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On this page you can find some quick links to useful resources on referencing recommended by the LRC. We also have some tips on getting started with referencing, and advice on using AI in your work.
Referencing styles and AI rules sometimes change, so make sure you check with your tutor for the latest guidance.
If you are a Further Education student or have not been told to use a referencing guide from a specific university, we recommend using the Harvard section of the Cite Them Right guide. This easy-to-use and up-to-date ebook has clear examples for you to follow, and opening sections are a great introduction to the concepts of citing and referencing. There is also a handy section on skills like paraphrasing and the layout of quotations.
The opening sections of the Cite Them Right guide are a great introduction to the concepts of citing and referencing. There is also a handy section on skills like paraphrasing and the layout of quotations. You can also visit our Referencing Basics page for a short introduction of the what, why and how of referencing.
If you are an HE student, check out the Refererencing and Turnitin mini module on the Library course on Canvas for more useful links and some hands-on practice.
Feeling stuck? If you would like more advice on referencing or don't know where to start, please email us at help.academicservices@dncolleges.ac.uk
Important: You must always check with your tutor before using AI in an assignment. If you try to pass off AI-generated content as your own work you will be committing academic misconduct, which is very serious. You could lose your marks from that assignment, or even be disqualified from your course.
If you are allowed to use AI in your coursework you must make sure it is clearly cited within the text and in a reference list at the end. If you do not reference your use of AI you could be committing plagiarism. The basic information you should try to include is:
You may also need to save a copy or screenshot of your prompts and responses in case your tutor asks you about it later. Check with your tutor whether you need to include this evidence as an appendix at the end of your assignment.
You should always follow advice from your tutor on how to reference AI; however, if you have not been given any specific instructions, you can follow our suggestion based on guidance from Cite Them Right. This is based on the format for referencing personal conversations.
Some exam board and universities have their own specific format for referencing AI. Only use our suggested format if you have checked with your tutor that it is the correct format for your course
When you quote some AI-generated text in your assignment you should include the name of the AI tool and the year the response was generated in round brackets.
Example:
Using a variety of prompts from the author, ChatGPT responded that the perfect recipe for a birthday cake ‘combines aesthetics, flavor and texture’ (OpenAI ChatGPT, 2024). A copy of this response is included in Appendix 1.
In the reference list or bibliography at the end of your assignment, you should include certain information in the following order:
Example:
OpenAI ChatGPT (2024) ChatGPT response to Hannah Smith, 12 January.