4. Why we reference

If you use the ideas or words of another author in an essay, research paper, or thesis, you must acknowledge the original source. This applies to verbatim citation, paraphrase, and summary. Referencing serves several key purposes:

• It prevents plagiarism and upholds academic integrity.
• It enables readers to locate and verify sources.
• It supplies evidence and support for academic arguments.
• It gives due credit to authors and teachers whose work you use.

Accurate and consistent citation is thus a basic requirement of responsible theological scholarship.