References and reference managements tools: Writing references

... keep track of which sources you use and where you have found the information. This is something you should do right from the start and regardless of which type of reference style you use.

There is a function you can use to create references for books in Libris (the Swedish national library catalog). Search Libris and find the book you want to crate a reference for. Select the book, click on Cite and select the reference style you you want to use using.

This feature is available in most databases and you can usually find it under links to "Cite", "Bibliography", "Create reference" or similar.

It is important to write clear references for the material used in your work. Using someone else's texts, ideas or thoughts without specifying the source is not permitted (see plagiarism).

References:

• shows which material your claims and arguments are based on/links to
• makes it possible for readers to check the details of your work and understand the topic better
• places your work into context and makes it believable
• gives recognition to the research and ideas of other researchers. 

A reference is a bibliographic description of the sources you have used. "Reference" can refer to:

• in-text references (citations). These are placed in the text to indicate that the information has been collected from another source. The information given in in-text references is connected to...
• the bibliographic reference. All in-text references must be described more extensively at the end of the text in a reference list (bibliography).

Plagiarism is the use of other people's words, ideas, research findings or information without acknowledgement, that is, without indicating the source. Plagiarism is regarded as a very serious offense. In order not to plagiarize, all material from all sources must be correctly referenced.

If you are a teacher / examiner at Halmstad University and wonder how to deal with plagiarism and what tools you can use contact HPC at the university.