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If am using the SWOT analysis and I have observed one weakness ’employee turnover’ in the directors’ report which has been presented in a table showing numbers of employees reducing each month, and I want to present that in form of a graph in my report,now when doing in-text citation should I write (XYZ Plc,2013) or ( Directors’ report 2013 annual report)??
Information gotten from annual report e.g from the CEO statement of XYZ, should it be cited as (XYZ Plc,2013) or (CEO statement,2013)??? and in the reference list should I write
XYZ Plc(2013) Annual report.[ Online]. Available at: http://www.xyz.com/africa/zambia.(Accessed on: 11.09.2014) ????
@zilyenge – preferably the latter – as it is more helpful I would word it (XYZ Directors’ report, 2013) in the the text and for the reference list: XYZ Directors’ Report (2013) – Directors Report, XYZ Annual report 2013 available at (URL address) accessed (latest date used – well approximate date if you are in and out of it a lot – it needs to be put in because sometimes webpages disappear and if the reader can’t find it they will wonder how you managed to access it!)
@Fatema – you do not have to reference information that is common knowledge e.g. Kaplan and BPP did not ‘invent’ the net profit ratio etc and no one knows for sure who first came up with the SWOT analysis concept. So in theory you do not need to reference a particular generic diagram for it unless you have copied it (which you haven’t) – when for copyright reasons the author or composer should be acknowledge (otherwise it is ‘academic theft’ / plagiarism).However if you are putting in information you need to show in the diagram where the info came from – if this messes up your diagram then you could use footnotes and actually show the reference at the bottom of the page in this instance. So using the above @zilyenge example if this was to go in your diagram once this is in the document then if you go into Microsoft Word and select Reference you will see the facility to Insert Footnote and it will automatically set up a footnote (or several if required for other points) at the bottom of the page for you.
@captmario the first suggestion is normally preferable.
I always warn against ‘drowning’ the reader in too many unnecessary figures as they tend to cloud the picture rather than bring clarity. (If you had more sources and had wanted to home in on the price rises in detail for example, I think a line graph would have been the best way to do it and in that case you would put “Sources” under your graph and show each source you had drawn on).
Try not to worry too much about referencing (yes it is a common cause of failure because students do not comply with the basic rules outlined below) but they do not expect perfection but what they do demand is that:
1. All sources are identified in the appropriate place in the text (they want to know exactly what you are referencing).
2. It should be possible to find each reference made in the text in the reference list easily (the reason each different source used in the text must have a unique but consistent designation as mentioned in previous posts above)
3. The reference information in the list should be comprehensive enough for the document to be tracked down (exact URL address) or for the reader to verify that such a source exists (they do check some of them I understand)
4. Do not put web addresses in the body of your RAP (only the ref list) and try not to have too many Wikipedia and ‘Anon’ references as they are not considered ‘reliable’ and ‘valid’@zilyenge I think the CEO statement is preferable as it locates the reference more accurately and in that case you MUST give it the same designation in the list. I have dealt with many referencing points in more detail on the forum ‘Reference list and format of references’ so please consult that forum
NOTE I have merged some forums on Referencing into just one as it is better to have Q & As just in one place (so the queries & responses will now be on one of the pages above) – Trephena Forum Moderator
Hi Trephena
I have used dividend cover figures in my analysis. The figures are from different pages in 2011 and 2014 annual reports.
this is exactly where I got the figures from:
https://www.morrisons-corporate.com/Documents/Morrisons-Annual-Report-2011.pdf page 3 andhttps://www.morrisons-corporate.com/Documents/Corporate2014/Morrisons_AnnualReport13-14_Complete.pdf page 46.How and where ( next to the each figure?) would I reference these in the text and in the reference list
Thank youHi Trephena,
Thank you very much!!!! You are really helpful!!!. So if data has been gotten from the ‘Chairperson’s Statement’,’ Managing Director’s report’ and ‘ Directors’ report’, all these should fall under different reference lists? as:
1. XYZ Chairperson’s statement (2013) –Chairperson’s statement, XYZ Annual report 2013.[Online] .Available at :www.XYZ.com/africa/zambia.(Accessed : 16/08/2014)
2. XYZ Directors’ Report (2013) – Directors Report, XYZ Annual report 2013.[Online]. Available at :www.XYZ.com/africa/zambia.(Accessed : 16/08/2014)
3. XYZ Managing Director’s report (2013) – Managing Director’s Report, XYZ Annual report 2013 .[Online].Available at :www.XYZ.com/africa/zambia.(Accessed : 16/08/2014)
After that,the same should follow for 2011 & 2012 financial years if for example Topic 8 is picked???
