Referencing and attribution
Providing source information is extremely important at University. In addition to academic integrity, there are often marks assigned to correct referencing information.
There is also a copyright component to referencing, which you may see noted under the broader term 'attribution'. The Copyright Act 1968 outlines the moral rights of authors/creators, including the right to attribution and not to have a work falsely attributed. Referencing your sources correctly means that you are following best practice to avoid plagiarism and copyright infringement in your assessments.
For use of copyright material outside of your assessments, e.g., under 'fair dealing' or open licensing, you should be careful with how you make use of material and always provide source information that meets the moral rights of creators.
Note that referencing/attribution alone might not be enough to satisfy requirements for reuse of material – always check if you need to seek permission (e.g., for use in a digital thesis, see below) and what the attribution requirements are. Where open licensing is involved, you may need to include a particular copyright, permission or usage statement. Creative Commons has a great page for best practices for attributing material under open licensing.
Learn more about attribution vs. referencing (PDF), including attribution requirements.
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.