This document provides guidance for students on properly using and acknowledging sources in their coursework and controlled assessments. It covers finding reliable sources, evaluating sources, citing sources in writing using in-text citations and reference lists, paraphrasing sources, and including quotations. Following the guidelines can help students demonstrate their knowledge and avoid accusations of plagiarism.

1. Using sources
A guide for students: Find it - Check it - Credit it

2. Contents
■ Acknowledgements 4
■ Introduction 5
■ Find it! 6
■ Check it! 8
■ Credit it! A quick guide to referencing 10
■ References 18
■ Further information 19

3. 5
Acknowledgements
Introduction
This guide was commissioned by Ofqual, the regulator of qualifications, examinations In many subjects internally assessed work The Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) defines
and assessments in England and vocational qualifications in Northern Ireland. It was (coursework or controlled assessment) such as plagiarism as:
essays, investigations, projects or performance
written by PlagiarismAdvice.org – a national body, founded by the Joint Information work will count towards your final grade. Unacknowledged copying from published sources
Systems Committee (JISC), which provides advice, guidance and training on measures (including the Internet) or incomplete referencing
to ensure authentic work from students to universities, colleges and schools in the UK A source is any resource that you use to collect (JCQ, 2008, p28)
and Europe. information for your coursework including text
books, encyclopaedias, journals, TV and radio This guide covers the following areas:
programmes, the internet and other people.
Authors:
■ finding,
checking and using electronic resources
Anne Flood, Will Murray and Gill Rowell, An acknowledgment is a description of a source ■ referencingsources and using citations
PlagiarismAdvice.org so that someone else can find it, along with an ■ paraphrasing.
indication in your coursework of which information
came from that source.
With contributions from: Coursework for controlled assessment often
involves researching information from sources
■ John Barwick and Rich Smalley, Ofqual
such as text books, encyclopaedias, journals, TV
■ Judy Cohen, University of Kent
and radio programmes and the internet. Any work
■ Jo Hirst and the JCQ Malpractice Group
you submit for assessment must be your own work
■ Jane Imrie, Norham Community and you should list (acknowledge) any sources you
Technology College use. Failure to acknowledge your sources could
■ Kim Irving, Cramlington Learning Village constitute malpractice and you may be penalised.
■ ndrew Panayi and students, Stockton
A
Riverside College This guide provides useful, practical advice on how
■ Fiona Pocock CIFE members to use and acknowledge sources of information
■ raham Shields, University of Cumbria
G when you are researching coursework for controlled
■ nne Marie Tarter, Chris Wise and students,
A assessment, so you can demonstrate your
Ripon Grammar School knowledge to your teachers without being accused
■ elen Undrill, Barking College
H of plagiarism.
■ dele Wills and Mike Padbury, Solihull College
A

4. 6 7
Find it!
Finding poor quality information online is Using Wikipedia as a starting point Using search engines as a starting point What about images?
easy. Finding good quality information is
slightly harder! ‘The free encyclopedia [sic] that anyone can edit.’ Google or Yahoo! can be a good starting point for You may decide to include images to enhance your
(Wikipedia, 2009) your research. work. It’s important to remember that any images
The internet is vast you find on the web (for example using an images
Wikipedia can be an excellent starting point for ■ first
write a list of keywords or search terms. search in Google) belong to someone and may be
You probably use the web for: research. However, unlike traditional encyclopaedias ■ use a thesaurus to help create synonyms. subject to copyright restrictions.
■ music anyone can add information on any topic, even you! ■ target the search using the search engine’s
■ games
It may not necessarily be authoritative or accurate. In advanced options. It’s not always instantly obvious where the image
■ talking to friends.
some cases information may be completely untrue. ■ enclosing specific phrases in quotation marks has come from and who it belongs to, so it’s best to
will result in a more accurate search (for example click on the image itself to find out more information
Did you know that it is also an excellent You must always check the facts in a “global warming”). and whether you can use it in your work. In most
resource for: wiki article ■ read Google’s list of suggestions for more cases these images will be subject to copyright and
effective searching at Google search basics you will need to ask the owner for permission to
■ assignments (Google, 2009). use them and may, in some cases, need to buy
■ check the reference list for the article.
■ school projects? them first.
■ carryout further research to find the
referenced articles. Using a database as a starting point
You can find collections of freely available images
Points to remember ■ use the history and discussion pages
on the web, which offer high quality images that are
accompanying an entry to help evaluate whether Your school library will probably subscribe to
not subject to copyright restrictions.
■ anyone can publish online you can trust the information. online databases that you can also use to locate
■ sources may be untrue ■ you can find a pre-checked Wikipedia collection information on a topic, such as Encyclopaedia
You can find further details on using images in your
of 5,500 articles targeted around the national Britannica or NewsUK. The advantage of using these
■ sources may be inaccurate work, along with sources of free images, in a useful
curriculum at http://schools-wikipedia.org. databases is that the information they provide has
■ always check the relevance tutorial developed by JISC Digital Media
■ never use Wikipedia as your only source.
been written and reviewed by experts.
■ always check the reliability (www.vts.intute.ac.uk/tutorial/imagesearching).
■ be critical of all content.
Remember you need to reference any images you
Ask your teacher or school librarian for help if you’re use in your work.
not sure.

