6.4 Continue to improve
Improve your referencing
The best way to improve your referencing is to observe the way texts are written in your subject. By doing this, you will see how and why writers refer to other people's work. While there are some common features of all referencing, you will notice that references can serve different purposes depending on the context.
Examine a paragraph
The example paragraph below comes from an essay on Chocolate and Health. Pay attention to the different ways the student has referenced sources.
Researchers have found a number of health benefits that could be attributed to the regular consumption of chocolate. For example, researchers from the University of Helsinki found that eating dark chocolate on a regular basis was found to reduce the risk of stroke among adult males (Juhani and Twain 2015). The study revealed that, “adult males who consume between 10-20 grams of dark, unsweetened chocolate per week had a 50% lower risk of being diagnosed with Type II diabetes over their lifetime than those who ate the same quantity of sweetened chocolate” (p. 82). Chocolate has also been found to lower cholesterol and may contribute to a lower risk of diabetes (Jones and Davies 2012; Carroll 2017). Therefore, these studies show that eating chocolate on a regular basis can be positive for adult health.Select the 4 answers which apply to the paragraph above and click check.
Referencing in your subject
Use the form below to explore how references are used in a professional or academic text you are reading. Choose a text which you feel is clear and easy to read. Select a section of the text which has a number of references.