Am I done for? - UNI
It was my first ever essay....and I think I completely effed referencing and citing. Pls some1 give me clarification. I think I got mixed up between in-text citation and referencing because in my main body paragraphs, I typically full-on added the reference:
e.g. I added this stuff into my main body (Hellmeier, S. and Weidmann, N.B. (2019). Pulling the Strings? The Strategic Use of Pro-Government Mobilization in Authoritarian Regimes. Comparative Political Studies, 53(1), p.71–108. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/0010414019843559) when an in-text citation is usually smaller, and I didn't have to add in the URL.
Guys. This is my first essay, and I know I flopped it.
e.g. I added this stuff into my main body (Hellmeier, S. and Weidmann, N.B. (2019). Pulling the Strings? The Strategic Use of Pro-Government Mobilization in Authoritarian Regimes. Comparative Political Studies, 53(1), p.71–108. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/0010414019843559) when an in-text citation is usually smaller, and I didn't have to add in the URL.
Guys. This is my first essay, and I know I flopped it.
Hi OP. Yes, that referencing is incorrect, but please don't get too stressed out about it! Firstly, unless you're at a university that has a different system altogether that I'm unaware of, your first year doesn't count towards your degree classification at all, precisely because everyone makes mistakes like these and you need time to get used to university essay writing. Your lecturer knows that it's your first essay and is likely to be more lenient, and you can always improve and avoid making the same mistake again in your next essays.
I would encourage you to have another look at one of the many Harvard referencing guides online (as I'm pretty sure that is the referencing style that you were using). It looks like your full reference was perfect, however you should not put this in the main body of the text. Instead, your in-text citation would look something like (Hellmeier and Weidmann, 2019: 71–108). However, the page number needs to be the exact page on which you found the information that you included in your sentence.
At the end of your essay, you need to include your full references in alphabetised order under the heading 'Bibliography'. This doesn't count towards your word count, but in-text citations do. I imagine that including all of that information in your in-text citations really pushed up your word count and didn't give you much space to write the essay!
If you need more help, reach out to your personal tutor and keep checking your emails, as it is likely that your university will organise talks about citing and referencing specifically aimed at first-years. On your course Blackboard/whatever website your university uses, there will also be guides on how to cite sources.
Make sure you know how to cite sources by yourself, but the website 'Cite This For Me' can generate in-text and full citations for you.
If it makes you feel better, as a fourth-year, I noticed that I had completely left out two of the sources from my bibliography that I used in one of my recent essays. Everyone makes mistakes and it is likely that many first-years are in the same boat.
I would encourage you to have another look at one of the many Harvard referencing guides online (as I'm pretty sure that is the referencing style that you were using). It looks like your full reference was perfect, however you should not put this in the main body of the text. Instead, your in-text citation would look something like (Hellmeier and Weidmann, 2019: 71–108). However, the page number needs to be the exact page on which you found the information that you included in your sentence.
At the end of your essay, you need to include your full references in alphabetised order under the heading 'Bibliography'. This doesn't count towards your word count, but in-text citations do. I imagine that including all of that information in your in-text citations really pushed up your word count and didn't give you much space to write the essay!
If you need more help, reach out to your personal tutor and keep checking your emails, as it is likely that your university will organise talks about citing and referencing specifically aimed at first-years. On your course Blackboard/whatever website your university uses, there will also be guides on how to cite sources.
Make sure you know how to cite sources by yourself, but the website 'Cite This For Me' can generate in-text and full citations for you.
If it makes you feel better, as a fourth-year, I noticed that I had completely left out two of the sources from my bibliography that I used in one of my recent essays. Everyone makes mistakes and it is likely that many first-years are in the same boat.
(edited 5 months ago)
Original post by Anonymous
It was my first ever essay....and I think I completely effed referencing and citing. Pls some1 give me clarification. I think I got mixed up between in-text citation and referencing because in my main body paragraphs, I typically full-on added the reference:
e.g. I added this stuff into my main body (Hellmeier, S. and Weidmann, N.B. (2019). Pulling the Strings? The Strategic Use of Pro-Government Mobilization in Authoritarian Regimes. Comparative Political Studies, 53(1), p.71–108. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/0010414019843559) when an in-text citation is usually smaller, and I didn't have to add in the URL.
Guys. This is my first essay, and I know I flopped it.
e.g. I added this stuff into my main body (Hellmeier, S. and Weidmann, N.B. (2019). Pulling the Strings? The Strategic Use of Pro-Government Mobilization in Authoritarian Regimes. Comparative Political Studies, 53(1), p.71–108. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/0010414019843559) when an in-text citation is usually smaller, and I didn't have to add in the URL.
