Category Archives: referencing and citing

Would you like help with referencing?

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It’s not too early to start thinking about your referencing. Once you have researched and begun writing your dissertation or project you must remember to correctly acknowledge the sources of any information which you refer to. This allows readers to trace the original material while also ensuring that you avoid potentially committing plagiarism.  

To help you with your referencing, Library staff have prepared several online guides with useful examples. We have a generic guide on Referencing and Citing as well as other guides on specific referencing styles or subject areas:  

A grey scale image of a tall pile of books.

Please be sure to look at the referencing guidance which has been provided by your department. You can read advice on avoiding plagiarism on the Student Learning Service’s website and you can check in MyAberdeen for materials on academic writing and avoiding plagiarism. 

We also have access to a really useful book by Colin Neville called Complete guide to referencing and avoiding plagiarism which goes over topics from why you need to reference, where, the different referencing styles, plagiarism and how to express your own ideas in an assignment. 
Cite them right: the essential referencing guide by Richard Pears is another great resource, available to access online or in print from Floor 4 at shelfmark 808.027 PEA in The Sir Duncan Rice Library.

There are many different software solutions that will help you manage your references. RefWorks is a cloud-based reference management service that is free for all University of Aberdeen students and staff to use. See the library website for guidance on using RefWorks, and referencing in general.

Using reference management software allows you to import references from online databases and other sources. There are writing tools that work with the software, for example RefWorks includes a Reference Citation Manager plugin which allows you to automatically generate references from your RefWorks account while you write in Word.

We run occasional Information Skills Workshops for postgrads covering the main features of RefWorks and how to get started. Workshops for taught postgraduate students will be happening later in May. Check the course booking system for these and other workshops soon. Details will also appear on the Library website.

Library staff can also advise on using RefWorks.  Email library@abdn.ac.uk with any questions you may have or come and speak to us in the library. During term time, you can also ask for one-to-one help in an online support session.

Where to go for help in The Sir Duncan Rice Library

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A comfortable study and learning environment for all
The Library is here to support your study and research by providing a range of study spaces to suit your individual needs. Members of staff can be contacted at any point, in person or via email/telephone, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any queries about the Library’s facilities and services.

A view of the Sir Duncan Rice Library from the outside.

Finding the information you want – using the resources
Find books and journals in print and electronic format, museum objects, theses, images, exam papers and more just by using Primo, the Library’s discovery tool. If you would like help using the different functions within Primo, speak to a member of staff in the Subject and Enquiry Team, at the Information Centre on Floor 1 of The Sir Duncan Rice Library. Subject and Enquiry team staff can also be found on Floors 5 and 6 of the Sir Duncan Rice Library. Please contact us at library@abdn.ac.uk.

If you have a subject-specific question, need help constructing a search strategy or using one of our specialist databases, speak to the Information Consultant for your discipline. A detailed list can be found here.

Borrowing enquiries, fines, using the Heavy Demand section, collecting reserved items
Speak to staff at the Information Centre on Floor 1 if you need help placing requests on books or collecting reserved items. Staff on Floor 1 can also advise on Inter-Library Loans and access to your borrower record. The Heavy Demand section is on the west wall of the building, next to the Information Centre. It contains books that are heavily used, a DVD collection, study spaces, self-service kiosks for borrowing and returning. It also contains MFDs for copying, printing, and scanning. Staff on Floor 1 can provide advice on how the Heavy Demand section works.

Copying/printing
Speak to any member of staff on floors 1, 5 and 6 if you need help using the MFDs. Also, there are detailed guides on the notice boards behind the MFDs to help you understand the functions of scanning, printing and photocopying. These guides are available from the University’s Toolkit, found here. Remember to top up your printing budget! For information on paying for printing, click here.

IT-related queries
Our IT service desk is the first point of contact for issues relating to connectivity, printing, username & password problems, remote access and more. The service desk is located on Floor 1 of The Sir Duncan Rice Library. You can also email servicedesk@abdn.ac.uk or call 01224 -273636 (this number also connects you to the Out-of-Hours service). Calls can also be logged through MyIT, a self-service facility for reporting problems.