5. 8 9
Check it!
How can I check the accuracy and reliability of the websites I use? Put your sources under the spotlight – Use trusted sites
be aware of bias
Using sources of information whose reputation you
Consider why a particular person or organisation can trust, and where an expert has provided the
is writing on this topic. Do they have something to details, is another way of assuring authoritative and
Why did they gain? Be aware that what they write and the way in accurate information on a topic.
write it? which they write may not be impartial.
For example:
For example:
‹
Who wrote this?
When did they ■ the
BBC for news
‹ write it? if you are looking for information about global ■ the
Met Office for the weather
warming each of the following authors will offer a ■ Hansard for parliamentary proceedings
‹
very different viewpoint: ■ resources that your teacher or librarian provide.
Some key questions to ask when ■ a leading scientific research council
■ a personal blog from a climate change protestor
you are looking at a website
■ a company offering carbon neutral flights.
(Tarter, 2009)
If you struggle to find the answers to the questions
‹ in the diagram then this particular website may not
‹
be the best one to use for your research.
Where did they
Further information
‹
How can it help me? write it?
At what level is The Internet Detective
it written? (www.vts.intute.ac.uk/detective) tutorial is an
excellent tool to help with evaluating information
provided on websites.

6. 10 11
Credit it! A quick guide to referencing
Every idea has an owner – give them credit Ideally when you provide a reference to a source, You should use in-text citations whenever you use a
whether it is a website or a printed text, you should My Great Essay source in your work:
By Adam Smith
■ every article has an author (or authors) who has give enough information about the source so that
spent time creating and researching the topic. others, in particular your assessor (teacher or the I read a lot about writing and vocabulary and found this ■ as a specific reference to information or facts from
quotation very useful.
■ you can’t use the author’s work or ideas, including examiner), can find it easily. the source
images, without giving them credit. “Learning vocabulary is always a matter of building up fields
■ as a direct quotation (the same words as
of words. And we do that by comparing words with other
■ don’t just cut and paste. How do I give credit? words. That is how parents teach children.” the original)
(Crystal, 2006, p29)  ■ in a paraphrase (a rewording of the original).
There are a number of standard ways to In conclusion I think I learned a lot from this book and from
Let your teacher know your sources my parents.
acknowledge the work of others. The following Your reference list and bibliography are always
examples use the Harvard standard (also known References presented in alphabetical order by author, last name.
By giving credit and clearly indicating that you are  Crystal, D (2006) Words words words, Oxford: Oxford
as the author–date system) as defined in Cite them There is no need to divide your bibliography up
incorporating someone else’s ideas in your own work University Press.
right (Pears and Shields, 2008), which is widely used into, say, a textbook section and an internet section.
you show your teacher that you have researched the Bibliography
in universities, colleges and schools. Document  Murray, W (2008) All about essays, Newcastle: nlearning Press Simply go by the author’s last name. If you do not
topic properly using authoritative sources.
it (www.documentit.co.uk), an electronic tool Dawes, J and Rowley, J (1998) ‘Enhancing the customer
experience: contributions from information technology’,
know the author, or it is not given, you should
developed specifically for students based on the Management Decision, 36:6, pp.350-357. use the name of the organisation that created the
If you use someone else’s ideas in your work without
Harvard standard, helps you manage your citations. material instead.
giving them credit for the original, this is plagiarism
(trying to pass someone else’s work off as your own).
Citation methods may seem complicated but it
If this work is submitted for your qualification this
is extremely important to acknowledge all your In the body of the text you only include the author’s
constitutes malpractice and you will be penalised,
sources, otherwise although you did not intend to last name, year and optionally the page number you
which could result in disqualification from the
cheat you may be accused of plagiarism. are referring to. You give the full bibliographic
examination or examination series.
reference  at the end of your work in the
Every time you use an idea or include material from references section.
Enable someone else to find your sources another author you should also include a reference
to the source, both in the text of your work and at You should include any source used as background
You give credit or acknowledge the sources you the end in a reference list or bibliography. See  in reading  in a ‘Bibliography’ section.
have used by adding a set of references to the example of where to use the reference
your work. “(Crystal, 2006, p29)”.

