An annotated bibliography is a list of citations - in alphabetical order - followed by a brief summary or evaluation of each source.
A bibliography is a list of all sources you consulted during your research, whether or not you cited them in your work. Some styles use this term interchangeably with "reference list."
A citation is a brief reference in the body of your work that points to the full source details in your bibliography or reference list. It typically includes the author’s name, date, and sometimes a page number. This is the first part of Harvard referencing.
A DOI is a unique alphanumeric string used to identify and provide a permanent link to digital content, such as for academic and scholarly journal articles.
This is used by reference management tools and library databases to import and export information about a journal article to create a reference.
An in-text citation is a citation placed within the body of your writing, usually in parentheses (brackets), that refers to a source in your reference list. It usually includes the author's surname and the year of publication; and where the source has page numbers, it may include the page number that you might specifically be citing.
Example: (Smith 2021: 45)
A literature review is a section of a research report or dissertation (or an independent writing assignment) that surveys existing research on a specific topic. A literature review summarizes, analyzes, and synthesizes the findings of previous studies and literature to provide context and justification for new research. A literature review, by its nature, involves a lot of citation and referencing!
A primary source is an original document or firsthand account (e.g., diaries, interviews, original research, archival documents, etc.).
A quotation - or quote - is the exact words taken from a source. Quoted text must be properly cited.
Paraphrasing means restating information from a source in your own words. Even when paraphrasing, a citation is required.
Plagiarism means using someone else's work, ideas, or words without proper acknowledgment. Plagiarism is considered academic dishonesty and is a form of academic misconduct.
Properly acknowledging your sources by consistently and accurately referencing and citing them demonstrates academic integrity and protects you from accusations of plagiarism.
A full or end reference is where the full details of a source (author, title, date, publisher, etc.) are listed at the end of your work, allowing readers to locate the original material.
In Falmouth Harvard style a full reference begins with the surname of the author of the source.
A Reference List or List of References is a list of all sources cited directly in your text. This appears at the end of your work and includes complete publication details. In Falmouth Harvard style the list is in alphabetical order by author surname.
Programs used to collect, organize, and format references and citations (e.g., Zotero, MyBib, Mendeley).
A standardized plain-text file format used to exchange bibliographic data between reference management tools and databases. The .RIS format encodes key citation information (e.g., author, title, year, journal) making it easy to import and export references.
Any text, image, video, dataset, or other material used to support your research or writing. Sources must be cited appropriately.
A source that interprets, analyzes, or comments on primary sources (e.g., textbooks, academic journal articles discussing earlier studies).
A reference to a source that is cited within another source. This is used when you cannot access the original (primary) source yourself.
Example: (Taylor 1990, cited in Johnson 2020)
