The following terms are used in this module. Do you understand their meaning?
Acknowledgement: Is when you provide the source of information of words or ideas that have come from someone else in your written work.
Bibliography: Is an alphabetical listing of all the materials used in the compiling of an assignment, but not necessarily cited.
Citation: Has almost the same meaning as ‘reference’. You ‘cite’ a reference when you use it either within or at the end of an assignment. Each of the information sources used may be called a ‘citation’ or a ‘reference’. (Devlin 2004)
Common Knowledge: Includes facts that are well known within the community in which they are used. They do not need to be cited.
End-Text Reference: A full citation in a Reference List or Bibliography at the end of an assignment. It includes all the bibliographic details such as author's surname and initials, year of publication, title, publisher, place of publication, etc.
In-Text Reference: A brief citation in the text of an assignment. It includes the author's surname, the year of publication and page number(s).
Paraphrase: Means to re-write, in your own words, the words or ideas of someone else, within your own written work. (Devlin 2004)
Plagiarism: Refers to taking and using another person’s ideas, writing or inventions as one’s own and failing to acknowledge the source.
Quotations: Refers to words copied directly from a book or some other source, reproduced exactly word for word.
Reference: It has three meanings in this context:
• To reference: is to provide an acknowledgement within the text of an assignment, that
the words used, or ideas written about are not your own and belong to others (in-text
references).
• To reference: is to provide acknowledgement at the end of an assignment, of the
information sources used in compiling the assignment (end-text references).
• A reference: refers to each of the information sources listed in the bibliography.
(Devlin, 2004)
Reference List: Is an alphabetical listing of all the materials that have been cited in the text of an assignment.
Devlin, M., 2005, Avoiding plagiarism and cheating, Retrieved: July 16, 2008, from http://www.swinburne.edu.au/ltas/intro/teachingAdvice/documentation/plagiarism_guide.pdf
Dictionary.com, 2006, Retrieved: March 24, 2006, from http://dictionary.reference.com/
