Referencing shows where your information came from. It gives credit to the original author, lets your assessor check your sources, and shows you have researched your answer. It is also the simplest way to avoid plagiarism — see Academic Integrity.
When to reference
Reference whenever you quote, paraphrase or summarise someone else’s work, or use their facts, figures, images or ideas. That includes your learner guide, websites, legislation, standards and workplace policies. You do not need to reference general knowledge that is widely known and not disputed.
Use APA style
Unless your assessment instructions say otherwise, use APA style (7th edition). Each source appears in two places: a short in-text citation where you use it, and a full entry in the reference list at the end of your work, in alphabetical order by author.
In-text citations
| Type | Pattern |
|---|---|
| Paraphrase | (Author, Year) — or Author (Year) at the start of a sentence |
| Direct quote | (Author, Year, p. 12), with the quoted words in quotation marks |
| Organisation as author | (Organisation Name, Year) |
| No date | (Author, n.d.) |
Reference list entries
| Source | Pattern |
|---|---|
| Web page | Author or Organisation. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Site Name. URL |
| Book | Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book (edition). Publisher. |
| Journal article | Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Journal Name, volume(issue), pages. https://doi.org/… |
| Legislation | Title of Act Year (Jurisdiction). |
| Learner guide | Care Skills Training. (Year). Title of learner guide [Learner guide]. |
Paraphrasing well
- Read the source until you understand it, then put it away.
- Write the idea from memory, in your own words and sentence structure.
- Check it against the original to make sure the meaning is right and the wording is genuinely yours.
- Add the citation — a paraphrase still needs a reference.
Looking for reliable sources? PubMed and the Cochrane Library are listed on Useful Links. If you need help with referencing or academic writing, ask your trainer.