How do I insert references into my work?

Introduction

How to lay out quotations and citations

The examples below are in the Harvard style.  If you are using Numeric, simply insert the number of the reference in your text, followed by the page number if appropriate.

1. Direct quotations

A direct quotation consists of the actual words used by an author, in the same order as the original. In other words, it is a copy.

1a. Short direct quotations

A short direct quotation:

• is inserted directly into the text without separating it from the rest of the paragraph
• needs opening and closing quotation marks (single or double - be consistent)
• needs the author's surname, the date, and the page number

Here is an example of the paragraph which has a short direct quotation inserted into it:

Original quotation:

Language, then, like everything else, gradually transforms itself over the centuries. There is nothing surprising in this. In a world where humans grow old, tadpoles change into frogs, and milk turns into cheese, it would be strange if language alone remained unaltered. In spite of this, large numbers of intelligent people condemn and resent language change, regarding alterations as due to unnecessary sloppiness, laziness or ignorance (Aitchison 1981 p.16).

The essay incorporating the quotation:

... Many people believe that the Americanisation of the media, and what is called dumbing down, is having disastrous results on English. One answer to this is that language has always been subject to change, just as everything else in the world is, and we should not feel that this is a bad thing. Aitchison (1981), for example, points out that language is subject to change, and is not caused by 'unnecessary sloppiness, laziness or ignorance' (p.16). Aitchison clearly sees every change in language as neither good nor bad, but inevitable ...

1b. Direct quotations of more than two lines

A direct quotation of more than two lines:

Here is an example of an essay paragraph which has a long direct quotation inserted into it:

... Many people believe that the Americanisation of the media, and what is called dumbing down, is having disastrous results on English. One answer to this is that language has always been subject to change, just as everything else in the world is, and we should not feel that this is a bad thing. As Aitchison (1981) puts it:

Language, then, like everything else, gradually transforms itself over the centuries. There is nothing surprising in this. In a world where humans grow old, tadpoles change into frogs, and milk turns into cheese, it would be strange if language alone remained unaltered. In spite of this, large numbers of intelligent people condemn and resent language change, regarding alterations as due to unnecessary sloppiness, laziness or ignorance (Aitchison 1981 p.16).  

Aitchison clearly sees every change in language as neither good nor bad, but inevitable ...

1c. Making changes to direct quotations

You may want to make minor changes to a direct quotation. This is possible (as long as you don't change the meaning), but you must follow the rules.

This example shows different kinds of changes to the original quotation:

Original quotation:

Language, then, like everything else, gradually transforms itself over the centuries. There is nothing surprising in this. In a world where humans grow old, tadpoles change into frogs, and milk turns into cheese, it would be strange if language alone remained unaltered. In spite of this, large numbers of intelligent people condemn and resent language change, regarding alterations as due to unnecessary sloppiness, laziness or ignorance (Aitchison 1981 p.16)

The essay, incoporating changes to the direct quotations:

Language changes are natural and inevitable. As Aitchison (1981 p.16) points out, language: 'gradually transforms itself over the centuries . In a world where [everything changes], it would be strange if language alone remained unaltered. In spite of this, large numbers of intelligent people condemn and resent language change.' (Aitchison 1981 p.16, my italics). Smith (1992), commenting on this, says: 'Aitcheson [sic] appears to believe that everything changes; but this is questionable' (Smith 1992 p.45, italics in original).

2. Indirect quotations and paraphrasing

Instead of using a direct quotation, it is perfectly acceptable to alter, paraphrase or summarise what an author has said.  However, you must take care that you don't change the meaning.  If you make changes, paraphrase or summarise, don't use quotation marks, just incorporate the passage into your sentence.  Even when you use your own words, you must still acknowledge where you got the idea from by including a citation.

Here is an example of how the original quotation might be paraphrased:

Original quotation:

Language, then, like everything else, gradually transforms itself over the centuries. There is nothing surprising in this. In a world where humans grow old, tadpoles change into frogs, and milk turns into cheese, it would be strange if language alone remained unaltered. In spite of this, large numbers of intelligent people condemn and resent language change, regarding alterations as due to unnecessary sloppiness, laziness or ignorance (Aitchison 1981 p.16)

The essay incorporating the paraphrasing:

... Many people believe that the Americanisation of the media, and what is called dumbing down, is having disastrous results on English. One answer to this is that language change is natural, so there is no reason for people to condemn it (Aitchison 1981 p.16). Aitchison clearly sees every change in language as neither good nor bad, but inevitable ...