Referencing Rubric

Providing evidence based on valid and referenced academic sources Markers are required to provide feedback to students by indicating
is a fundamental educational principle and the cornerstone of high- (circling/underlining) the information that best describes the
quality academic work. Hence, The IIE considers it essential to student’s work.
develop the referencing skills of our students in our commitment to
achieve high academic standards. Part of achieving these high Minor technical referencing errors: 5% deduction from the
standards is referencing in a way that is consistent, technically overall percentage – the student’s work contains five or more
correct and congruent. This is not plagiarism, which is handled errors listed in the minor errors column in the table below.
differently.
Major technical referencing errors: 10% deduction from the
Poor quality formatting in your referencing will result in a penalty of overall percentage – the student’s work contains five or more
a maximum of ten percent being deducted from the percentage errors listed in the major errors column in the table below.
awarded, according to the following guidelines. Please note,
however, that evidence of plagiarism in the form of copied or If both minor and major errors are indicated, then 10% only (and
uncited work (not referenced), absent reference lists, or not 5% or 15%) is deducted from the overall percentage. The
exceptionally poor referencing, may result in action being taken in examples provided below are not exhaustive but are provided to
accordance with The IIE’s Intellectual Integrity Policy (0023). illustrate the error

Required: Minor errors in technical correctness of Major errors in technical correctness of referencing
Technically correct referencing referencing style style
style Deduct 5% from percentage awarded Deduct 10% from percentage awarded
Consistency Minor inconsistencies. Major inconsistencies.
 The referencing style is generally  Poor and inconsistent referencing style used in-
 The same referencing format consistent, but there are one or two text and/or in the bibliography/ reference list.
has been used for all in-text changes in the format of in-text  Multiple formats for the same type of referencing
references and in the referencing and/or in the bibliography. have been used.
bibliography/reference list.  For example, page numbers for direct  For example, the format for direct quotes (in-text)
quotes (in-text) have been provided for and/or book chapters (bibliography/ reference
one source, but not in another instance. list) is different across multiple instances.
Two book chapters (bibliography) have
been referenced in the bibliography in
two different formats.
Technical correctness Generally, technically correct with some Technically incorrect.
minor errors.  The referencing format is incorrect.
 Referencing format is  The correct referencing format has been  Concepts and ideas are typically referenced, but a
technically correct throughout consistently used, but there are one or reference is missing from small sections of the
the submission. two errors. work.
 Concepts and ideas are typically  Position of the references: references are only
 Position of the reference: a referenced, but a reference is missing given at the beginning or end of large sections of
reference is directly associated from one small section of the work. work.
with every concept or idea.  Position of the references: references  For example, incorrect author information is
are only given at the beginning or end of provided, no year of publication is provided,
 For example, quotation marks, every paragraph. quotation marks and/or page numbers for direct
page numbers, years, etc. are  For example, the student has incorrectly quotes missing, page numbers are provided for
applied correctly, sources in presented direct quotes (in-text) and/or paraphrased material, the incorrect punctuation is
the bibliography/reference list book chapters (bibliography/reference used (in-text); the bibliography/reference list is
are correctly presented. list). not in alphabetical order, the incorrect format for
a book chapter/journal article is used, information
is missing e.g. no place of publication had been
provided (bibliography); repeated sources on the
reference list.
Congruence between in-text Generally, congruence between the in- A lack of congruence between the in-text
referencing and bibliography/ text referencing and the bibliography/ referencing and the bibliography.
reference list reference list with one or two errors.  No relationship/several incongruencies between
 There is largely a match between the the in-text referencing and the
 All sources are accurately sources presented in-text and the bibliography/reference list.
reflected and are all accurately bibliography.  For example, sources are included in-text, but not
included in the bibliography/  For example, a source appears in the in the bibliography and vice versa, a link, rather
reference list. text, but not in the bibliography/ than the actual reference is provided in the
reference list or vice versa. bibliography.
In summary: the recording of In summary, at least 80% of the sources In summary, at least 60% of the sources are
references is accurate and are correctly reflected and included in a incorrectly reflected and/or not included in
complete. reference list. reference list.

Overall Feedback about the consistency, technical correctness and congruence between in-text referencing and bibliography:
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