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Create Correct Source Citations

References

It is important to keep track of your references when writing assignments. It must be completely clear when you incorporate other people's work into your text.

Source referencing is about how you handle the sources you use in written assignments. Referencing gives credit to the original author, helps avoid plagiarism, and allows lecturers and examiners to find the material you have used. You must always be able to document where the literature in your assignment comes from.

As a general rule, you should provide a reference whenever you use information from sources such as books, reports, images, articles, interviews, assignments (including your own), statistics, and similar materials. Common knowledge, such as the 2008 financial crisis or the fact that the Earth is round, does not require references. 

Key Points

  • Always reference the sources you use.
  • Images and figures must have their own image list.
  • All sources must appear in the bibliography.
  • There are many ways to create references – be consistent.
  • The reference should be placed directly after the information used.

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Reference correctly

You can create references in many ways, but the most important thing is consistency. Be aware that your lecturer or programme may prefer a specific referencing style.

One of the most common styles is Harvard referencing, where references are placed directly in the text and contain the author’s name, publication year, and page number (unless referring to an entire work).

 

If you choose the Harvard referencing style, the citation should not appear in a footnote but should instead be integrated directly into the text:
As an entrepreneur, you will face many challenges; there may be competitors in the market, economic downturns, and a lack of start-up capital. However, if you want to be successful, it requires that you are willing to take risks (Churchill, 1900, p. 388).

 

You can also incorporate the source even more naturally into your text:
As an entrepreneur, you may encounter many challenges, such as market competition, economic downturns, and a lack of start-up capital. However, according to Winston Churchill (1900, p. 388), being successful requires a willingness to take risks.

Quotations

Sometimes it is a good idea to use a direct quotation. This is especially relevant when the quotation is so precise, concise, and clear that it is difficult to “paraphrase” or rephrase without losing its original meaning.

  • The quotation must be enclosed in quotation marks, and the author/source must be cited immediately afterwards.
  • If the quotation is longer than three lines, it should be indented from the rest of the text.
  • When quoting, you must reproduce the text exactly as it appears, including any spelling mistakes and punctuation.
  • You may not translate a quotation without explicitly stating that it has been translated.

”The general must not be afraid to brave disaster. But how tolerant the arm-chair critics should be of men who try coups and fail! You must put your head into the lion’s mouth if the performance is to be a success.” (Churchill, 1900, s. 389)

 

Whenever you cite a source in your text, you must also ensure that the full reference is included in your bibliography. It should be easy for the reader to identify the citation in the text and then locate the complete reference in the bibliography.

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Bibliography

How to create your bibliography

Your bibliography is the complete list of sources used in your assignment. Only sources that are actually cited in the assignment should be included, and each source should appear only once, even if cited multiple times.

The bibliography is normally placed after the conclusion and arranged alphabetically by the author’s surname.

Harvard or APA?

At EK, two referencing styles are frequently used: Harvard and APA. Therefore, it is important to check which style is required for your assignment.

In both the Harvard and APA referencing styles, there are differences in how sources such as books, articles, and websites should be formatted in the bibliography/reference list.

Harvard

You should only add literature that you actually reference to in your assignment

APA

FAQ

When writing references, you may quickly encounter situations that are open to interpretation. Therefore, we have compiled the most frequently asked questions in this FAQ:

But what if...

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Images and Illustrations

It is important to comply with copyright and intellectual property regulations when using illustrations and images created by others. Not all images can be used freely in an assignment, and many images are protected by copyright even if they are publicly available online.

Fortunately, EK has a licensing agreement with VISDA (Visuelle Rettigheder Danmark), which allows both lecturers and students to use images in teaching and assignments without having to obtain permission each time. Please note that the agreement only covers internal use of images, and that certain artists are excluded from the agreement. See the list here.

If you use images on, for example, websites or posters that can be accessed outside EK, the licence does not apply and you are subject to the applicable copyright regulations.

Key Points

  • You must always reference images.
  • Images and figures must have their own image list.
  • Images are also protected by copyright.

Remember that regardless of where you find an image, you should always double-check that it can be used without obtaining permission from the copyright holder.

Images and illustrations that are not your own must always be referenced. However, they should be listed in a separate image list placed after the reference list. When referring to an image in your text, you should therefore include an image number and, if relevant, a caption. Using the image number, the reader can locate the full reference and information about the creator in the image list.

