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Police Degree Programmes: Referencing

Referencing and Citation

It's really important to learn how to reference your work properly.  A good piece of coursework is full of references to work that's been done by others before you, so good referencing habits will get you great marks. There are two parts to referencing:

  • Identify the reference in the text of your work. This is citation or in-text citation.
  • Provide a detailed list of all references you have used at the end of your work, this is a bibliography or reference list.

There are many different referencing styles. The most commonly used at Middlesex University is Harvard. For detailed information on how to cite and reference, please have a look at Cite Them Right basics. 

Harvard Referencing Quick Guide

Introduction to Referencing Workshops

Cite them Right Online

Cite Them Right Online is the official university standard for referencing

It contains examples that show you how to reference books, articles, websites and many more resources you might use in your work

Cite Them Right video

Referencing Guidance

Referencing FAQs

Q. How do I reference information from my force's intranet?

A. Cite Them Right Online says:

"Documents that are available only in hard copy, or held on an organisation’s intranet, or distributed only to certain members of a group or organisation in print or online should be treated as unpublished sources as they are inaccessible to anyone outside the organisation (or even within the organisation if they do not have permission to access them)"

Unpublished or Confidential Information

Author or organisation (Year) 'Title of report, document or file'. Name of organisation. Unpublished.

 

Q. How do I reference a pdf I find online, such as a report from a charity or professional organisation?

A. Follow the example on Cite them Right Online for Research Reports:

Name of organisation or institution (Year of publication) Title. Reference number (if available). Place of publication: Publisher or Available at: DOI or URL (Accessed: date).

 

Q. How do I reference legislation?

A. Follow the example on Cite them Right Online for UK statutes (Acts of parliament):

Title of Act including year and chapter number. Available at: URL (Accessed: date).

Referencing Management Software

If you are doing more in-depth research (such as a master's dissertation or PhD), it can be difficult to keep track of all your sources of information. 

Reference Management Software, such as Refworks can help you manage and organise your references.

Check out the RefWorks Library Guide for help getting started