Referencing Help
The acknowledgement of other writers’ words or creations through citing and referencing is an important characteristic of academic writing.
What is Referencing?
Citing is the practice of quoting from, or referring to, other writers’ works and ideas in the text of your work.
Referencing is the listing of the full details of the publications that you have cited so that the reader can find the original sources.
Referencing Style Guides
UCT Author-date
Referencing Guides for Law
Referencing Guides for Humanities
Reference management tools
Reference management tools are used to store and organise references.
The University of Cape Town subscribes to both EndNote and RefWorks, reference management tools used to store and organise references. UCT staff and students can access EndNote and RefWorks on campus and off-campus.
EndNote
EndNote is reference management software used to keep all your references and reference-related materials in a searchable personal library.
Download
EndNote is available for download via the ICTS Downloads page.
Help
RefWorks
RefWorks is a web-based reference management service used for storing and organising references.
New to RefWorks?
Access Refworks with UCT email addressRegister for an account on or off campus. This includes all UCT staff, students and alumni.
Access Refworks with non-UCT email addressFirst contact your subject librarian for an access code and include your student or staff email address to the request. When on campus, you can sign up immediately. When you are off campus, you will be expected to enter the access code.
Help
Note
Write-n-Cite in the RefWorks Legacy version is no longer maintained. We recommend that all citations are migrated to the New RefWorks platform.
Plagiarism
You commit plagiarism - intentionally or not - in written work when you use another person’s sentences, ideas or opinions without acknowledging them as being from that other person
UCT Plagiarism Guides & Policies
In addition to the referencing resources listed above, the UCT plagiarism guides and policies below will help you avoid committing plagiarism.
- Guide to committees of assessors
- Plagiarism in postgraduate research courses: a guide to examining bodies
- Avoiding plagiarism: a guide for staff members
- Avoiding plagiarism: a guide for students
- Avoiding collusion in collaborative work: a guide for students
- Senate policy on referencing conventions and declaration regarding plagiarism
- Standard plagiarism declarations
Plagiarism Declarations
The University's plagiarism declaration must be included with any work students submit for assessment. Download and attach the Plagiarism Declaration to your work.
Ref-Hack Game: Can YOU save the library?
Instructions
Learn how to reference books, journals, newspaper articles and more correctly in a fun way!
Click on two blocks to swop them and put the reference elements in the correct order in the UCT Author-Date referencing style. The blocks shine green when they are in the correct place.