Referencing in Science

How to construct a reference list, bibliography and reference in research assignments

Quick Reference Sheet

A reference list includes all the sources of information that have been cited in a piece of work. The reference list is located at the end of the piece of work and is usually listed in alphabetical order of the authors of the different sources used.

Each in-text citation must have a corresponding entry in the reference list which is submitted with the assignment.

A bibliography includes all the sources used in the preparation of a piece of work - not just those that have been cited in the text of the work and included in a reference list. The bibliography is located at the end of the piece of work and is usually listed in alphabetical order of the authors of the different sources used.

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Referencing books: Author(s) of book - surname and initials,(Year of publication), Title of book - italicised, Edition, Publisher, Place of publication.

A book with one author

Citing example:

Kizza (2002) examines the motives for cybercrime and its cost.

Cyber attacks may be categorized according to motive (Kizza 2002).

Reference list:
Kizza, JM 2002, Computer networksecurity and cyberethics, McFarland, Jefferson, N.C.

A book by two or three authors

Citing example:

Coates and Holroyd (2003) look at national patterns of internet use.

Japan has developed a technology well suited to local conditions (Coates & Holroyd 2003).

Reference list:
Coates, K & Holroyd c 2003, Japan andthe internet revolution, Palgrave Macmillan, New York.

An edited book

Citing example:

The volume edited by Watts (2003) includes chapters examining the general impact of computer technologies, and their particular application to education.

Reference list
Watts, MM (ed.) 2003, Technology: taking the distance out of learning, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.

Journal articles: Author(s) of article -surname and initials,(Year of publication), 'T of

Citing example: In text:

Parikh and Verma (2002) provide one analysis of the use of the Internet in supporting learning.

Note:the is not used when the authors' names appear as part of the sentence.

Reference list:
Parikh, M & Verma, S 2002, 'Utilizing Internet technologies to support learning: an empirical analysis', International Journal of Information Management, vol. 22, no.1, pp. 27-46.

Referencing Newspaper articles: Author(s) of me and initials, (Year of publication),

Author known

Citing example: In text:

Cauchi (2004) reports on the Global Amphibian Assessment study.

Reference list:
Cauchi, S 2004, 'World's green markers on the brink', The Age, 16 October, p. 10.

Author not known

Citing example: In text:

The Age (16 October 2004, p.10) reports on the Global Amphibian Assessment study.

Reference list

If the newspaper article does not have an author, do not provide details in the Reference list. Give a citation only

Referencing Government publications: Name of agency as author,(Year of publication),Title of publication - in italics, Name of publisher, place of publication.

Document produced by a government agency, with no obvious personal author.

Citing example: In text:

"Amongst 12-24 year-olds, 17 and 18 year-olds had the longest periods of support and accommodation" (AIHW, 2003, xv). Note:If you choose to use an abbreviation or acronym of the agency name, you will need a seereference in your reference list.

Reference list
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2003, Young homeless people in Australia 2001 - 02, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Canberra.

See reference

AIHW - see Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

Main entry under full name as above.

Referencing Encyclopaedia and dictionaries

Provide citations only, if

  • no author or an entry in an encyclopaedia is named
  • a dictionary is being cited

Citing example:

The Macquarie dictionary (1997) defines it as ......

(The Cambridge encyclopaedia of the English language 1995)

Named author of an encyclopaedia entry

Citing example: In text:

According to Townsend (1982, p. 160), Stein's innovations in style make strict classification of her work difficult.

Reference list
Townsend, J 1982, 'Gertrude Stein', in L. Mainiero (ed.), American women writers: a critical reference guide from colonial times to the present, vol. 4, pp.153-161, Ungar, New York.

Referencing Websites:

Citing example: In text:

Details of drug recalls and alerts can be viewed at the Therapeutic Goods Administration website at <

Reference list
Therapeutic Goods Administration 2004, Department of Health and Ageing, Canberra, viewed 13 October, 2004,

Referencing Website documents: Author

Citing example:In text:

Chapter 5 of the report (DEST 2003) outlines developments in the internationalisation of Australian higher education.

Note: If you use the department acronym DEST in your text, your reference list should provide a see reference:

Reference list
Department of Education, Science and Training 2003, The nationalreport on higher education in Australia (2001), Department of Education, Science and Training, Canberra, viewed 13 October, 2004, <

See reference

DEST - see Department of Education, Science and Training.

Web pages - Include this information, if applicable:

a) Author(s), Editor(s) or Compiler(s) or organisation responsible for the site

b) Year the document was created or the date of the most recent revision, modificationor update. You may use the copyright date of a web page. If the copyright date is arange of dates e.g. 1996–1998, you should use the latest date.e.g. Basic CGOS style, modified 20 March 2000, viewed 24 April 2002,

c) Title of document. The page title may be clearly shown at the top of the page. If it isnot, a title may be shown in the title bar at the very top of the screen. If the titleshown in the title bar is abbreviated, or not available, use the URL.

d) Description of document if needed for clarification e.g. media release

e) Name of the sponsor of the web page

f) Date accessed

g) URL

1. Web document with an authore.g. Done, T 2002, Science for management of the Great Barrier Reef, Australian Instituteof Marine Science, viewed 15 April 2002,

2. Web page without an authore.g. White pages online 2002, Telstra Corporation Limited, viewed 15 April 2002,

3. Web page of a company or organization e.g. Carnarvon Petroleum NL 2002, Carnarvon Petroleum NL, viewed 28 May 2002,

When there is no author, but an organisation is the copyright owner, you cannot assumethat the organisation is also the author. In some cases, like company web pages orcompany reports, the company will own the copyright and be the author, although usuallythe title of the web page is all that is given and the authorship is assumed rather thanwritten in the citation.e.g. Annual report 2004, Coles Myer Ltd, viewed 5 January 2005,

When you access a journal article online, you don't reference the website address, it is referenced the same as if you had a hard copy.