References

Basic Principles of Source Referencing

These guidelines apply to source referencing in student texts at the University of the Arts Helsinki, but they can also be adapted for various types of writing, such as grant applications that include references. This guide is primarily intended to support academic writing in Finnish. If you are writing in English or Swedish, please refer to the respective language versions of the guidelines (links), as some instructions are language-specific.
This material has been compiled based on resources from the American Psychological Association and the Chicago Manual of Style, as well as previous referencing guidelines from different units of the University of the Arts Helsinki and other higher education institutions.
Note! Whenever you write for a publication, journal, etc., check the referencing and bibliography style used by the publisher. Pay particular attention to instructions regarding the use of italics, quotation marks, and punctuation in references.

Why Is Referencing Important?

Our thinking is always built upon something that already exists. We construct our own ideas by combining layered and folded knowledge from the world with our own experiences and insights. In many expert texts, the goal is to reflect on and present how our artistic or art pedagogical thinking relates to its field. Therefore, it is important to highlight who has supported, inspired, or preceded your own work and thinking.
Reference citations indicate where the ideas or information presented in the text originate. These materials that influence or underpin your writing are called sources. A source can be a book, online publication, lecture, performance recording, or even presentation material for an artwork. Citations help distinguish the writer’s own thoughts, insights, and applications from those of others. They also allow the reader to locate the referenced source and verify the accuracy of the writer’s claims. References also guide the reader to further information on the topic.

Proper Referencing Is Part of Expertise

The main purpose of a citation is to document the thought process and show where the information, claims, and interpretations come from. A citation does not diminish originality; rather, it supports the claims made by showing that the writer is not inventing them but is following good academic practice, is familiar with the field, and can position their thinking in relation to previously presented ideas. A citation also protects the writer, as the cited source may contain errors!
By carefully citing sources, you give proper credit to other writers, artists, or thinkers and avoid committing plagiarism. Plagiarism means the unauthorized use of someone else’s work or ideas. If a writer copies another’s text directly or in a modified form and presents it—either carelessly or deliberately—as their own, it is considered plagiarism. Often, plagiarism results from the writer not being sufficiently familiar with the referencing system or not being careful enough with it. Read more about academic misconduct.

Many universities use the Turnitin service to detect plagiarism in texts. It analyzes the text and produces a report listing the sections that match content from comparison sources. Turnitin helps the writer understand how well they have paraphrased the content taken from sources and where referencing and citation are lacking, which may result in parts of the text being considered plagiarized.