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OIS Extended Essay: Referencing

For web-based sources, the requirement of the IB for date stamping must be followed even if the requirements of your chosen referencing system says it's not required.

You must reference ALL your sources to help your reader/ evaluator answer the following:

What kind of source is it?

Where can I find the source myself?

What range of sources did you use?

Definitions

Bibliography

A bibliography is an alphabetical list of every source used to research and write the essay.  The bibliography must list only those sources cited, in essence, it is a Work Cited list rather than a true Bibliography. A true bibliography is everything you read, even if you do not refer to the source in your paper since it influenced your thinking.

Referencing

A reference is a way of indicating to the reader, using a consistent format, where information has been obtained. The purpose of a reference is it should help the reader to find the source material if they wish. 

References must be cited because:

  • they acknowledge the sources used
  • they enable the reader to consult the work and verify the data that has been presented. 

References must be given whenever someone else’s work is quoted or summarized.

There are a number of different styles available for use when writing research papers; whatever style is chosen, it must be applied consistently and in line with the IB’s minimum requirements. The style should be applied in both the final draft of the essay and in the initial research stages of taking notes. This is good practice, not only for producing a high-quality final product but also for reducing the opportunities and temptation to plagiarize. 

The IB’s minimum requirements include:

  • name of author
  • date of publication
  • title of source
  • page numbers (print sources only)
  • date of access (electronic sources only)
  • URL.

Any references to interviews should state the name of the interviewer, the name of the interviewee, the date and the place of the interview. 

For more detailed information on styles for citations and referencing please refer to:

Document Checklist

 

  • When you use someone else’s words or work, is it clear where such use starts—and where it finishes?
  • When you put someone else’s thoughts and ideas in your own words, have you still named (cited) the original author(s)?
  • For each reference in the list of references (works cited/bibliography) at the end, is there a citation in the text?
  • When you have used an author’s exact words, have you put “quotation marks” around the quotation and named (cited) the original writer? (If you indent your quotation(s), quotation marks are not needed, but the author must still be cited; have you cited your indented quotations?)
  • Have you included full references for all borrowed images, tables, graphs, maps, and so on?
  • Print material: Have you included the page number(s) of print material you have used (especially important with exact quotations)?
  • Web-based material: Have you included both the date on which the material was posted and the date of your last visit to the web page or site?
  • Web-based material: Have you included the URL or the DOI?
  • For each citation in the text, is there a full reference in your list of references (works cited/bibliography) at the end?
  • Is your list of references (works cited/bibliography) in alphabetical order, with the last name of the author first?
     

Citation Style Resources