Any other data from the annual report but not specifically from the Directors’ report, Chairperson’s statement or MD’s report should just be cited as (XYZ,2013)?? And under the reference list be put as XYZ(2013), Annual report..[Online].Available at :www.XYZ.com/africa/zambia.(Accessed : 16/08/2014).????
Thank you in advance!!!!!
@Fatema (Morrisons 2011, Morrisons 2014) should be fine (or Morrisons Annual Report 2011) etc depending on how exactly you are designating your refs in the text – put them under the graph/table or in the text where they are mentioned. Just be consistent and use the same designation in the list followed by the URL -more or less as you have them above. If you want to put page numbers that’s great but it is only a requirement for higher degree level work e.g.Masters.
I have set out the basic rules in my answers to Captmario so search for those. Again do not get into a tizz – it is lack of referencing, badly organised lists and inconsistent designations that I’ve detected annoy markers – they don’t expect it to be 100%perfect as long as it is relatively clear and you show you understand the main rules (I made a few mistakes myself with my MSc but wasn’t penalised) so chill baby! Chill! 🙂
@zilyenge Essentially what you are suggesting is correct. Don’t get too neurotic about it all – see my answers to Captmario in ‘Reference list and format of references’ and @Fatema on ‘Harvard Referencing’ (will amalgamate these forums as we don’t need 3!) – it is lack of referencing and ‘ lazy’ referencing ( where the student doesn’t show exactly what they are referencing) or lots of ‘Anon’/ Wikipedia references that lead to fails- where there is a reasonable effort to reference correctly markers tend to be ok if you mess up the odd one here and there (I have done it myself) 🙂
Hi trephena
Stay blessed. I will definitely mention OpenTuition website as one of the sources where I got helpful advice for my RAP.
You really help! This help is not even worth to be for free!! Thanx a trillion times!!!
@zilyenge Thanks for your kind comments we at OT are pleased that we,have been able to help with our forums and articles. Spread the word to your friends – there is help out there just a couple of clicks away at opentuition.com. 😀
Hi Trephena
If I put Morrisons 2011 followed by the URL in the reference list, how does the marker know from the report (where it just says Morrison 2011) the reference belongs to dividend cover figures? Do I mention Dividend Cover somewhere in the text or reference list?
Regards
@Fatema so put in the page numbers as p.3 or p.46 whatever after the year of your document in your text reference then. Unless the URL is different then you do not have to repeat the same URL each time in the reference list. The marker will see and find the reference in the list by Morrisons (2011) or CEO report Morrisons (2011) etc. Just because you use different pages from the same document does not usuallyrequire more than one entry in the list
Hi Trephena
I have made an appendices folder in which I have included 6 Excel Documents (some have more than one graph and workings). Is this Ok? Does the marker open the folder etc and view each document?
Second: I would like to show the spread sheet formulae for two of these documents as evidence. can the marker see this as I can, when I go to ‘view formula’ on excel document or do I have to show this separately? If so please could you tell me how, and do I add this to appendices folder.
Do you convert these and all other files to Pdf etc before sending to OBU?Kind Regards
Fatema
@Fatema Do your graphs etc in your Excel spreadsheets and then copy them over to your work as images. You need to insert them in your report in the appropriate place – usually it is better to have them at the start of each section e.g. graph on gross profit and discussion of what has caused the movements in the trends for GP (in particular any SWOT /PESTLE factors) then move on to the next ratio: graph followed by explanations and so on.
The appendices are more for workings l for the Excel spreadsheets and extra materia. Load them as .xls files then your formulae will be visible. Please see p.51 of the Info Pack as it tells you which file formats you must use.
You can load several Appendices files (not folders) so just number each one and there is provision to load at least 10 separate files (to include the report and SLS) for your submission
Hello.