Guys. This is my first essay, and I know I flopped it.
Hi there
Please do not worry about this too much. I believe most students will be in the same situation as you given that this is your first essay in first year.
Try to think of any feedback on the essay as more 'constructive' in that it helps you build on your current knowledge and gives you advice on how to do better in future essays.
I would consider reaching out to your University's skills/ study team. They may offer useful advice on how to write essays, how to structure your work, how to do citations and referencing etc. Also echoing the post above, there are quite a lot of resources available online for citations and referencing, so do check them out. (Just ensure the source is trust worthy by comparing it to what you have been taught at your University).
Do not be too harsh on yourself, you will get better at doing citations and referencing as you go.
I hope this helps.Chloe
-University of Kent Student Rep
Original post by Anonymous
It was my first ever essay....and I think I completely effed referencing and citing. Pls some1 give me clarification. I think I got mixed up between in-text citation and referencing because in my main body paragraphs, I typically full-on added the reference:
e.g. I added this stuff into my main body (Hellmeier, S. and Weidmann, N.B. (2019). Pulling the Strings? The Strategic Use of Pro-Government Mobilization in Authoritarian Regimes. Comparative Political Studies, 53(1), p.71–108. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/0010414019843559) when an in-text citation is usually smaller, and I didn't have to add in the URL.
Guys. This is my first essay, and I know I flopped it.
e.g. I added this stuff into my main body (Hellmeier, S. and Weidmann, N.B. (2019). Pulling the Strings? The Strategic Use of Pro-Government Mobilization in Authoritarian Regimes. Comparative Political Studies, 53(1), p.71–108. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/0010414019843559) when an in-text citation is usually smaller, and I didn't have to add in the URL.
Guys. This is my first essay, and I know I flopped it.
Hi there,
From what I see I can assume that you are referencing in Harvard style. In that case your intext citation should be (Surname1 and Surname2, year of publication). But in the reference list you should mention the whole thing.
Please, refere to the following website for a complete guidance on referencing for your institution
https://www.citethemrightonline.com/
Let me know if you have any other questions,
Ilya
Original post by Anonymous
It was my first ever essay....and I think I completely effed referencing and citing. Pls some1 give me clarification. I think I got mixed up between in-text citation and referencing because in my main body paragraphs, I typically full-on added the reference:
e.g. I added this stuff into my main body (Hellmeier, S. and Weidmann, N.B. (2019). Pulling the Strings? The Strategic Use of Pro-Government Mobilization in Authoritarian Regimes. Comparative Political Studies, 53(1), p.71–108. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/0010414019843559) when an in-text citation is usually smaller, and I didn't have to add in the URL.
Guys. This is my first essay, and I know I flopped it.
e.g. I added this stuff into my main body (Hellmeier, S. and Weidmann, N.B. (2019). Pulling the Strings? The Strategic Use of Pro-Government Mobilization in Authoritarian Regimes. Comparative Political Studies, 53(1), p.71–108. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/0010414019843559) when an in-text citation is usually smaller, and I didn't have to add in the URL.
Guys. This is my first essay, and I know I flopped it.
Hi there,
I'm sorry that you've had this stress. Does your university have a citing and referencing webpage? There are different ways to reference, for instance, Cardiff University uses Cardiff Harvard. You'll need to check what your university prefers. Usually, the citation would be something like (Hellmeier and Weidmann 2019). Then in the bibliography at the end, you'll have Hellmeier, S. and Weidmann, N.B. (2019). Pulling the Strings? The Strategic Use of Pro-Government Mobilization in Authoritarian Regimes. Comparative Political Studies, 53(1), p.71–108. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/0010414019843559.
I hope this helps!
All the best,
Jaz - Cardiff student rep
Quick Reply
Related discussions
- My university life blog
- applying to medicine at uni
- A level done in year 11
- left university however now want to go back
- Scholarships in the UK
- Applying to American school
- Should I transfer Universities?
- Work experience for vet med 2023 application for 2024 entry
- Physio BSc as a mature student, career changer & never been to Uni
- Is a credit transfer applicable?
- Surrey uni interview for Physician associate course
- Medicine graduate entry 2025 ucat/gamsat
- URGENT HELP! Suspend my studies or not?
- LearnDirect Access to HE - Veterinary Science
- attendance
- Comp-sci 'hard' or 'soft' A level for unis?
- Edinburgh Law offers
- Open uni
- GDL Study Tips
- Should I do the golden D of E?
Latest
Trending
Last reply 3 weeks ago
Got a third in my second year and the highest I’ve achieved in third year was 55%Trending
Last reply 3 weeks ago
Got a third in my second year and the highest I’ve achieved in third year was 55%
