ANSI Z335. New York: American National Standards Institute.
Botha, B., Adendorff, C. & Smallwood, J. 2014. Property development: a business process model. Journal of
Construction Project Management and Innovation, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 1012-1033. Online available:
http://reference.sabinet.co.za/document/EJC165613. Accessed 21 May 2014.
author’s surname (or name of web Hauptfleisch, A.C. 2014. Basic Construction Technology, 1st ed. Pretoria: Construction Economics Associates.
page if no author is mentioned). The Keeton, C, 2015. Huge solar power projects take a shine to the Northern Cape. Sunday Times. 13 December: 8.
Polivy, J., & Herman, C.P. 2004. Sociocultural idealization of thin female body shapes: An introduction to the
special issue on body image and eating disorders. Journal of Social & Clinical Psychology
23:1-6. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.134.3.460
Stapp, H.P. 2011. Quantum reality and mind. In: Penrose, R, & Hameroff, S. (Eds.). Quantum physics of
consciousness. Cambridge: Cosmology Science Publishers. pp. 104-168.
Sunindijo, R.Y. & Zou, P.X.W. 2014. An integrated framework for strategic safety management in construction and
engineering, Achieving sustainable construction health and safety, Conference
Proceedings, Lund, Sweden, 2 – 3 June 2014.
Writing is a process of communication, and ensuring that our ideas are transmitted effectively to
the target audience is very important in all academic disciplines.
Although scientists now use different technologies to teach and perform science experiments, “the
written word remains one of the most important means of communicating that information to
others” (Pololi, Knight & Dunn, 2004: 64).
Understanding and applying the basic principles of effective academic writing is of paramount
importance to all students in higher education, including science students.
Langan (2011) identifies four basic principles which can ensure effective academic writing: unity,
support, coherence and sentence skills.
Unity
What grounds does the writer have for this claim or viewpoint?
Transition words are known as linking devices or conjunctions, and they are the ‘knots’ that
connect your ideas, sentences and paragraphs.
In fact, “they guide readers from one idea or segment of writing to another” (Berger, 2008:49).
We use them between sentences and paragraphs to ensure that our ideas or thoughts are clear,
well-structured and flow logically (Langan, 2011; Beekman et al, 2011 and Berger, 2008).
Examples of transition words
Sequences Examples Opposing views
Firstly For example But
Secondly For instance In contrast
Thirdly As an illustration By contrast
Next Such as However
Finally Specifically Contrarily
Furthermore Nevertheless
Yet
On the other hand
Even though
It also involves stringing the words in the correct order to ensure that the meaning of the
sentence stays intact (Siewierski, 2015 and Moffett et al, 2014). Words form sentences and
sentences build up a paragraph.
Langan (2011:110-1) argues that writing effectively also means revising your entire essay
“so that your sentences flow smoothly and clearly”, making sure that there are no
grammatical and spelling mistakes. He proposes the following strategies for the revision
of sentences:
Sentence
Use parallelism
skills
Use specific words
For example, writing concisely is basically avoiding verbosity – using too many words –
that do not add any value to your writing. Conciseness enhances the quality and efficacy
of the message you wish to communicate.
LOOK AT PAGES 38-40 FOR A LIST OF SUITABLE WORDS TO USE TO EMBODY VERBOSITY
AND CONCISENESS IN YOUR WRITING.
Application
Application part 1
part 1: 6. Pechenik, J.A. 15 November 2010. A short guide to writing about biology. 7th
edition. New York: Pearson Education.
7. Newfield, D. and Maungedzo, R. 2006. Mobilising and modalising poetry in a
Soweto classroom. English Studies in Africa 49(1):60-92.
8. Abend, G. 2008. ‘The Meaning of ‘Theory’’, Sociological Theory, 26(2), pp.
173–199.
9. Dogan, O.K., Cakir, M. & Yager, R.E. Delineating the roles of scientific inquiry
and argumentation in conceptual change process. Education Research Highlights
in Mathematics, Science and Technology 2017, (2017):113.
Application part 2
Examine the following references and create
in-text citations for them:
Angu, P. E. 2019. Understanding Voices from the Margins:
Social Injustice and Agency in First-Year Students’
Literacy Narratives. Journal of Further and Higher
Education 43(8):1152–1162.
Makalela, L. 2018. Community Elders’ Narrative Accounts
of ubuntu Translanguaging: Learning and Teaching in