Film Studies

Citing and referencing demonstrates breadth of research and helps avoid plagiarism. To understand more about plagiarism and how and why to avoid it, see the University of Edinburgh's Institute for Academic Development's guide:

• Referencing and avoiding plagiarism

There are many kinds of referencing styles such as Harvard, APA, Chicago, Vancouver, MLA, and MHRA systems. All styles consist of two parts: the in-text citation and the list of references at the end of the document containing all the sources referred to.

Depending on the way in which they record sources, referencing styles fall into three categories:

1. Author-date

• In-text citations consist of the author name and date of publication.
• In-text citations are given within parentheses before the full stop of the sentence containing the reference.
• References are listed in alphabetical order of authors' surnames in the reference list.

Harvard and MLA are parenthetical reference styles. For Harvard style conventions and examples, click here.

2. Consecutive numbering

• In-text citations consist of a number which is placed after the full stop of the sentence containing the reference.
• The numbers recur with the full reference at the bottom of the page (footnote) or after the entire document (endnote).
• A new number is used each time a reference is cited.
• References are listed in the numerical order in the reference list.

MHRA (Modern Humanities Research Association) style is a documentary note style. For MHRA style conventions and examples, click here.

3. Recurrent numbering

• In-text citations consist of a number which is placed within brackets (sometimes in superscript).
• The same number is used whenever the same source is cited in your text.
• References are listed in the numerical order in the reference list.

Vancouver style uses the recurrent numbering system. For Vancouver style conventions and examples, click here.

Cite Them Right:

Purdue Online Writing Lab @ Purdue University:

1. Referencing tutorial from Cite Them Right Online

NB: University login required

An interactive resource to help you learn how to reference correctly and avoid plagiarism.

Find out about the principles behind referencing and how to acknowledge the information sources that you use.

This tutorial is made-up of 11 short, self-contained topics, which you can explore and revisit at any time.

Content includes:

There are several reference management software tools available. Unless specified by your School or academic department, you have a choice when selecting a tool. Things you will want to consider when choosing your reference manager are:

1. Accessibility - desktop, web-based or web browser extension
2. Is the citation/reference style you need to use available?
3. Is the software compatible with the word processor you use?
4. If you want to share your references with colleagues, what do they use?

For example, if you just want to create formatted references and don't need to save them, ZoteroBib (https://zbib.org/) is a free service that helps you build a bibliography instantly from any computer or device, without creating an account or installing any software; If you want to do more, a proper reference management software tool lets you store, annotate and group references and also automatically creates citations and reference lists in your documents.

For help in deciding which is right for you, please see our software comparison table from the links below:

For more information there is a self-enrol Learn course where you can learn about four of the most popular options : Endnote,  Mendeley, Zotero and Citavi.

EndNote is supported by the University and available as desktop run software and as a web application. The desktop version has the full range of features and functions. EndNote online works from a web browser. Both versions provide automatic citing in Microsoft Word.

The desktop version is installed on the open access lab computers where the "Cite While You Write" plug-in, for use with a desktop library or an online group, is already available on Microsoft Word.

• EndNote (Online) 

https://endnote.com/product-details/basic/

Register via www.myendnoteweb.com & use VPN if off-campus.

• EndNote (Desktop)

EndNote  can be downloaded onto most University machines for free. See Software Services' EndNote for Schools for full information.

• EndNote for personal/home devices

Staff and students can request an Endnote download to install the software on personal/home devices via Software Services. 

Capture Reference is a browser bookmarklet that can be used to easily extract reference information from webpages into EndNote online or EndNote Desktop. Follow the instructions provided by Clarivate Analytics on how to install this tool on your internet browser and how to use it:

Although EndNote is fully supported by the University, training and workshops are also offered for Zotero and Mendeley.

Digital Skills: Choosing a Reference Manager - Learn course

Endnote, Mendeley, Zotero workshops are delivered online via the Institute of Academic Development

Mendeley: https://www.mendeley.com/guides/videos

Zotero: https://www.zotero.org/support/quick_start_guide