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Intext Referencing
As you study at University you are required to write assignments
and have to substantiate your views with concrete evidence and information.
Many students have a problem doing this, and sometimes they do this in
the wrong way or fall into the trap of plagiarising. Now lets us look
at the correct ways of doing this. Mind you, there are different ways
in which you can reference, please consult your department about the type
of style to use. There are styles like the Modern Linguistics Association
Style (MLA)The Harvard style, the APA and the Oxford style, to mention
the most common ones used. In this manual we will use the APA referencing
style.
The most important thing to bare in mind for whichever style you use
is that there should be consistency, in punctuation and
form. Make it a point that you use use the same style from start to finish.
How to reference intext:
- paraphrase
- Quote from a source
- combine a paraphrase with a quotation
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Paraphrasing
To paraphrase means to interpret information that you read
and putting it in your own words. What you do is to select and extract
what you believe is important and relevant to your topic.
Example:
Original passage:
Most essays in the humanities and social sciences share certain general
characteristics. First, you will seldom be asked merely to explain or
describe a process or event, although this would be a common demand
for a school essay. Now the task is more complex. You are always required
to combine description with analysis. [From: Clancy, J., & Ballard,
B(1997), Essay Writing for Students: A Practical Guide. South
Melbourne:Addisson Wesley Longman]
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Sample paraphrase 1:
Unlike a school essay, a university essay should reflect your own analysis
of the question or topic, not simply describe what others have said
about it. This is particularly applicable to humanities and social science
subjects( Clancy & Ballard,1997.p13).
Sample paraphrase 2:
Clanchy and Ballard (1997) remind students that essays in humanities
and social sciences should go beyond "mere description". In
both disciplines, they point out,"you are nearly always required
to combine description with analysis" (p.13)
Note that version (2) combines paraphrase with two short quotes from
the original passage.
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Direct Quotation
This means using the same work as
in the source. This is alright as long as you indicate that you have.
You should however avoid very long quotes as they may give a different
impression about you, that you have nothing to say yourself. Please
also remember that a quotation is used to support your arguments and
never vice versa. A quote is also never used on its own.
Note the following in using direct words.
a) Indicate changes like word omission with
three dot "..."( ellipses)
e.g. According to Nina Simon(2004) "...
music is like medicine to a wounded soul"(p,16).
b) Indicate the authors error in the quotation
with "sic" in square brackets following the mistake:
According to Simon (2004), " when somebody
sing [sic] music is like medicine to a wounded soul" (p,16).
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