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Whenever you refer to another author’s work in an assignment or thesis, it is essential that you acknowledge them and provide full details of the source used. Referencing correctly helps you avoid being accused of plagiarism and allows you to demonstrate how your ideas have built upon the research of others.
Students must adhere to the guidance on plagiarism and referencing in the Senate Academic Misconduct Handbook.
We have developed guides to support two different referencing styles – APA7 Author-Date and NLM Numbered. Click on the images below to access the guides. Librarians can also show you how to reference properly to avoid plagiarism.
Most courses have a preference to use one of these styles. At the start of your course, you will be enrolled onto an eLearning module for Referencing and Avoiding Plagiarism on the Canvas VLE for the preferred style for your course. If you are given a choice of styles please check with your supervisor or lecturer before you start collating your references, as they may prefer which you use. If they don't mind, pick one and use it consistently throughout your assignment.
For your thesis, you may select any referencing style although it is recommended the choice is made following a discussion with your supervisor(s). When publishing papers, the style mandated by the journal/conference you intend to publish in should be followed.
If you started studying at Cranfield before 2023, you may still be using bespoke Cranfield referencing styles. These are only supported by Mendeley.
The Cranfield Author-Date referencing guide is still available for students who joined Cranfield before September 2021. To add this style in Mendeley select ‘Add a custom style’ and enter this URL: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/searlesr/custyles/master/cranfield-university-author-date.csl
The Cranfield Numbered referencing guide is still available for students who joined Cranfield before August 2023. Select Cranfield University (numeric) style in Mendeley.
Our online eLearning module, Referencing and Avoiding Plagiarism explains the role and importance of citing bibliographic references, and how you incorporate the work of other authors into your assignments and literature review correctly, and without plagiarising. You can find it on your Canvas VLE dashboard. Please talk to your Librarian if you have any trouble finding it. The library also runs workshops through the year on topics such as Referencing and reference management software. For further details and to sign up, please see our Library events and webinars.
Learn more about the APA7 Author-Date style:
The Concise APA Handbook : APA 7th Edition
APA style blog
APA style tutorials and webinars
Avoiding common errors when you're referencing with APA7
Learn more about the NLM Numbered style: