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WHSL Introduction to Research in the Biomedical Sciences: 8. Document your Sources

Helpful information for undertaking the research process in the biomedical sciences

Cite your Sources

Give credit where credit is due; cite your sources. Not only must you refer to your sources in the text of your work, but you also need to include a List of References at the end of your work. 

Citing or documenting the sources used in your research serves two purposes, it gives proper credit to the authors of the materials used, and it allows those who are reading your work to duplicate your research and locate the sources that you have listed as references.

Knowingly representing the work of others as your own is plagarism. (See WHSL's advice on avoiding plagiarism ).

Make sure that you read and understand the Faculty of Health Sciences' Guide to Copyright and Plagiarism policies.  

With kind permission this content is based on original material created by Olin Library Reference, Research & Learning Services, Cornell University Library, Ithaca, NY, USA. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-non-Commercial-Share-Alike 2.5 License

Citation Styles used by Faculty of Health Sciences

The only official citation styles allowed at the Faculty of Health Sciences at Wits University are Vancouver and Harvard.

Vancouver is used for clincial medicine and dentistry. The allied health disciplines use Harvard, as do the preclinical sciences (anatomical and physiological sciences). Harvard is also used by the BHSc. School of Public Health uses either style, depending on content.

Consult the basic guide to citation styles used in the health sciences by this Faculty. More comprehensive guides to citing using Vancouver and Harvard for postgraduate use are in preparation. In the interim, please consult your WHS Librarian.