Discuss briefly the need for citation and referencing, and describe Essay

Discuss briefly the need for citation and referencing, and describe the main characteristics of the Harvard System of Referencing, the style favoured by this un - Essay Example Gray et al 2008, p. 114, term the use of proper use of citation and referencing as â€Å"academic integrity†. The reputation of a piece of academic work lies in proper use of citations and references. Any author has a right over the ideas and words present in their work and this right deems that it is morally important to their ideas and work are appropriately attributed, when used by others (Gray et al, 2008). When accurate citation and referencing is done it reflects the integrity of the author, for it shows that the author recognizes the sources and acknowledges these sources. This leads to the importance of referencing in letting others find the original sources used in the work (REFERENCING, 2000). This is why citations and references may be considered as signposts and acknowledgements. The signpost perspective arises from showing the location of the source, while the acknowledgement perspective arises from accepting the indebtedness to the source (Hunter, 2008). Hunter 2008, p.1 gives three reasons why citations and references are important, which are â€Å"ideas are the currency of academia†, â€Å"failing to cite violates the rights of the person who originated the idea and â€Å"academics needs to be able to trace the geneology of ideas†. Referencing in an academic work demonstrates the quality of the work, through the range of ideas that are used and acknowledged and does away with possibility of any charge of plagiarism (University of South Australia, 2007). The quality of work thus becomes another important contribution of proper referencing in a piece of academic work, as it reflects the thoroughness and the diligence of the author and through that contributes to the reputation or impression of the academic work (Glick, 2007). The Harvard System uses an author-date system. There are two places in an academic work that citations and references are used, which are in the