1

PULP Guide to Referencing

1. WHY REFERENCE?
To show the reader that you have done proper research for your assignment. By listing the
sources that you used to get your information, you give credit to other researchers and
acknowledge that their ideas had an impact on your work. The reader must also be able to
follow your arguments and monitor your credibility by checking your sources.

2. WHERE?
Referencing occurs in the text at the place where the work of others is being cited and at
the end of the document in the bibliography. We use footnotes to indicate a citation.

3. WHEN?
 Quote directly: when you use the exact words as they appear in the source;
 Copy directly: when you copy data, figures, tables, images, music, videos or
frameworks;
 Summarise: when you write a short account of what is in the source;
 Paraphrase: when you state the work, words and ideas of someone else in your own
words.
Even if the author ‘shares’ your ideas and you put those ideas in your own words, you
still have to reference. The person who wrote the idea down first, must be cited.

GENERAL TIPS:

 Use Italics in both your bibliography and footnotes, for the names of:
- Books

- Journals

- Cases

 You must use a source in BOTH your footnotes AND your bibliography. It is
NOT enough to only reference a source in your footnotes and not again in your
bibliography or to only mention a source in your bibliography but not in your
footnotes.
 Limit quotations and rather explain it in your OWN words. In that way the
 2
marker can see that you understand the material.
 There needs to be a ‘golden thread’ that runs through your essay/assignment.
That means that every paragraph should logically follow on the previous one. It
must be clear why and how your arguments relate to your topic and what you
want to say. In other words, this ‘golden thread’ must run throughout your
assignment from the introduction to the conclusion.
 In the introductory paragraph, you must introduce the main themes and ideas
of your essay and not merely copy&paste the assignment question or topic. In
an introduction you ‘set the scene’ by creating some background, setting your
arguments in context and by explaining what your essay is all about.
 In the conclusion you must show whether and how you have addressed
what you introduced in the beginning/introductory paragraph. You should
provide a final conclusion but NOT introduce any NEW material!

TECHNICAL MATTERS:

- Use the same font throughout. If your text is in 12 font your footnotes can be
in 10 font.
- Spacing 1.5 in your text and single in your footnotes.

- Please justify your text: it just looks better!

- Be consistent in your referencing style! If you decide to use (n) in brackets, do

it throughout. If you decided to not use the bracket, then do not change your
mind halfway through the footnotes.
- Use headings to organise your essay.
- We do not reference in the text, for example: (Saunders 2003) but use footnotes
to reference our sources.
- Footnotes come after the full stop, for example: after the full stop.1
- Use italics to refer to cases in your text for example: In Botha v Buthelezi, the
court held that…..
 3
FOOTNOTES: General

 Use footnotes even though you explain someone else’s idea in your own
words. Unless the idea is completely new AND you have thought of it first, you
have to provide a full reference of the source that you consulted.
 How? In WORD: go to References and Insert Footnotes
Example:

The death penalty was abolished in the Makwanyane case.1

1 S v Makwanyane 1995 (3) SA 391 (CC).

 Footnotes come AFTER the full stop.

Example:

The death penalty was abolished in the Makwanyane case.2

 NO in-text references. Reference your sources in your footnotes and NOT in the
text:

Example:

Humby (2012:34) suggests that the court in S v Makwanyane 1995 (3) SA 391 (CC)
focused on the ideals of the Interim Constitution Act 200 of 1993.

Rather:

Humby suggests that the court in Makwanyane focused on the ideals of the Interim
Constitution.3
3 The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act 200 of 1993; S v Makwanyane 1995 (3) SA 391
(CC) and T Humby (ed) Introduction to Law and Legal Skills in South Africa (Oxford University Press
Southern Africa 2012)

 Try to insert the footnote at the end of the sentence. It is fine to reference/cite
more than one source in the same footnote. List them chronologically with a ;
between them. (see footnote 3 for example)

1S v Makwanyane 1995 (3) SA 391 (CC).

2S v Makwanyane 1995 (3) SA 391 (CC).
3The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act 200 of 1993; S v Makwanyane 1995 (3) SA 391
(CC) and T Humby (ed) Introduction to Law and Legal Skills in South Africa (Oxford University Press
Southern Africa 2012).
 4

 The first time you cite a source it must be the full reference. Every time after
that you use (n) to refer back to the FIRST time the particular source was fully
cited/referenced.

NOT

 Use: as above when the reference is EXACTLY the same as the previous
footnote!
 NO ibid/supra

 Cases: Para/paras to refer to the specific paragraphs in the case you are
referring to, for example: S v Makwanyane 1995 (3) SA 391 (CC) para 5
 For journals/books: It is not necessary to write page, for example: Le Roux Why is
Roman law great (JUTA Pretoria 2021) 5
Not: page 5

4 L le Roux Why Roman law is great (LexisNexis Pretoria 2019) 45.

5 Le Roux (n4) 65.

More examples:
1 A Jacobs ‘The ghost of the Roman concubinatus’ (2004)10 Fundamina 69.
2 Jacobs (n1) 72. Author (where the source was referenced in full) page
3 Jacobs (n1) 85.
4 As above.

