It belongs at the end
The reference list usually appears after the main body of your assignment, once your writing is complete.
Video 6 of 16 · Foundations of Referencing
What is a reference list?
Give the full details behind your sources.
A reference list appears at the end of your assignment. It gives the full details of the sources you cited, so your reader can find and check them for themselves.
Appears at the end
Gives full source details
Matches your citations
Watch
Reference lists, explained simply
Use this video to see how the full source details at the end of your work connect back to the short citations inside your writing.
Watch the video first, then use the sections below to check the main ideas.
In this lesson
Learn the essentials
A reference list works with your in-text citations to make your evidence clear, traceable and organised.
It gives full source details
The exact details depend on the source type and referencing style, but the aim is to identify the source clearly.
It should match your citations
If you cite a source in your writing, the full reference should normally appear in the reference list.
The source trail
How does a reference list support your writing?
The reference list gives your reader the information they need to move from a short citation to the source itself.
✍️
Your writing
You use evidence, ideas or information from a source.
( )
In-text citation
The citation marks where that source has been used.
📋
Reference list
The full reference gives the details behind the citation.
🔎
Reader traces
Your reader can find, check and understand the source trail.
Example
How citation and reference list connect
The short citation appears in your writing. The full reference appears in the reference list.
Academic writing should show where evidence has been used (Smith, 2024).
Smith, J. (2024) Academic writing support. London: Example Press.
The reference list gives the fuller details needed to identify and find the source.
Quick checks
Three useful habits
Check every citation
Each source cited in your writing should normally have a matching full reference.
Check every reference
If something appears in the reference list but not in your writing, check whether it should be included.
Check the right details
Different source types need different details, so follow the referencing guidance you have been given.
Read
Transcript
Open the transcript if you prefer to read the explanation or revisit a specific part of the video.
Read the transcript
A reference list appears at the end of your assignment.
It gives the full details of the sources you have cited in your writing, so your reader can find them for themselves.
A full reference may include information such as the author, year, title, publisher, journal name, volume, issue, page numbers, DOI, or web address.
The exact details depend on the type of source and the referencing style you are using.
Your reference list should match your in-text citations.
This means that if a source appears in your writing, the full reference should normally appear in the reference list.
If something appears in your reference list but not in your writing, it is worth checking whether it should be included.
A good reference list makes your evidence clear, traceable, and organised.
Using Ref-Check
How this connects to Ref-Check
Ref-Check helps users review whether reference list entries connect clearly with the in-text citations in their writing, and whether sources appear to be used consistently.
Make the evidence trail visible
A clear reference list helps show whether the sources in your writing and the sources in your list are working together.