7. 12 13
Bibliographic information Bibliography information for a Bibliography information for a website (or online image*)
journal article
Different sources require you to record different
information in your bibliography and references
section. We provide details of what to record for Author(s) last Year of Title of article in
Publisher Author(s) last Year of Title of web page
three main formats below: name, initial publication quotation marks Publisher
name, initial publication
publication in italics
➡
➡
➡
➡
➡
➡
■ textbooks
Dawes, J and Rowley, J (1998) ‘ Enhancing the customer
■ journalarticles
experience: contributions from the information technology’, Rowell, G (2008) AMBeR - Generic Penalty Tariff. Available at:
■ websites (and images from the web).
Management Decision, 36:6, pp. 350-357.
www.plagiarismadvice.org (Accessed: 17 May 2009).
The following formats are taken from Cite them right
➡
➡
➡
➡
➡
(Pears and Shields, 2008).
Title of publication
Issue Pages
in italics The website The date you looked
Bibliography information for a textbook address at the website
Author last Title of article * In the case of an online image ‘author ‘ would refer to the
Publisher
name, initial in italics photographer or illustrator.
➡
➡
➡
Crystal, D (2006) Words words words, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
➡
➡
Year of Place of
publication publication

8. 14 15
Quotations Here you indent the actual words so they stand Websites
out, and you don’t need to place them in
If you want to include a quotation from another quotation marks. Main body quotations take a similar form. The idea is
source then you can use the following format: that the reader will find the URL (web address) in the
Journal article reference list if they wish to check the quotation.
As Crystal (2006) points out “Learning
vocabulary is always a matter of A journal article has exactly the same format in the
Harris (2008) is keen to share his expertise with
building up fields of words.” body of the text:
all sectors:
New right now is a page of
Cook (2008) points out the benefits to students software tools that trainers,
If the words that you want to quote are longer than
a sentence you need to include the author’s name, of undertaking research within a educators, and instructional
the date of publication and the page number the
classroom environment: designers will find very useful.
quotation comes from, at the end.
After the experience, students (Harris, 2008, Virtual Salt)
reported a significant increase in
As Crystal (2006) points out:
their understanding of the
Learning vocabulary is always research process. In addition, Referencing other sources
a matter of building up fields of students recommended using
words. And we do that by the exercise in future classes and Should you find that you want to include references
comparing words with other at other universities. from sources other than those listed then your
teacher or school librarian should be able to help
words. That is how parents (Cook, 2008, p13) you with how to format and include them.
teach children.
(Crystal, 2006, p29)

9. 16 17
Paraphrasing Paraphrasing example So, how do I paraphrase? I’ve tried, but it doesn’t work!
Paraphrasing is something that you will have been There are several methods you can adopt. Try them If you can’t paraphrase the source then you
asked to do throughout your school life. This is Original text (written by Mr Brown): The green all a few times. You’ll soon find out which ones work may need to think about putting the idea in as
when your teachers ask you to put someone else’s fields of Lincolnshire are at their best in high best for you. a quotation.
ideas into your own words. Paraphrasing is a skill summer.
that may take time to master. If you paraphrase the
ideas of someone else, rather than quoting them Bad paraphrase: 1. Read small sections of your notes or the text you
directly, you will still need to acknowledge the are studying (say a paragraph at a time). Cover
original author. As with a direct quotation you must The verdant meadows of Lincoln are in their your notes and then write the section in your
include the author’s last name, followed by the year prime in August. own words.
of publication.
Why? Here the writer has simply replaced some 2. For every sentence of text you want to paraphrase
of the words with synonyms. write two of your own. Remember it often helps if
Crystal (2006) points out that...
you identify the main idea then give an example
Good paraphrase: of your own and then explain how your example
Harris (2008) has produced an online
document that... fits with the main idea.
According to Brown, the countryside of
Lincolnshire is beautiful between June and 3. Take a small section (again say a paragraph).
Dawes and Rowley (1998) define....
August. Write down the key words. Cover the original
and then use the key words to help you write a
Why? Rather than only changing a few words paragraph in your own words. Don’t change any
This will allow the reader to find the full the writer has changed the structure, hinting technical words, numbers or mathematical or
bibliographic reference at the end of your work. at a more in depth understanding of the scientific formulae. However feel free to change
original. The writer has also acknowledged the the everyday words (see the example on
original source. paraphrasing) to those of your own.
4. Remember to include a reference to the person
who first wrote what you have paraphrased.

