Other sources

Artificial intelligence

When using generative artificial intelligence (AI), always ensure that the final product is your own work, and not copied from AI generated content. The final submitted assessment must be your own work, creation, and analysis.

In most cases, it is unlikely that you would cite generative AI as a primary source. While you can use generative AI as a prompt to investigate a topic (much like you might with Wikipedia), it will often require further research from credible sources.

When using AI in your work, it is essential that you:

• understand the limitations of the technology and the risks of using it
• critically evaluate any output it produces as part of your learning process
• document how you used the tool and acknowledge this in your work.

Limitations and risks

It is not recommended to rely on AI-generated content as a primary source of information because AI tools can draw on a wide range of materials without providing accurate sources of authorship. In addition, they can generate inaccurate, biased and out-of-date information. Being able to evaluate the credibility of your sources is an essential aspect of academic writing.

Using generative AI to write your work, or using any content generated by AI without full and proper acknowledgment is a breach of academic integrity.

If you use AI in any way to produce an assessment:

• Provide a statement of acknowledgement on where and how you used the tool.
• In addition, provide an in-text citation, where appropriate.

Acknowledgement

If you use an AI tool, you must acknowledge where and how you used the tool. Under the heading “Acknowledgements” provide details on:

• your prompts and the output (e.g. text, images, code, formulas)
• where and how you used it (e.g. as an investigative tool, for problem solving).

Alternatively you might provide these details in an appendix, referring your reader from the citation to the relevant appendix.

In-text citation

• Cite in-text in the same way as personal communications.
• You can provide further details of the prompts and output in an appendix.

References

• Do not provide a reference list entry.

Artwork

The following advice is around citing artwork viewed in a gallery or museum.

• For artworks viewed online see also the Harvard topics: 
  Web page, Online video and Digital collection.
• For advice on how to include images in your work, see the Harvard topic: Figures, tables.
• Check with your unit teaching staff whether you are required to include a ‘List of Artworks’ as a separate list to your reference list.
• For further information around citing artworks, see the Australian Government Style Manual (but then always apply the advice in this guide to your final citation).

In-text citations

• Include the artist's name and year of the artwork.
• Maintain the original capitalisation used in the title of the artwork and format in italics, if mentioning in text.

Reference list

• Maintain the original capitalisation used in the title of the artwork.
• Include details about the medium of the artwork.
• Provide details about where the artwork was viewed, including the title of the exhibition and the exhibition dates. Alternatively, you might find the artwork online, in which case you have the option of linking to a Digital collection.

Artwork in an exhibition:

Exhibition catalogue:

Construction regulation

In-text citations

When citing legislation from a publication, include the details of the legislation in addition to an in-text citation for the publication. For further details on how to cite legislation, see the Harvard topic: Legislation.

Reference list

• Cite according to the source type – usually a web document (provide the URL, hyperlinked in the title of the work, or in full at the end of the reference list entry).
• If a web source is not freely available to the public, provide the home page URL at the end of the reference list entry.

If a web source is not freely available to the public, place the home page URL at the end of the reference list entry:

Computer code

In-text citations

Reference list

• Hyperlink the title to the landing page URL where the code can be accessed, or provide in full at the end of the reference list entry
• Include details of the version and the medium
• Provide an accessed date.

Conference paper

• Cite according to the source type, e.g. Web document.
• Include [conference presentation] or [unpublished conference presentation] after the title.
• Provide the full date, the name and the place of the conference.

In-text citations

Reference list

Published:

Unpublished:

Dataset

In-text citations

Reference list

• Cite according to the source type, e.g. See Web page or Web document.
• Provide the ‘date last updated’ as the year.
• The medium of [data set] can be provided if the medium is not obvious.
• Include a catalogue number, where relevant.

Deakin content

• Note: in some units it is not acceptable to cite course materials (e.g. class presentations and slides).
• Cite only if you have been given permission to do so.

In-text citations

Reference list

Dictionary, encyclopedia

Please note: in some units, citing dictionaries or encyclopaedias is not acceptable. Consult your unit guide for further details.

While Wikipedia can be a good starting point for gathering general information before you begin your research, a site such as Wikipedia can be updated at any point and by multiple authors, so it cannot be relied on as source for an academic assignment.

In-text citations

• For most dictionaries and encyclopaedias, provide an in-text citation only.
• No entry in the reference list is required.

However, if you are citing a more comprehensive authored entry from an encyclopaedia, you may cite according to the source type (e.g. Book, Chapter, Web page).

Reference list

Digital collection

The following advice is for artworks, images and manuscripts held in online repositories, databases or galleries.

See also the Harvard topics: Artworks and Figures, tables.

In-text citations

• Provide the creator of the original work in the in-text citation, if known.
• Italicise the titles of works if mentioned in text.

Reference list

• If the author is unknown, begin the citation with the title (or descriptive title) of the artwork or the name of publication in which the work originally appeared.
• The original date of the work or the digital release date may be cited.
• Use ‘c.’ (circa) for estimated dates.
• Provide a URL by hyperlinking the title of the work, or provide URL in full at the end of the reference list entry. Do not link to a University Library database or other source that is not accessible to the public.
• Include a catalogue or other reference number, if relevant.

