Explain how referencing supports academic integrity and distinguish referencing from plagiarism.

### Why this is right Academic integrity, the practice of being honest and responsible in academic work, requires you to show where borrowed ideas and evidence come from. Referencing helps readers check those sources, while plagiarism occurs when someone uses another person’s work without giving proper credit. A citation must identify the source of the specific material used, not merely appear somewhere in a list. ### The concept A **source** is material you use, such as a book, article, or website. **Referencing** means acknowledging those sources in your work and giving enough information for readers to find them. A **citation** is the brief source information placed with a claim, quotation, or paraphrased idea; a full reference usually gives more detail, often in a list at the end. You need a citation when you quote a source’s exact words and when you restate its ideas in your own words. A **paraphrase** is a restatement of someone else’s idea, so changing the wording does not make the idea your own. Referencing supports your claims and lets readers verify the evidence. Plagiarism is the misuse of another person’s work without due acknowledgement. | Referencing | Plagiarism | |---|---| | Credits the source and helps readers locate it | Uses another person’s work without proper credit | | Makes the origin of borrowed material clear | Hides or misrepresents the origin of borrowed material | ### What a good answer covers - Referencing acknowledges the sources behind ideas and evidence. - It supports claims and lets readers identify and check sources. - Plagiarism is using another person’s work without due acknowledgement. - Accurate citations help avoid plagiarism, but they must match the material they support. ### Watch out A reference list alone does not show which source supports each claim. Connect each citation accurately to the borrowed words or ideas. ### Terms - **Academic integrity**: honesty and responsibility in academic work. - **Referencing**: acknowledging sources and giving readers information to find them. - **Citation**: brief information in the text that identifies the source of material. - **Plagiarism**: presenting another person’s work as your own by failing to acknowledge it properly. - **Paraphrase**: a restatement of a source’s idea in your own words. ### Remember Credit the source wherever you use its words or ideas, and make sure the citation points to the source that supports them.