Worried about referencing errors in essay
So a couple of days ago I submitted an essay. I do it in harvard referencing style. Sometimes in my essay I would say “Surname et al., (year)” and now I’m worried that I’ll get marked down for it. I’m just a little bit upset if I will get marked down because I got a first in my first two assignments 💔 I feel like I did well in everything else though. Is that bad? Well I get penalised?
Reply 1
Hi there,
I don't use Harvard referencing style myself, but from a little research I was able to find out some more. Using 'et al' in Harvard style is acceptable for 4 or more authors, for 3 or less they should be listed. Putting the year of publish in brackets is ok and depends on the context where you are using it, so you could be perfectly fine and it looks good to me!
But more importantly, most essays only have a small section of the overall marks allocated to writing style, which would include your references. Its quite unlikely that they'll penalise your overall grade, I imagine you'll just get maybe 3 out of 5 (for example) marks from the writing style section.
(Also, the marker might not even spot it)
Try not to get too hung up on it, I'm sure you did great 😀
Joshua
3rd Yr CompSci
I don't use Harvard referencing style myself, but from a little research I was able to find out some more. Using 'et al' in Harvard style is acceptable for 4 or more authors, for 3 or less they should be listed. Putting the year of publish in brackets is ok and depends on the context where you are using it, so you could be perfectly fine and it looks good to me!
But more importantly, most essays only have a small section of the overall marks allocated to writing style, which would include your references. Its quite unlikely that they'll penalise your overall grade, I imagine you'll just get maybe 3 out of 5 (for example) marks from the writing style section.
(Also, the marker might not even spot it)
Try not to get too hung up on it, I'm sure you did great 😀
Joshua
3rd Yr CompSci
Reply 2
Original post
by AnonymousSo a couple of days ago I submitted an essay. I do it in harvard referencing style. Sometimes in my essay I would say “Surname et al., (year)” and now I’m worried that I’ll get marked down for it. I’m just a little bit upset if I will get marked down because I got a first in my first two assignments 💔 I feel like I did well in everything else though. Is that bad? Well I get penalised?
What type of referencing is acceptable at your university? What type did you use in your first two assignments?
Original post
by AnonymousSo a couple of days ago I submitted an essay. I do it in harvard referencing style. Sometimes in my essay I would say “Surname et al., (year)” and now I’m worried that I’ll get marked down for it. I’m just a little bit upset if I will get marked down because I got a first in my first two assignments 💔 I feel like I did well in everything else though. Is that bad? Well I get penalised?
Hi there,
It seems like your referencing is at least headed in the correct direction and it will be obvious that you have attempted the correct format and style. Therefore you won't face plagiarism issues for starters. Marks wise will depend on what it says on the assignment brief and university guidelines.
Usually there is 10% available for formatting, references and academic style - so a small referencing mistake shouldn't drop you more than a percent or two if you are penalized.
Try not to worry there's always plenty of time to get your average back up as well
hope this helps
Amber
Coventry University Student Ambassador
Reply 4
16
Depends on how much percentage they give to referencing in your essay rubric but I think this will be counted towards minor errors so don’t worry
Reply 5
Original post
by AnonymousSo a couple of days ago I submitted an essay. I do it in harvard referencing style. Sometimes in my essay I would say “Surname et al., (year)” and now I’m worried that I’ll get marked down for it. I’m just a little bit upset if I will get marked down because I got a first in my first two assignments 💔 I feel like I did well in everything else though. Is that bad? Well I get penalised?
Hiya!
Congratulations on achieving firsts in your assignments so far—that's an amazing accomplishment!
On a side note, I wanted to mention something that might be helpful. As some great advice has already been shared, I thought I’d add that our library offers workshops designed to support students with assignments, including one specifically for references. Perhaps your university library also offers something similar - it is worth looking into! After Christmas, I plan to look into booking one of these sessions myself because, even as a third-year student, I still find referencing a bit tricky at times.
I also use the Harvard referencing style for my assignments, and if you’re not already using it, I highly recommend the website "Cite Them Right"—it’s a fantastic resource for referencing guidance.
Hope this helps
-Maddie, Third year Health and Well-being in Society student at De Montfort University
Reply 6
Original post
by AnonymousSo a couple of days ago I submitted an essay. I do it in harvard referencing style. Sometimes in my essay I would say “Surname et al., (year)” and now I’m worried that I’ll get marked down for it. I’m just a little bit upset if I will get marked down because I got a first in my first two assignments 💔 I feel like I did well in everything else though. Is that bad? Well I get penalised?
Hi
I think this will be a common worry for many people when submitting their first few assignments, this is because it is a completely new skill that takes time to learn and perfect.
I think in addition to this, there will be support in place at your university to ensure that you know how to reference correctly - in terms of referencing guides and academic skills tutors.
I would advise that you look at your assignment brief as well as it will be able to show you how many marks are allocated for each learning outcome and therefore you will get an indication of how many marks are available.
I hope this helps,
Matt
Wrexham Uni Reps
Reply 7
What mark did you get? I made the same mistakes and I am worried sick.
Reply 8
16
Original post
by AnonymousWhat mark did you get? I made the same mistakes and I am worried sick.
I don’t know about the OP but I personally submitted an essay with referencing errors and I got 78% so it depends on how big of a importance they put on referencing do not worry ! But usually it’s less importance so don’t worry !
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