Digitised image or artwork:

Digitised manuscript or record:

Digitised newspaper article:

If the author is unknown, begin the citation with the name of the newspaper.

See also the Harvard topic: News article

Figures, tables

This topic covers two distinct sub-topics:

1. Including figures or tables in your own work
2. Citing images, figures or tables

You may also want to browse these Harvard topics: Artwork, Dataset and Digital collection.

Please note: your unit may have differing advice on the placement of figures and tables – please follow the advice given in your unit site.

Note: You can include a separate ‘List of artworks cited’ or ‘List of figures and tables’ in addition to your main reference list. Check details in your unit site to determine if you are required to do this.

1. Including figures or tables in your own work

When adding figures (e.g. images, maps, graphs) or tables into your own work (e.g. document, slide presentation), each figure/table requires:

• A figure/table number, e.g. Figure 1, Figure 2; Table 1, Table 2 – so that you can easily refer to them in your text – together with a brief, accurate and descriptive title .
• An in-text citation and corresponding reference list entry if your figure/table has been copied or adapted from another source.
• Copyright and permission information
  When you copy something (e.g. image, table) from a source which is for a public audience, you may need to add copyright details about, for example:
  
  - a website or other source that asks you to credit them for re-using their work
  - Creative Commons (CC) licensed material
  - journals or other publications.

Learn more in the Deakin Copyright modules for students 3: Copyright for your studies.

See also these Deakin Library guides to using Creative Commons, finding copyright-free images and finding image resources in the Library.

Including (or adapting) an image/map/graph/table from a publication

In your text:

• Refer to the figure number.

Immediately above your figure/table:

• Include the figure number and title.

Immediately below your figure/table:

• Include an in-text citation.

Reference list:

• Include a copyright statement in addition to the usual reference details of the source.

Including an image licensed under Creative Commons

Immediately above your figure:

• Include a figure number and title.

Immediately below your figure:

• Include an in-text citation.
• Note: in some cases the author may be a username.

Reference list:

• Provide a URL as a hyperlinked title, or provide a URL in full at the end of the reference list.
• Learn more about using Creative Commons sources and how to attribute them.

Using your own image

• Provide a descriptive title.
• A citation is not required.

2. Citing figures/tables from a publication

In-text citations

When citing a specific figure or a table within a publication (e.g. book, article, web document), include the figure/table number in text in addition to the in-text citation.

Reference list

• The details of the figure or table are not provided in the reference list entry.
• Cite according to the source type, e.g. Web document, Book.

Industry report

In-text citations

The author of an Industry report may be an individual but is more likely to be an organisation.

Reference list

• For online sources that are not accessible to the public, provide the homepage URL at the end of the reference list entry.
• Do not include the name of the Library database where the report was accessed.
• Include a report/profile number after the title, where relevant.

Media release

In-text citations

Reference list

• Cite according to the source type, e.g. See Web page or Web document

News article

This topic covers online and print news and magazine articles.

• If an article has been accessed via a Library database, such as Newsbank or Factiva, do not include database information. Cite the article as it was originally published (e.g. in print).
• For an example from Trove, see the Harvard topic: Digital collection.

In-text citations

Reference list

• Include the day month and year of publication.
• Provide the URL by hyperlinking the title of the work, or provide in full at the end of the reference list entry. Only provide URLs for web sources freely available to the public.
• Online articles require a date accessed.
• If an article has been accessed via a Library database, such as Newsbank or Factiva, the name of the database is not required. The article is cited as originally published (e.g. in print or online).

Online:

Print:

No listed author:

Personal communication

In-text citations

Personal communications include letters, emails, private social media posts, personal interviews and telephone conversations.

• It is advisable to get the permission of the person concerned before citing them.
• The day, month and year can be provided within your text or as part of the in-text citation.

It is sometimes useful to indicate the role of the person being cited and their organisation.

Reference list

No entry in the reference list is required.

Other print

This topic covers print advertisements, brochures, posters and newsletters.

In-text citations

Include the author or authoring organisation and year.

Reference list

• Provide the medium after the title in square brackets.
• The year of publication may not always be known; however, if the year can be inferred with some certainty place a c. (meaning 'circa') before the year.

Report

This topic covers corporate, government, research and technical reports.

• See also the Harvard topics: Web pages, Web documents, Government overview and NGOs.

In-text citations

Reference List

• Cite according to the source type, e.g. Web documents, with the addition of a report number, where relevant.
• Provide a description of the report if the report’s title does not adequately describe the document.

Online report without report number:

Online report with report number:

Report published in print:

Song

In-text citations

• Include the artist and year.
• When including song titles in text, place within single quote marks.

Reference list

Check with teaching staff in your unit whether you are required to create a separate list for musical compositions.

For further information on citing music, see the Australian Government Style Manual (but then always apply the advice in this guide to your final citation).

Standard

In-text citations

Reference list

• Cite according to the source type – usually a Web document.
• In addition, provide a reference number for the standard.

Thesis

In-text citations

Reference list

Provide details of the thesis and whether it is published.

Unpublished

• For unpublished sources, such as draft documents not available to the public or for internal reports and other documentation, provide as much relevant information as is available.
• Always seek permission from the author/organisation before citing an unpublished work.
• For private emails, interviews and private social media posts, see the Harvard topic: Personal communications.

In-text citations

Reference list