10. 18
References
■ Cook, K.E. (2008) ‘Experiencing the research ■ JISC Digital Media (2009). Available at:
process in a single class period’, The Journal of www.jiscdigitalmedia.ac.uk
Effective Teaching, 8:1, pp.13–20. (Accessed: 13 August 2009).
■ Crystal, D. (2006) Words words words, Oxford: ■ JISC Digital Media (2009) Welcome to internet for
Oxford University Press. image searching. Available at:
www.vts.intute.ac.uk/tutorial/imagesearching
■ Dawes, J. and Rowley, J. (1998) ‘Enhancing
(Accessed: 13 August 2009).
the customer experience: contributions from
information technology’, Management Decision, ■ NewsUK (2009). Available at: www.newsuk.co.uk
36:6, pp.350–357. (Accessed: 23 June 2009).
■ Encyclopedia Britannica (2009). Available at: ■ Pears, R. and Shields, G. (2008) Cite them right, the
www.info.britannica.co.uk essential referencing guide, 7th rev. edn., Durham:
(Accessed: 23 June 2009). Pear Tree Books.
■ Google (2009) Google search basics. Available at: ■ Tarter, A. (2009) email to Gill Rowell, 19 March.
www.google.com/support/websearch/bin/
answer.py?answer=134479
■ Wikipedia (2009). Available at: Further information
(Accessed: 16 June 2009). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
(Accessed: 23 June 2009). The following organisations also provide guidance on using sources and avoiding plagiarism:
■ Harris, R. (2008) Virtual salt. Available at:
■ Wikipedia (2009) 2008/9 Wikipedia selection for
www.virtualsalt.com (Accessed: 16 June 2009). ■
Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ): www.jcq.org.uk
schools. Available at:
The JCQ represents the seven largest providers of qualifications in the UK, including the GCSE
■ Internet Detective (2009). Available at: www.schools-wikipedia.org
and A level awarding organisations. JCQ coordinates common administration of qualifications
www.vts.intute.ac.uk/detective (Accessed: 16 June 2009).
between the organisations.
(Accessed: 13 August 2009).
■ JISC: www.jisc.ac.uk
■ JCQ (2008) General and vocational qualifications: Further information
JISC inspires UK colleges and universities in the innovative use of digital technologies, helping
suspected malpractice in examinations and to maintain the UK’s position as a global leader in education.
assessments: policies and procedures. Available If you need further guidance on using sources speak to your(Ofqual):or school librarian in the first
■ The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation teacher www.ofqual.gov.uk
at: www.jcq.org.uk (Accessed: 21 July 2009). instance. The following bodies also provide guidance on using sources and avoiding plagiarism:
The regulator of qualifications, examinations and assessments in England and vocational
qualifications in Northern Ireland.
■ Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ): www.jcq.org.uk
PlagiarismAdvice.org: www.plagiarismadvice.org
■ The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual): www.ofqual.gov.uk
PlagiarismAdvice.org provides details of news, events, resources and research for teachers and
students on plagiarism and ensuring work is authentic.
■ PlagiarismAdvice.org: www.plagiarismadvice.org

11. You can contact us at:
The Office of Qualifications
and Examinations Regulation
Spring Place
Coventry Business Park
Herald Avenue
Coventry CV5 6UB
2nd Floor
Glendinning House Ofqual wishes to make its publications widely
6 Murray Street accessible. Please contact us if you have specific
Belfast BT1 6DN accessibility requirements.
Switchboard: 0300 303 3344 First published by The Office of the Qualifications
(Lines are open Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 5.00pm) and Examinations Regulator in 2009.
Helpline: 0300 303 3346
(Lines are open Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 5.00pm) © Qualifications and Curriculum Authority 2009
Textphone: 0300 303 3345
Fax: 0300 303 3348 Ofqual is part of the Qualifications and Curriculum
Email: info@ofqual.gov.uk Authority (QCA). QCA is an exempt charity under
Schedule 2 of the Charities Act 1993.
For more copies of this booklet:
Reproduction, storage or translation, in any form or
Telephone: 0300 303 3340 by any means, of this publication is prohibited
Fax: 0300 303 3341 without prior written permission of the publisher,
unless within the terms of the Copyright Licensing
Publications reference: Ofqual/10/4532 Agency. Excerpts may be reproduced for the
ISBN: 978-1-84962-252-3 purpose of research, private study, criticism or
review, or by educational institutions solely for
This publication can also be downloaded at education purposes, without permission, provided
www.ofqual.gov.uk/plagiarism-students or that full acknowledgement is given.
hard copies of the guide can be ordered at
www.tsoshop.co.uk/ofqual