©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 1
AIB STYLE GUIDE
1 INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………………………………………………4
2 ACADEMIC INTEGRITY……………………………………………………………………………………………..5
3 PARAGRAPHS …………………………………………………………………………………………………………5
What is a paragraph? ………………………………………………………………………………………..5
The basic structure of a body paragraph ……………………………………………………………..5
4 TYPES OF WRITING………………………………………………………………………………………………….6
Descriptive writing ……………………………………………………………………………………………6
Analytical writing………………………………………………………………………………………………6
Critical writing ………………………………………………………………………………………………….7
Persuasive writing …………………………………………………………………………………………….8
Reflective writing ……………………………………………………………………………………………..9
4.5.1 Reflective practice……………………………………………………………………………………….. 9
4.5.2 Writing reflection………………………………………………………………………………………. 10
4.5.3 Main feature of reflective writing………………………………………………………………… 11
5 WRITING ACADEMICALLY ………………………………………………………………………………………12
Third person …………………………………………………………………………………………………..12
An academic voice…………………………………………………………………………………………..13
Linking sentences and paragraphs…………………………………………………………………….14
Connecting theory and practice………………………………………………………………………..18
6 REPORT FORMAT ………………………………………………………………………………………………….19
Sections of the report ……………………………………………………………………………………..19
Content within each report section …………………………………………………………………..19
6.2.1 Title page (on a separate page) …………………………………………………………………… 19
6.2.2 Executive summary (on a separate page)……………………………………………………… 20
6.2.3 Table of contents (on a separate page)………………………………………………………… 20
6.2.4 Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 20
6.2.5 Discussion…………………………………………………………………………………………………. 20
6.2.6 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………………… 21
6.2.7 References / Reference list…………………………………………………………………………. 22
6.2.8 Appendices……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 22
©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 2
7 REVIEW OF THEORIES AND FRAMEWORKS ………………………………………………………………22
Review of a (single) article ……………………………………………………………………………….22
Wider review of theories and frameworks …………………………………………………………23
8 OTHER ASSESSMENT TYPES ……………………………………………………………………………………23
9 STYLE …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..24
Details of document settings at AIB…………………………………………………………………..24
Spelling ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….24
Tables and figures …………………………………………………………………………………………..24
Oxford commas ………………………………………………………………………………………………26
Use of capital letters ……………………………………………………………………………………….26
Textual contrast………………………………………………………………………………………………30
Shortened forms …………………………………………………………………………………………….31
10 REFERENCING……………………………………………………………………………………………………….32
Referencing Tools……………………………………………………………………………………………32
The importance of referencing …………………………………………………………………………33
Using credible sources …………………………………………………………………………………….34
No or minimal referencing: plagiarism ………………………………………………………………34
Summary of referencing at AIB …………………………………………………………………………34
10.5.1 Number of references………………………………………………………………………………… 35
10.5.2 Types of references……………………………………………………………………………………. 35
10.5.3 In-text citations…………………………………………………………………………………………. 35
10.5.4 Reference list versus bibliography……………………………………………………………….. 36
10.5.5 General formatting for the reference list ……………………………………………………… 36
10.5.6 Punctuation………………………………………………………………………………………………. 36
10.5.7 Quotation marks ……………………………………………………………………………………….. 36
Page numbers…………………………………………………………………………………………………37
Abbreviations …………………………………………………………………………………………………37
11 REFERENCING EXAMPLES ………………………………………………………………………………………38
Basic referencing…………………………………………………………………………………………….38
11.1.1 In-text references………………………………………………………………………………………. 38
11.1.2 End-text references……………………………………………………………………………………. 38
General rules ………………………………………………………………………………………………….40
11.2.1 Multiple authors ……………………………………………………………………………………….. 40
©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 3
11.2.2 No person author………………………………………………………………………………………. 41
11.2.3 No date…………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 41
11.2.4 Indirect citation: Referencing an author who references others’ work…………….. 42
11.2.5 Multiple works by the same author……………………………………………………………… 42
11.2.6 Same family name……………………………………………………………………………………… 43
11.2.7 Two texts cited at once………………………………………………………………………………. 43
Paraphrase versus quotes ………………………………………………………………………………..44
