Referencing is the formal system of acknowledging the work of other authors that you have used as information sources in the piece of work that you have written. There are several good reasons for referencing:
- It shows to your teacher that you have done some research for your work
- Using the work of others helps reinforce what you are trying to say in your work and provides some support to your arguments (assuming you are referencing the work of experts in that field of study)
- It's only fair to give credit to the people whose work you have used (how would you like it if somebody used your work without giving you credit?)
- If your teacher, or anyone who reads your work wants to read the original sources, referencing makes the original sources easier to find.
- Good referencing will help prevent you being accused of plagiarism
- In some marking systems, you will get a few extra marks for having referenced other information sources