Printing and binding your dissertation
The University’s binding service is on 23 St. Machar Drive. Services include colour and black & white printing, soft and hard binding, lamination, large format poster printing and more.
Tel: 01224 – 272578
Email: printshop@abdn.ac.uk

Materials from our Information skills workshops http://finditfastlibraryworkshops.pbworks.com/w/page/86602816/Home

RefWorks
See our RefWorks Library guides at www.abdn.ac.uk/library/support/library-guides-101.php#R
(Navigate to our Library guides section on the Library website and select ‘A-Z’, then click on ‘R’ and scroll down to ‘RefWorks’)

For Research Postgraduates and staff, further instruction on how to use RefWorks’ advanced features is provided in our Literature Searching Essential Skills workshop series. These run 3 times a year. To search for and book these sessions, please see the course booking website. Alternatively, speak to one of the Information Consultants.

Further help & support

Library guides on how to use Primo
https://www.abdn.ac.uk/library/support/library-guides-101.php#P

Information skills workshops
www.abdn.ac.uk/coursebooking

Library guides online
www.abdn.ac.uk/library/support/library-guides-101.php

Primo
https://abdn.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?vid=44ABE_INST:44ABE_VU1

Inter-Library Loan service
www.abdn.ac.uk/library/support/interlibrary-loans-182.php

Email your Library enquiries to:
library@abdn.ac.uk

Telephone your Library enquiries to:
01224 – 273330

InfoLinks Library blog
https://aberdeenunilib.wordpress.com

Library on Twitter
https://twitter.com/aberdeenunilib

Remember that we are here to help!

Did you know…? – help with referencing

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It’s not too early to start thinking about your referencing. Once you have researched and begun writing your dissertation or project you must remember to correctly acknowledge the sources of any information which you refer to. This allows readers to trace the original material while also ensuring that you avoid potentially committing plagiarism.  

To help you with your referencing, Library staff have prepared several online guides with useful examples. We have a generic guide on Referencing and Citing as well as others focused on specific referencing systems or subject areas:  

Please be sure to read any specific referencing guidance which you may have been provided by your department. You can also see advice on avoiding plagiarism on the Student Learning Service’s website and PGT students can check in MyAberdeen for materials on academic writing and avoiding plagiarism. 

We also have access to a really useful book by Colin Neville called Complete guide to referencing and avoiding plagiarism which goes over topics from why you need to reference, where, the different referencing styles, plagiarism and how to express your own ideas in an assignment. 

If you need any help with referencing your dissertation or project please feel free to contact Library staff with any questions you may have.

Did you Know…? – help with referencing

Posted on by
Reply

Once you have researched and started writing your dissertation or project you must remember to correctly acknowledge the sources of any information which you refer to. This allows readers to trace the original material while also ensuring that you avoid potentially committing plagiarism. 

To help you with your referencing, Library staff have prepared several online guides with useful examples. We have a generic guide on Referencing and Citing as well as others focused on specific referencing systems or subject areas: 

Please be sure, though, to also refer to any specific referencing guidance which you may have been provided by your department. You can also see advice on avoiding plagiarism on the Student Learning Service’s website and PGT students can also check in MyAberdeen for materials on academic writing and avoiding plagiarism.

We also have access to a really useful book by Colin Neville called Complete guide to referencing and avoiding plagiarism which goes over topics from why you need to reference, where, the different referencing styles, plagiarism and how to express your own ideas in an assignment.

If you need any help with referencing your dissertation or project please feel free to contact Library staff with any questions you may have.

Did you Know…? – help with referencing

Posted on by
Reply

It’s not too early to start thinking about your referencing. Once you have researched and begun writing your dissertation or project you must remember to correctly acknowledge the sources of any information which you refer to. This allows readers to trace the original material while also ensuring that you avoid potentially committing plagiarism.  

To help you with your referencing, Library staff have prepared several online guides with useful examples. We have a generic guide on Referencing and Citing as well as others focused on specific referencing systems or subject areas:  

Please be sure, though, to also refer to any specific referencing guidance which you may have been provided by your department. You can also see advice on avoiding plagiarism on the Student Learning Service’s website and PGT students can also check in MyAberdeen for materials on academic writing and avoiding plagiarism. 

We also have access to a really useful book by Colin Neville called Complete guide to referencing and avoiding plagiarism which goes over topics from why you need to reference, where, the different referencing styles, plagiarism and how to express your own ideas in an assignment. 

If you need any help with referencing your dissertation or project please feel free to contact Library staff with any questions you may have.

Did you Know…? – help with referencing

Posted on by
Reply

Once you have researched and begun writing your dissertation or project you must remember to correctly acknowledge the sources of any information which you refer to, as this allows readers to trace the original material while also ensuring that you avoid potentially committing plagiarism. 