Example of using an image in a text:

Image 1. Tivoli’s main entrance in Copenhagen in the 19th century.

In the image list, you would provide the full reference:

Image 1. (Copenhagen Museum, Christian Rasmus Neuhaus, 1862–1894). Photograph of Tivoli’s main entrance in Copenhagen.

Where can you find images?

When searching for images, it is important to consider how you intend to use them. This is not insignificant. If the images are for an assignment, the rules are relatively flexible, but if you are creating a poster or other publicly displayed material, you cannot simply use any image you find.

Below are some tips on where to find images depending on your needs:

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References when using AI

If you wish to use generative artificial intelligence, such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, or Microsoft Copilot, in connection with a study assignment, you must first ensure that its use is permitted for the specific assignment. Consult your lecturers and supervisors, as they can inform you whether the use of AI is allowed in completing the assignment. This may vary depending on the programme of study or the type of assignment. You should also review your programme regulations, which contain specific guidelines regarding the use of tools and aids in academic work.

When identifying sources for your assignment, it is a requirement that you cite an author, theory, or model rather than an artificial intelligence tool. In other words, it is not sufficient to use an AI-generated response as a source.

For example, when describing and applying specific theories and models, or when using academic and scientific claims in your analyses and discussions, you should rely on sources such as textbooks, academic books, and scientific and scholarly literature.

It is essential that readers can trace information back to its original source through your references. To avoid plagiarism, it is therefore important that sources are cited correctly throughout your assignment.

When completing an assignment, you should always be transparent about your methodology and working process. This also applies when using generative AI. You should clearly state when and how the technology has been used. Further down the page, you can find examples of how this can be documented in your assignment.

Avoid academic misconduct!

If you submit content generated by a generative AI system and present it as your own work, it will be regarded as academic misconduct.

Therefore, you must provide a reference when you, for example:

  • Reproduce (quote) or rewrite (paraphrase) AI-generated content.
  • Use generative AI as a tool to analyse, synthesise, transcribe, write code, or perform similar tasks.
  • Include images that have been generated using generative AI.

Tools based on generative artificial intelligence differ fundamentally from traditional sources because they are generative in nature. A new response is generated for each prompt, and the same prompt may produce different results each time.

You may consider including prompts and outputs as appendices or provide a link to the conversation in your reference, if AI has been used as part of your assignment process. For example, this may be relevant if you have used AI to analyse data or generate content.

Remember that it is your responsibility to check the requirements for the specific assignment in the programme regulations, the assignment brief, and with your supervisor, as special documentation requirements may apply.

How to reference AI

There are many ways to create references, and EK does not prescribe a single reference standard. Different programmes may use different standards, so always check whether there are specific requirements for your course or programme.

Most importantly, be consistent and use the same referencing style throughout your assignment.

The following examples illustrate how you may reference and cite ChatGPT when using the Harvard referencing style.

I the text:

  • “I used ChatGPT-4 (OpenAI, 2024) to develop the interview guide and in the subsequent analysis of empirical data (see Appendix 1 for a transcript of prompts and outputs).”
  • “I used ChatGPT to… (OpenAI, 2024).”

In the Reference List
The full reference should be included in the bibliography and contain:

  1. Author/company
  2. Year
  3. Name of the AI model (version)
  4. Access date*
  5.  URL*

*Include if relevant.

Example: OpenAI. 2024. ChatGPT (Version 4). Accessed 20/02/2024. https://chat.openai.com/share/f45a1e23-2217-4443-a244-d55ab26ae940

You should adjust the date, year, URL, and version information so that it accurately reflects the AI tool you used.

For more information about the rules governing the use of AI at EK, please refer to the Examination Regulations

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Reference tools

There are tools available to help you cite your sources correctly in your assignments. By using reference management tools, you can ensure that your citations are accurate, consistent, and properly formatted, while your reference list can be generated almost automatically with a single click.

You can choose either to use Microsoft Word’s built-in referencing feature or a dedicated reference management program to keep track of your citations. Both options can help you manage and format references efficiently.

Each solution has its own advantages and disadvantages, so you should choose the one that best suits your needs.
Microsoft Word includes a built-in feature that can help you create in-text citations and automatically generate a reference list or bibliography.

See the video guide for instructions on how to get started with Word’s built-in referencing functionality.

You can watch this video with English subtitles by clicking the CC button.

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