As a nonfiction author, you will be using a lot of sources to research and write your book. As you can imagine, it is vital that you reference all of these fully and accurately. In this blog post, we will be looking at why it is so important to credit your sources and how to choose a referencing system, as well as how to start citing everything. It will not look at the actual format for references, as there are several different styles, so you can use whichever makes the most sense for you.
Why is Referencing Important?
So, why do you need to reference? There are a couple of reasons. Firstly, it ensures your work looks professional. Every creator has the right to be acknowledged as such, a principle which also applies to you as the author of your book. Good referencing means that any research or information from other people you use can easily be found by your readers, avoiding any allegations of plagiarism.
Plagiarism happens when you present other people’s work as if it is your own. Remember that this is not as simple as copying something word-for-word. It can just be taking the ideas found in the source and rewriting them without giving any credit to the original creator. Even if you do give credit, you still need to be substantially adding to it to make it your own. An allegation of plagiarism will have a severe impact on your credibility and harm your professional reputation.
The other reason to reference is to help your readers. If they are reading your book, they might want to explore the topic you are covering further. References can really help with this, allowing your readers to easily see any related sources that they could follow up if they want to read more. It can also help with context. If you give a particular fact and a reference with it, your readers can then check this to better understand the point you are making.
What Format Should You Use?
One of the first things to consider when you start your nonfiction book is what referencing system you will be using. Some of the more common ones are Harvard, Chicago and MLA.
The advantage of using one of these established referencing systems is that they are recognised in academic writing and help to make your work look professional. Some niches have a particular referencing style that they always use, so check this before you start. Your readers may well expect a particular style as the industry norm and question your reliability if you seem to be unaware of this.
In addition, using an established style means that you can find a proofreader with experience using that system. They can then ensure that you have followed all of the guidelines and make any necessary edits to keep your work looking professional. Of course, you could use a different style guide or create your own, but you will usually find that editors specify which systems they have experience with (which may be more than one), so you are best off choosing someone who works with yours.
The other reason to use a particular style is if that is what is required by your publisher. Obviously, in this situation, you wouldn’t have much choice! You would have to use the chosen style, which will generally be the accepted one for your particular niche.
Alternatively, you could use a style you have created yourself. The advantage of this is that you can make it as simple or as complex as you require, including whatever details are necessary for your readers to find the source. However, you have to be very careful that you have included sufficient details, as you could be accused of plagiarism if others can’t easily find the sources you have used for research.
Creating your own referencing system from scratch can also be very difficult, especially if you are using a wide range of sources. It can also be confusing for your readers, who would probably expect it to be in a format they recognise. If you do opt to use your own system, decide how you will cite sources at the start and write out a template. This will help you stay consistent throughout your book.
Where to Start?
Once you have decided what referencing system you will use, you can start gathering your sources. It is best to do this as you use each one so that there is no chance of you forgetting one. You can just take a note of each source and structure them all in the correct format later. Alternatively, you can format each source as you add it to your list – whichever method works best for you.
Wrapping Up
I hope that this helps you to reference your nonfiction book, as this is a key part of it. In my next blog post, we will be looking at how to index your book, so come back in two weeks for that!
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