Referencing
What it really means
Showing exactly where every idea or quote in your work came from, in a set style such as Harvard, APA or footnotes. Every UK assignment needs it. Your library runs free workshops on how to do it.
Context, tips & common mistakes
The style that matters is the one in your module handbook — Harvard, APA, Chicago, OSCOLA and others differ in details that markers are paid to notice, and 'I used a different style correctly' earns no sympathy. Referencing marks are the cheapest marks on the sheet: mechanical accuracy that requires no brilliance, only care.
Build the habit of citing as you write rather than reconstructing sources the night before — a reference manager like Zotero (free) makes this nearly automatic and reformats everything when you discover the handbook wanted a different style. The rule that catches newcomers from other academic cultures: paraphrasing still requires a citation. Rewording someone's idea without crediting it is plagiarism here, even with every word changed. When unsure, cite; over-referencing is a style note, under-referencing is a misconduct case.
Example conversation
What you could say back
No spoken reply needed for this one.