This module explains what is meant by acknowledging sources and provides information on why, when and how sources should be acknowledged. The module also provides students with strategies to use to ensure the appropriate acknowledgement of sources is used.

Key information

Acknowledging sources

• means providing written recognition of any ideas that are used or adapted for students' work
• is sometimes referred to as attribution
• may need to occur within the body of a work
• must occur at the end of a work
• is essential to avoid plagiarism
• fulfils moral and legal obligations to recognise and acknowledge the author(s) of any original ideas used in the creation of another piece of work

Sources that are common knowledge, the author's own experiences or the author's own experimental results do not require acknowledgement.

Students who do not acknowledge the sources they have used, properly or at all, may be guilty of plagiarism. This is a serious issue and may affect a student's marks and eligibility for the HSC.

Key issues

Moral rights

• entitle the author to be named as the author
• entitle the author to be protected against false attribution
• entitle the author to have work treated with respect
• apply to the individual creators of copyright works
• are separate from the entitlement of a copyright owner to payment
• generally last for 70 years after the author's death

Referencing

Students should ask their teachers about the referencing style and requirements including:

• in-text citation to acknowledge the sources used in a quotation, copy, paraphrase or summary
• a reference list to acknowledge all the sources of information that have been cited in a piece of work
• a bibliography to acknowledge all the sources used in the preparation of a piece of work.

Tips and hints

Students can manage their responsibilities in relation to the acknowledgement of sources by:

• organising notes and recording details of where information was actually found on the pages of notes, printouts or photocopies of information.
• learning about correct citation and referencing methods before beginning research
• accessing the information required for referencing different types of resources (e.g. books, newspaper articles, films, websites)
• asking teachers for guidelines about the style, format and amount of detail required to acknowledge the resources used in assignments
• setting up a chart to keep track of the basic bibliographic information (i.e. author, title, date, pages used, publisher, etc) of any resource used
• knowing the difference between a quotation, summary and paraphrase.