To help you with your referencing, Library staff have prepared several online guides with useful examples. We have a generic guide on Referencing and Citing as well as others focused on specific referencing systems or subject areas: 

Please be sure, though, to also refer to any specific referencing guidance which you may have been provided by your department. You can also see advice on avoiding plagiarism on the Student Learning Service’s website.  

If you are looking for a tool to help you organise your references and also produce your bibliography, then why not create a free account with RefWorks, an online reference management tool that the University of Aberdeen subscribes to. For more information and instructions on how to create an account please check our quick library guide to RefWorks. 

If you need any help with referencing your dissertation or project please do contact Library staff. 

Need help with Referencing? The Library is here to help

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Once you have researched and begun writing your dissertation or project you must remember to correctly acknowledge the sources of any information which you refer to, as this allows readers to trace the original material while also ensuring that you avoid potentially committing plagiarism.

To help you with your referencing, Library staff have prepared several online guides with useful examples. We have a generic guide on Referencing and Citing as well as others focused on specific referencing systems or subject areas:

Please be sure, though, to also refer to any specific referencing guidance which you may have been provided by your department. You can also see advice on avoiding plagiarism on the Student Learning Service’s website.

If you are looking for a tool to help you organise your references and also produce your bibliography, then why not create a free account with RefWorks, an online reference management tool that the University of Aberdeen subscribes to. For more information and instructions on how to create an account please check our quick library guide to RefWorks.

If you need any help with referencing your dissertation or project please do contact Library staff.

Eleni Papadakou & Ewan Grant

Free Information Skills Workshops to help you Find it Fast!

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At the Library we believe you should be spending the majority of your time reading materials and not looking for them, so we have a range of free workshops to help you learn how to get your hands on the best books, articles, reports and other information in the shortest time possible.

These are our Find it Fast! Information Skills Workshops, and they will be running between January 19 and February 4 to help all undergraduate and taught postgraduate students navigate the library landscape, which can at times seem filled with so much choice.

They are held over lunch time in The Sir Duncan Rice Library and are a great introduction to the services and resources we provide and the best ways in which you can make use of them. They cover:

  • Using Primo, our online resource discovery tool for locating physical and electronic resources.
  • How to search for the hundreds of thousands of electronic books which we have access to.
  • Using the many online databases which we subscribe to. They contain important resources which you just cannot find by searching in Google!
  • Using Google cleverly to get you to the information you need more quickly.
  • How to manage your references correctly when writing assignments to ensure that you do not fall into the trap of plagiarism.

Invest one hour of your time over lunch to learn tips and techniques that will repay you with time saved when searching for the materials you need for assignments and exams.

PLEASE NOTE:

  • The ‘RefWorks – Managing References and Creating Bibliographies’ workshops are offered in two parts so you must complete part 1 before attending part 2.
  • Unfortunately, these referencing workshops are not suitable for Law students as the software taught does not support the legal referencing style, OSCOLA.

To find out more and to view the full list of Find it Fast! workshops on offer please go to www.abdn.ac.uk/coursebooking and search for Information Skills courses.

Free workshops available to help you with your referencing – sign up now!

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Are you confused by referencing? Befuddled by bibliographies? Well, don’t worry because you certainly aren’t the only one. The good news is that by signing up for our Referencing Workshops library staff can show you how to make the whole process of referencing so much easier.

refworks logoHere at the University of Aberdeen all students are entitled to a free account with RefWorks, an online reference management programme. It helps you store all your references and also create beautiful bibliographies for your assignments and dissertations.

fif logoTo find out more about this really useful software come along to free workshops taking place in The Sir Duncan Rice Library over the next two weeks. These two-part workshops, for undergraduate and taught postgraduate students, will introduce you to the software and the ways in which it integrates with Microsoft Word to help you produce your perfectly referenced coursework.

RefWorks is suitable for both Microsoft and Mac computers.

More information on RefWorks is available in some of our online Library Guides.

An important point, however, is that RefWorks will not be suitable for students studying within the School of Law, as the unique OSCOLA referencing style used within the legal field is not supported by RefWorks. RefWorks is also not compatible with many of the legal academic databases used by students and researchers in Law.

To find out more information and book a place on the Find it Fast! Using RefWorks Workshops taking place between October 20th and 29th visit www.abdn.ac.uk/coursebooking, and search for Reference Management.

We look forward to seeing you there to help you get on top of your referencing.

Ewan Grant