5 Kidson v Jimspeed CC 2009 (5) SA 246 (GNP). Name of case in Italics

6 Kidson (n5) para 4. Para for ‘paragraph’ in particular case
7 Jacobs (n1) 77. referring to 1st footnote (1st place where this sources was referenced in full)
8 Kidson (n5) para 16. Full reference to this source was made in footnote 5
9 Domestic Violence Act 116 of 1998 sec 3(2). sec= section / secs= sections
10 Domestic Violence (n9) secs 32(4) & 2(1).
 5

1. TEXT BOOKS:
a. Single author:

 Footnotes:
Initial Surname (no comma) Name of book in Italics (publisher place year) page

6 L le Roux Why Roman Law is great (LexisNexis Pretoria 2019) 45.

 Bibliography:
Surname, Initial Name of book in Italics (publisher place year) NO page

Le Roux, L Why Roman Law is great (LexisNexis Pretoria 2019)

b. More than one author:

 Footnotes:
7PHJ Thomas; CG Van der Merwe & BC Stoop Historical Foundations of South African Private
Law (LexisNexis Durban 2000) 45.
8 Thomas et al (n7) 2.

 Bibliography:
Thomas, PHJ; Van der Merwe, CG & Stoop, BC Historical Foundations of
South African Private Law (LexisNexis Durban 2000)

c. More than 3 authors: et al or and others

 Footnotes:
9T Humby and others Introduction to Law and Legal Skills (Oxford University Press South Africa
Cape Town 2012) 34.
10 Humby et al (n9) 21.
 6

 Bibliography: Commented [ARC1]: More than 2 authors in Bibliography:

all authors must be listed but I think 'and others' is better for
Humby, T and others Introduction to Law and Legal Skills (Oxford University Press conciseness

South Africa Cape Town 2012)

d. Chapter in a book: not necessary to specifically reference if the chapter is by the

author of the book.
 Footnotes:
Author of chapter (initials surname) ‘Title of chapter in quotation marks’ in Author of

book (initial surname) Title of Book in Italics (publisher place year) page

J Mahler-Coetzee ‘Legal Actors’ in T Humby et al Introduction to Law and Legal Skills (Oxford
11

University Press Southern Africa 2012) 265.

12 J Mahler-Coetzee ‘Legal Actors’ in Humby et al (n 11) 266.

 Bibliography:
Mahler-Coetzee, J ‘Legal Actors’ in T Humby et al Introduction to Law and Legal
Skills (Oxford University Press Southern Africa 2012)

2. JOURNALS:
 Footnotes:
Initial Surname ‘Article in commas’ (year) volume Journal in Italics page you want to
reference

13J Scott ‘Effect of the destruction of a dwelling on the personal servitude of habitation: Kidson v
Jimspeed Enterprices CC 2009 (5) SA 246 (GNP)’ (2011) 74 Tydskrif vir Hedendaagse Romeins-
Hollandse Reg 157.
14 Scott (n13) 163.
15 P Langa ‘Transformative Constitutionalism’ (2006) 17(3) Stellenbosch Law Review 360.
16 Langa (n15) 367.
 7

 Bibliography:
Initial, Surname ‘Article in commas’ (year) volume Journal in Italics page that
the article starts on:

(remember your bibliography must be in alphabetical order)

Langa, P ‘Transformative Constitutionalism’ (2006) 17(3) Stellenbosch Law Review 351

Scott, J ‘Effect of the destruction of a dwelling on the personal servitude of habitation:

Kidson v Jimspeed Enterprices CC 2009 (5) SA 246 (GNP)’ (2011) 74 Tydskrif vir
Hedendaagse Romeins-Hollandse Reg 155

3. CASE LAW:
Different Law Reports = different referencing

 SA: Name in italics year (volume) SA page (abbreviation of court)

S v Makwanyane 1995 (3) SA 391 (CC)

 All SA: Name in italics [year in square brackets] volume All SA page
(abbreviation of court)
Manuel v Sahara Computers (Pty) Ltd and Another [2019] 2 All SA 417 (GP)

 BCLR: no brackets!
Government of South Africa v Grootboom 2000 11 BCLR 1169 (CC)

 Footnotes:
17 S v Makwanyane 1995 (3) SA 391 (CC).
18 Makwanyane (n17) para 32.

 Bibliography:
S v Makwanyane 1995 (3) SA 391 (CC)
 8

4. LEGISLATION:
 Footnotes:
Name of Act number of Act year

19 Domestic Violence Act 116 of 1998.

20 Domestic Violence (n19) s. 2(3).
21 Domestic Violence (n19) ss. 3(4) & 5(1).

 Bibliography:
Domestic Violence Act 116 of 1998 (not necessary to reference the specific sections
you refer to in your text)

NBNBNB!
The Constitution is NOT an act!!! Therefore, NO ACT NUMBER:

The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 NOT Act 108

 Footnotes:
22 The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996.
23 The Constitution (n22) s. 36.
24 The Constitution (n22) ss. 9 & 10.

 Bibliography:
The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (not necessary to reference
specific sections)
 9

5. INTERNET SOURCES:
 Footnotes:
Initial Surname ‘Article’ date on which article was written, website address (date
accessed by you)

25S Zikode ‘Poor People’s Movement and the law’ 2 December 2011, http://abahlali.org/node/8551/
(accessed 18 August 2019).
26 Zikode (n25).

 Bibliography:
Zikode, S ‘Poor People’s Movement and the law’ 2 December 2011,
http://abahlali.org/node/8551/ (accessed 18 August 2019)

6. BIBLIOGRAPHY:
- Must be in alphabetical order.
You can use the following headings in your bibliography.

- Books:

- Journals:

- Case law:

- Legislation:

- Internet sources