This document provides guidance on researching and referencing secondary sources for an essay. It discusses finding information from sources like textbooks, articles, and websites to support an essay topic. It emphasizes the importance of integrating quotes and properly referencing sources to avoid plagiarism. The document also provides directions on formatting references in alphabetical order by author surname in a bibliography, and lists the necessary details for referencing different source types like written texts and internet sources.

1. Researching and Referencing
Secondary Sources

2. 
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



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Information that someone else has written.
Reading about someone else‟s
research/ideas.
Validates you comments – providing evidence
that your comments are correct.
Textbooks
Internet sites
Magazine articles
Newspaper articles

3. 



You need to find information from secondary
sources to support your essay.
Find information about the ways that your
selected micro aspects create meaning for
audiences.
Make sure you integrate quotes and reference
the source to acknowledge your research.
Avoid Plagiarism!

4. 
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Chapter headings
Indexes
End of chapter summaries
Skim reading:
 Opening sentences
 Key word search

Reading and questioning oneself

5. 

In this example, Lacey is the author, 2005 is the
year of publication and, 37 is the page number.
“The edit is a potentially disrupting device, as it
changes the audience‟s perspective.” (Lacey,
2005:37)
OR

As Lacey (2005:37) explains, “The edit is a
potentially disrupting device, as it changes the
audience‟s perspective.”

6. 
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Use a good search engine, eg. Google
Don‟t use Wikipedia
Be as precise as you can to avoid excessive
sites
Don‟t let yourself be distracted!

7. 
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All sources that you have referenced in the
essay must be included in a bibliography at
the end of your work.
It‟s important to do this so that the reader
can complete further research if they wish.
All sources should be listed in alphabetical
order by surname of the author.

8. For written texts, you will need the following
details:
 Author: surname and initial/s or Editor
 Date of publication
 Full title
 Publishers
 Place of publication

9. For internet sources, you will need:

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Name of author/writer/originator
Title of the piece
Full web address
Date last accessed
Kermode, M. (2011) „Triers of a Clown‟
(Online) Accessed:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/markkermode/
(07/10/11)

10. 
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
Kermode, M. (2011) „Triers of a Clown‟ (Online)
Accessed:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/markkermode/
(07/10/11)
Lacey, N. (2005) Introduction to Film,
London:Palgrave Macmillan.
Radner, H. (2009) „Le Divorce: romance, Separation
and Reconcilliation‟, in Abbott, S. & Jermyn, D.
Falling in Love Again: Romantic Comedy in
Contemporary Cinema, London: I.B. Tauris & Co.
Ltd.

11. 1. Select a quote from the provided source and
write it out with the use of accurate
referencing.
 Make sure that you select a quote that you
understand so that you can explain it.
 Don‟t ever include a quote without discussing
it.
2. Find another suitable quote online