With the release of A Level exam results across the U.K. today, thousands of students now look forward to the exciting prospect of starting university this Autumn.

Some may take a year or two out first. Others will be put off by formidable university fees and won’t return to study until later in their careers, if at all.

Adult learners who do return to continuing education later will face a host of new challenges. Many won’t have been involved with anything remotely academic since leaving school, and the methods and expectations of modern learning and research can be confusing to the uninitiated.

One research skill in particular that seems to be a major cause of angst for many new students is this whole business of academic referencing (otherwise known as how to avoid accusations of plagiarism). Referencing skills are rarely taught at school, and it is often not until the first year of university, or courses of equivalent level, that the learner is first expected to use one of the standard referencing systems in their research and written work.

Apart from our fundamental obligation to give credit where it is due, the main purpose of academic referencing is to preserve the integrity of the scientific process. Every idea, argument or discovery we present in our writing, however original it may be, is based on a deep history of previous research and publication by other scholars (or at least it should be). For our new ideas or interpretations to be recognised and upheld by the academic community, it is vital that the logic of our argument and the influences that infuse our work can be traced, identified and evaluated by others. Without this safety check, you may as well have made it all up.

I remember spending at least two of my undergraduate years striving to get the hang of the Harvard referencing system, the most popular of the referencing systems in use today. I was well into my Masters degree before I felt really confident and comfortable using it well. It takes time and persistence.

There are so many different types of published sources that you might need to refer to in even the most elementary of undergraduate essays, and the task of presenting them all in the correct bibliographic format can be daunting. Throw in the subtleties of in-text citations, variation in house formatting styles and the relatively recent requirement for referencing online content, and the new student might be forgiven for feeling overwhelmed.

The good news is that academic referencing techniques can be learned through observation (by analysing how it has been done in quality journals) and through practice (by getting feedback on your developing technique from your professor or tutor). Also, the confident application of good Harvard referencing throughout your research can become extremely satisfying, as soon as it stops being intimidating. You start to appreciate how your work is being nourished and invigorated by the infusion of this ‘code,’ this roadmap back to each of its scholarly roots.

A quick Google search for ‘Harvard referencing guide’ will throw up dozens of excellent tutorials and books produced by academic institutions around the world. Many of these are freely accessible, and would make worthy additions to your online library of digital study resources.

One particularly useful resource is this excellent online guide to Referencing a Website, produced by the University of Nottingham. With examples, animations and interactive exercises, it is well worth checking out if you’re serious about mastering Harvard referencing.

Please feel free to share any other useful resources you find online by posting a link below, and tell us how it helped you.

Meanwhile, keep practicing your referencing, and enjoy your research!