Referencing basics

Clear guidance on citations, reference lists, referencing styles, DOIs and source details - written to support learning, teaching and confident review.

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Learn the foundations of referencing

Referencing is a core part of academic, research and professional writing. It shows where information, ideas and evidence have come from, gives credit to original authors, and helps readers find and check the sources used.

This page explains the main parts of referencing in clear language. It is designed for students who are learning, staff who are supporting others, and anyone who wants a simple reminder of how citations and reference lists work together.

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Referencing helps readers answer 3 questions

Where did this information come from?
Can I find the source?
Has the source been used clearly and consistently?

What is referencing?

Referencing is the practice of showing which sources have informed a piece of writing. A source might be a journal article, book, report, website, policy document, guideline, chapter, newspaper article or other published material.

Good referencing helps make writing transparent. It shows what has influenced the work and allows readers to follow the evidence.

Referencing is not only about formatting. It is part of the evidence trail in written work. A clear reference helps another person find the same source, check the details, and understand how the source has contributed to the writing.

Citations and references

Citation

A citation is a short marker in the main text that shows which source is being used.

Example: Research skills develop over time (Smith, 2022).

Reference

A reference provides the full source details, usually shown in the reference list at the end of the work.

Example: Smith, J. (2022) Developing research skills. London: Example Press.

The citation points to the reference. The reference gives the full details.

Compare these examples

Example 1: clear match

In-text citation

(Smith, 2022)

Reference list entry

Smith, J. (2022) Developing research skills. London: Example Press.

What to notice: The surname Smith and year 2022 appear in both places. This helps the reader connect the citation to the full reference.

Example 2: organisation as author

In-text citation

(World Health Organization, 2021)

Reference list entry

World Health Organization (2021) Example health guidance. Geneva: WHO.

What to notice: Some sources are written by organisations rather than named individuals. The organisation name still needs to match clearly.

Example 3: possible mismatch

In-text citation

(Smyth, 2022)

Reference list entry

Smith, J. (2022) Developing research skills. London: Example Press.

What to notice: The year matches, but the surname is spelled differently. This may stop a reader, or Ref-Check, from confidently matching the citation and reference.

Why citations and references need to match

In most academic and professional writing, every citation in the text should have a matching entry in the reference list. Every reference in the list should usually have been used in the text.

This helps readers move from the point being made in the writing to the full source details.

Cited in the text but missing from the reference list

The reader can see that a source has been used, but may not have enough information to find it.

In the reference list but not cited in the text

The source appears in the list, but it is not clear where it has been used in the writing.

Compare these examples

Example 1: citation and reference match

In the text

Research confidence can develop through supported practice (Ahmed, 2021).

In the reference list

Ahmed, R. (2021) Learning through practice. London: Example Press.

Why this works: The reader can move from Ahmed, 2021 in the sentence to the full source details in the reference list.

Example 2: citation missing from the list

In the text

Student feedback can improve confidence (Brown, 2020).

In the reference list

No Brown 2020 entry is included.

Why this matters: The reader can see that a source has been cited, but cannot find the full details needed to check it.

Example 3: reference listed but not cited

In the text

No citation to Taylor, 2019 appears in the main text.

In the reference list

Taylor, M. (2019) Academic writing in practice. Bristol: Example Press.

What to check: Was this source used in the writing? If yes, add the citation. If not, it may need to be removed from the reference list.

Reference details and referencing styles

What information does a reference usually include?

The exact format depends on the referencing style, but references often include:

author or organisation
year or date
title
publication details
journal, book, website or publisher information
volume, issue or page details where relevant
DOI or URL where relevant

What is a referencing style?

A referencing style is a set of rules for how citations and references should be written. Different institutions, journals and publishers may use different styles.

Common styles include Harvard, APA, Vancouver, Chicago, MLA and OSCOLA.

The style affects details such as punctuation, author order, italics, date placement and how online sources are shown.

Different styles arrange source details in different ways, so it is important to follow the style required by the university, journal, publisher or organisation.

Compare these examples

Example 1: journal article

Green, L. and Patel, N. (2023) 'Student confidence and feedback', Journal of Learning Practice, 12(2), pp. 44-58.

What to notice: A journal article reference usually includes the article title, journal title, volume, issue and page range where available.

Example 2: book

Morris, A. (2020) Introduction to academic writing. 2nd edn. Manchester: Example Press.

What to notice: A book reference usually includes the author, year, book title, edition if relevant, place of publication and publisher.

Example 3: online report

Office for Student Learning (2024) Supporting academic skills. Available at: https://www.example.org/report

What to notice: Web-based reports often include an organisation as author and a URL. Some styles may also require an access date.

DOIs and URLs

What is a DOI?

A DOI, or Digital Object Identifier, is a permanent identifier for some published sources, especially journal articles. It helps readers find the source even if a website address changes.

Not every source has a DOI. If a DOI is available, some referencing styles expect it to be included.

What is a URL?

A URL is a web address. It is often used for webpages, online reports, guidance documents and other web-based sources.

URLs can change or stop working, so it is helpful to check that the link is complete and still takes the reader to the intended source.

A DOI is not the same as a normal website link, although many DOIs are shown as links.

A little more detail about DOI structure

A DOI usually has 2 parts: a prefix and a suffix. The prefix often begins with 10. and identifies the organisation or publisher that registered the DOI. The suffix identifies the specific item, such as a journal article, report, dataset or book chapter.

Compare these DOI examples

Example 1: DOI with prefix and suffix

10.1234/journal.2024.015

What to notice: The part before the slash, 10.1234, is the prefix. The part after the slash, journal.2024.015, is the suffix.

Example 2: DOI shown as a link

https://doi.org/10.5678/example.2021.44

What to notice: Many references show DOIs as links. The DOI itself is the part beginning with 10.

Example 3: DOI that needs checking

Reference title: Student feedback in higher education
DOI result: Different article title appears

Why this matters: If a DOI points to a different source, the reference may contain a copied, mistyped or mismatched DOI and should be checked carefully.

Compare these URL examples

Example 1: complete URL

https://www.example.org/reports/learning-skills-2024

What to notice: The link is complete and gives the reader a clear route to the online source.

Example 2: broken or incomplete URL

www.example.org/reports/

What to check: This may not take the reader to the exact source. Check whether the full web address has been copied.

Example 3: page has moved

The URL opens, but the expected report is no longer on the page.

Why this matters: URLs can change over time. If the source has moved, try to find the current page or check whether your style requires an access date.

Before submitting or reviewing written work

This checklist can help users make a calm, structured review of the main referencing mechanics.

Do the citations in the text appear in the reference list?
Are all references in the list used in the text?
Are author names and years consistent?
Is the reference list in the correct order?
Does the formatting match the required style?
Are DOIs included where needed?
Do URLs work?
Can the sources be found and checked?

Where Ref-Check fits

Ref-Check can help users review some of these areas by checking citation and reference-list consistency, identifying possible formatting issues, checking DOI and URL details, and highlighting sources that may need closer review.

Ref-Check does not replace learning, teaching, academic judgement or editorial review. It supports them by making common referencing issues easier to see and understand.

Try Ref-Check Next: common referencing problems Back to Learning Hub