If you are a student, you might have seen a text saying “Your research paper must be written in APA or harvard format with proper in-text citations”. Sounds familiar, right? But there might be a few words that would confuse you such as “in-text citation”, and “APA”. What are these exactly?
So let’s make it easier for you. Whether it’s writing a CIPD assignment, research paper, or any kind of academic writing, one would use some sources to gather information and add it to their content.
You might have already known this. But here’s what you must know. Using someone else’s content without giving credit is theft.
In academia, this theft is named plagiarism. So how to fix it?
It’s simple. You need to reference your text. Okay, I know it’s getting confusing now. Let’s discuss it in detail in this guide and figure out different referencing styles and the ways to use them.
So are you ready? Yes? So am I! Let’s go.
What Is Referencing?
We’ll not talk in technical language about referencing. So let’s understand it in easier words. Referencing is an act of giving credit or acknowledging someone else’s content.
It shows that you have understood the concepts of that particular author’s content and avoid plagiarism from your material. Moreover, it adds value and depth to your file and also helps readers to find out that specific data without facing any issues.
Referencing Styles:
Yes, there are different referencing styles. There are APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago, and a few others. However, the most common are the first three.
It’s a must for every student to understand and know the use of them. Let’s break down each of these for a clear understanding.
When it comes to writing a CIPD assignment, students might wonder which reference style would be suitable. Well, your professor might have given you a set of instructions for writing your content. There you will find the required referencing style. In case it’s not mentioned which one to work with, it’s best to connect with the CIPD Assignment Help UK service and get their guidance.
APA (American Psychological Association)
Domain: One of the most common referencing styles, APA is for social science projects. In-text citation: The parenthetical system of APA is the author’s name with the year of publication. For example, (William, 1999).
Wondering what if there is more than one author? Well, in such situations, it’s important to write the names of two authors with an ampersand (&) along with the publication year. However, if three then write only the first two authors’ names and the year followed by the et.al.
Capitalization: Yes, the technicalities don’t end here because the capitalization comes into action. It’s important to capitalize the first word of the title, subtitle, and proper nouns. Yes, it’s a strict rule and one must follow it effectively.
Author’s name: If you are about to write the complete name of the author, stop! In the APA referencing style, only the last name/surname is written of the author.
Source page: The source page of APA format is termed as the reference.
Now that we’re done with finding out about APA, shall we move forward to know the MLA and harvard referencing style? Let’s go!
MLA (Modern Language Association)
Domain: The MLA referencing is suitable for the field of arts and humanities.
In-text citation: The name of the author is written along with the specific page number. For example (William, pg.10). Moreover, if you have to work with more than one reference then separate it by a semi-colon.
But what if a student has to write the names of several authors? Well, it’s best to write the last name of two authors. If three, follow the same step as APA by writing the name of two authors followed by the et.al.
Capitalization: Capitalize all the important words in the MLA referencing style.
Author’s name: Both the first and last names of the author are written in the MLA style.
Source page: A page named “Work Cited” is used to add the list of references.
Harvard:
Domain: Another most used and known referencing style is Harvard. Students of humanities, natural, and social sciences use this.
In-text citation: The in-text citation of Harvard is the same as the APA referencing style.
Capitalization: Capitalize only the first word of the text or proper nouns.
Author’s name: The name of the first author should be added. Beyond that, add et.al.
Source page: The source page in Harvard is called the list of references or bibliography.
Harvard reference style is very much similar to APA, right? But still, there are minor differences that you may observe while reading and understanding it thoroughly.
Also, if you are working on your CIPD assignments, you might get a set of instructions to follow for referencing and the content using the Harvard style. However, it may be a little hard for students to work through it. To overcome the issues, get help from the CIPD Assignment Writers UK and ask them to help you with this essential step.
Final Words:
And we’re at the end of this guide. In this blog, we discussed the difference between APA, MLA, and Harvard and how to work on each of them. However, if you have to write academic content, make sure to first ask your professor about the referencing style. Also, for your better understanding, it’s best to get a tutor’s guidance and support.
So read this blog carefully and make the most of it while writing your academic content!