I am using an online generator to generate my in-text references and reference list but some of the referencing seems weird and there seem to be no one definite source to confirm so I wish to seek your kind attention in verifying if these references are correctly done as according to Harvard Referencing Style. An example that fits my description would be as follows:
In-text: (Agr.gc.ca, 2010)
Bibliography: Agr.gc.ca, (2010). The Canadian Coffee Industry – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC). [online] Available at: https://www.agr.gc.ca/eng/industry-markets-and-trade/statistics-and-market-information/by-product-sector/processed-food-and-beverages/the-canadian-coffee-industry/?id=1172237152079 [Accessed 6 Oct. 2014].Meanwhile, am I suppose to reference how I’m using this online generator and include in my bibliography?
I’m sorry if there’s a similar forum on this but I’m rushing for Period 29 submission currently so yes, I apologize. Thank you.
Hi,
When referencing Financial Statements (several times) do we have to specify the pages or not? Thanks
Amarain@Amarain – stating actual pages is admirable and certainly expected at higher degree level but you will not be penalised for not stating pages in your RAP references. What I do suggest though is to differentiate where you are just using the annual report and where you are using a particular report within it e.g. the CEO report or Directors’ report. So for figures from the FS I would just put (XYZ, 2014) and for citing management comments (CEO XYZ, 2014 ). If you want to use page numbers instead to save on the word count then of course you may do so.
@Nick123 – the general rules for OBU referencing are that
1.you must show exactly what in the text you are referencing (not just throw references in at the end of paragraphs)
2. Your list should be organised so that the reference can be found quickly ( e.g. the list is in alphabetical order and the same designations are used in the text and list)
3. There should be sufficient information that the reader can either locate the document or at least verify that it exists.Your example above (provided you are inserting in the text appropriately) seems to fulfil these requirements. However perhaps @bassaniobroke (a fellow moderator) or @SalahUddin (a valued contributor) can comment on auto-generated lists as I don’t have firsthand experience.
Hello,
I am becoming a bit paranoid about the referencing. For example when explaining PESTEL if I only use one book and then put according to BPP bla bla bla and tell about PESTEL is not too much? On the other hand if I use two books one for Politica another for Social etc.. at the end of this sentence do I have to repeat the same book again just to make sure the marker don’t think I am doing plagiarism? Please help! Thanks
Kind Regards
Amarain@Amarain – yes easy to become paranoid on this as it can be a common cause of failure. Depends exactly what you are referencing
Remember though that:
1. As Kaplan, BPP etc did not ‘invent’ the ratios or SWOT / PESTLE there is no need to reference their definitions and the general theory (common knowledge does not require acknowledgement). However other citations from these texts if not widely known will need referencing and direct citations will need quotation marks “like this” + ref.
2. Try to avoid a textbook approach to your financial analysis. It is inevitable perhaps for liquidity and ratios where external information may not be available but avoid it wherever possible as it is usually too generalised to be relevant and acceptable
Can anyone guide me about this, it’s a simple question does citing annual report like this is sufficient “XYZ Annual Report 2013” ? And I’m talking about citing in this way in all analysis like EPS and other ratios.
And secondly when exactly to use title of the webpage lets say there is a site that has free specialist information (Investopedia), there should I use title of webpage as citation or name of website?Regards
Many thanks Trephena,
But what do you mean when you say “avoid a texbook approach” could you please expand further on this? Many thanks
Amarain@R – your annual report citation is fine. Do not use web addresses in the text e.g. if you were citing an online article from say Open Tuition you should only put (Opentuition.com, 2014) in the body of your RAP but paste the URL / webpage in your reference list so that the reader can access it.
A word of warning – do not overdo references to WIkipedia as in academic circles they are frowned upon as being lazy research and wiki is considered to be an unreliable source. I suggest to students they use Wiki to find sources and cite those actual sources instead to get round this. You may find Google Scholar much better as an academic search engine (post-grad students use it extensively) but many of the journal articles require a subscription but sometimes you can find them elsewhere if you search using keywords. (Some colleges have block subscriptions, so worth asking your librarian)
(Oh on that subject possibly OT would be viewed similarly and considered an ‘unreliable source’ for the RAP but that is only from an academic point of view – I am very knowledge able about the actual RAP requirements 🙂 and certainly it would not be a problem citing us in the SLS as that is not an academic piece of work but your personal experiences).
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