Referencing – declaring your sources

Why are references important?

Academic integrity and “standing on the shoulders of giants”

Academic integrity is an essential concept in academic contexts. In short, it means having an honest and respectful approach to your academic studies and work, and the sources you use, i.e. by clearly showing what is your contribution to the text and what you have taken from someone else. This is important for several reasons. By referencing the sources on which your own work is based, you show respect for the work that other authors have put into writing and researching, you justly show what is your own and others' contributions to the field of knowledge, and display where the reader can find the original source to read more.  

Building on or questioning previous knowledge is fundamental to scientific work. Indeed, it is thanks to the research of our predecessors - that we can 'stand on the shoulders of giants', as the 12th-century bishop Bernard of Chartres is said to have remarked - that science advances(1). In other words, using and referencing the work of others is a major part of scientific writing. It is therefore important that you learn to quote, cite and reference sources correctly, clearly and accurately.

References are important to ensure that:

• Readers can find their way back to the original source and read more  
• Authors/creators are recognized for their work   
• What is taken from another text is clearly distinguished from your own contributions 
• You demonstrate that you know the field of research which gives your text credibility   
• You are able to display support or criticize the claims of others   
• You are able to compare or illustrate your own ideas or findings.  

How do you reference?

When writing a scientific paper, it is important that the reader of your text easily and clearly can determine what sources you have used. You should refer to a source used in two places in your text:

• In the body of your text, you usually just give the surname and the year or a reference number.   
• In your bibliography at the end, you provide detailed information about the source.

What information to include is determined by the referencing style you use. A referencing style is a set of instructions on what information to include in your reference. There are several different styles, e.g. Harvard, Oxford, APA and Vancouver. At KI, APA and Vancouver are the two most commonly used. Always ask your supervisor or teacher which style to use and be consistent in your text. You can read more about APA and Vancouver below and in our Referencing Guides.

Do you find referencing difficult? Remember that most important is to be clear, so that your readers understand what you are referring to and can trace the sources you used!  Quoting, citing, referencing – what is what? Learn more on how to write academically, quote, cite, refer and use sources in your text via the Academic Writing Support at KIB.

Different referencing styles

A referencing style is a set of instructions on what information to include in your reference and whether e.g. you should use author surnames or numbers in your bibliography. There are several different styles, e.g. Harvard, Oxford, APA and Vancouver. Most scientific journals also have their own version of a referencing style for publishing. APA and Vancouver are the two most commonly used styles in student papers at KI. Always ask your supervisor or teacher which style to use and be consistent in your text.

APA

APA (American Psychological Association) is a referencing style that is common within the fields of psychology and health sciences. APA is a so-called author-number style, where the author’s surname and year of publication are given in the text, and the bibliography is organized by the authors’ surnames alphabetically. KIB has made a referencing guide for APA especially for students at Karolinska Institutet. The guide provides you with information and examples of what you need to know to reference correctly according to the APA style:   

•    How to reference to different types of sources; articles, books, web pages, reports, images and datasets.  
•    How to reference in the body of the text and in the bibliography.  
•    How to deal with special situations, e.g. multiple referencing in the same parenthesis or multiple referencing to the same author from the same year.   

Under FAQ in the referencing guide you will find answers to the most common difficulties. 

Vancouver

The Vancouver referencing style was developed by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and is common in the field of medicine. Vancouver is a so-called numerical style. In the body of the text, references are displayed by a number for each source used, and in the bibliography the sources are listed in the order they have been used in the text.  KIB has made a referencing guide for Vancouver especially for students at Karolinska Institutet. The guide provides you with information and examples of what you need to know to reference correctly according to Vancouver. For example, you will learn:   

• How to reference to most types of sources; articles, books, web pages, reports, images and datasets.  
• How to reference in the body of the text and in the bibliography.   
• What to do when you want to reference to the same source multiple times in your text and other special situations.  

Under FAQ in the referencing guide you will find answers to the most common difficulties. 

Referencing tools 

There are two ways to facilitate referencing:  

• Using a reference management program that automatically creates correct references in your text and bibliography according to the style you have chosen.   
• Manually referencing in your text, but for the bibliography cut and paste pre-written references directly from a database (works best for the APA referencing style). 

Referencing via software

There are many advantages to using a reference management program, especially when writing longer works with many references. Two common programs are Endnote Online and Zotero. Both are free. Regardless of which program you choose, they work by building up your own “library” of references that you import from various databases. Once the references are in your recerence library, you can easily insert them correctly formatted (and, for example, numbered for the Vancouver style) into your document. A bibliography is automatically generated at the end of your document. Read more about EndNote Online and Zotero here. 

Referencing manually

If you choose to write your references by hand, you will need to keep track of how to format them in your text. However, for the bibliography, most databases allow you to download a pre-formatted reference, which you can paste into your bibliography. This is a convenient way if you have quite a few references in your text and if you are writing in APA style.
Here's how to do it:

• Find the reference in a database, e.g. PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, Libris or KIB's own search service. Google Scholar also has this service.
• Next to the reference is a button or link to generate a reference. It usually says Cite/Create reference/Cite.
• Choose which referencing style you want the reference in. There are usually many to choose from. APA and Vancouver are usually included.
• Copy the reference and paste it into your bibliography.

NOTE! Always check that the reference is correct, errors can occur.

Checklist for referencing

Want to check you have included everything you need in your references? Use our checklist!
If you are unsure, double-check the references in our guides for APA and Vancouver.  

Sometimes it is difficult to decide what type of reference a source should be classified as, for example a pdf on the internet. Should it be written according to the template for web page, report or brochure? Here are some tips on how to determine the type of source for online material. But remember: Most important is always to try and make an as logical and clear choice as you can, and to follow the basic structure of your chosen referencing style, so that it is easy for the reader to interpret and retrieve the reference. 

Cheating and Plagiarism

Plagiarism, i.e. borrowing from someone else's work without acknowledging the source, is an example of something that is not in line with academic integrity. It is considered cheating and can lead to severe penalties. KI's Disciplinary Board handles cases of suspected cheating and plagiarism.  
Things that are deemed to be cheating are, e.g:

• copying or paraphrasing someone else’s work without citing the source correctly
• unauthorized collaboration with another student (e.g. students submitting identical texts despite the assignment being individual) 
• copying the written work of another student  
• self-plagiarism, i.e. reproducing information from previous work that you have written yourself, without indicating the source

Support and contact

Finding referencing tricky? Visit us in the library or online if you want individualised support from a librarian.

Bibliography (sources used in this text)

1. Wikipedia [Internet]. [Place unknown]: Wikipedia Foundation, Inc.; 2024. Standing on the shoulders of giants. [updated Mars 14, 2024; cited Mars 18, 2024]. Available from:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standing_on_the_shoulders_of_giants