Books and eBooks …………………………………………………………………………………………..45
Journal articles ……………………………………………………………………………………………….47
Web sources…………………………………………………………………………………………………..49
Company and industry information…………………………………………………………………..51
Conference proceedings ………………………………………………………………………………….53
Data and statistics …………………………………………………………………………………………..54
Encyclopedias and dictionaries …………………………………………………………………………55
Tables, figures, images, photos or artwork…………………………………………………………55
Learning Materials ………………………………………………………………………………………….58
Legal Materials (Legislation/Cases)……………………………………………………………………60
Multimedia materials………………………………………………………………………………………60
Newspapers……………………………………………………………………………………………………62
Personal Communications ……………………………………………………………………………….63
Theses & Assignments……………………………………………………………………………………..65
Creating new citation styles……………………………………………………………………………..65
12 ENDNOTE REFERENCE TYPES ………………………………………………………………………………….66
13 REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………………………………………………70
14 APPENDIX – HISTORY OF AMENDMENTS …………………………………………………………………71
©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 4
1 INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the AIB Style Guide! This Guide articulates the style requirements for written
assessment at AIB. The modern workplace often expects clear, structured and well-justified
communication. Therefore, the consistent use of the Guide will prepare you for such
communication, and help you achieve a better grade in written assessment.
This Guide serves as a general reference. You can find more explanation and examples on the
Academic Skills page of AIB learning portal. In addition to the Guide, you need to follow specific
requirements outlined in your current subject’s assessment page as these may vary. You are
encouraged to consult with the Online Facilitator, Subject Coordinator and AIB Academic Skills
Advisor to seek further clarification if required.
You can refer to this Guide as frequently as needed during your study with AIB. It is likely you
will make most use out of Referencing and Referencing Examples (sections 10 and 11) as well
as Report Format (section 6). The easiest way to navigate to particular content is to use your
PDF reader’s Table of Contents (see the the image in figure 1 below), or use Control (Ctrl) F on
your keyboard to search.
Figure 1: PDF table of contents
Source: Developed by AIB 2015.
AIB endeavours to provide you with the required guidelines for your academic success. Should
you find any omissions or have any suggestions for improvements or additions, please contact
AIB.
©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 5
2 ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
AIB expects students and staff to display high standards of academic integrity. This involves
avoiding plagiarism, collusion and other conduct that compromises the integrity and
authenticity of your work. You are required to be ethical, honest and responsible in your writing
and reporting. Familiarising yourself with the information on the Academic Study Skills page will
inform you about how to maintain integrity.
3 PARAGRAPHS
This section is designed to help you develop your writing skills by organising information into
paragraphs. Understanding how to structure a paragraph will enable you to express yourself in
a logical way. It makes you more convincing as a writer and speaker because it forces you to be
clear about the point you want to make and justify. In this way, people will not only understand
what you think but why you think it.
What is a paragraph?
Paragraphs break up writing into discrete points that contribute to the overall message or main
argument. Therefore, paragraphs are the building blocks of an assessment answer. If you look
at journal articles and books, you will see that most consist of a series of paragraphs, one after
the other. Paragraphs can also be recognised as units of meaning. A key point to understand is
that a paragraph is not a collection of unrelated sentences.
Not all paragraphs have the same function and purpose. For example, the paragraphs you use
for introductions and conclusions will be different to those you write in the body. Introduction
paragraphs will tell the reader what you will do. Conclusion paragraphs will tell the reader what
you have done. Therefore, the introduction and conclusion paragraphs are a little different to
the main kind of paragraph you will be writing, the body paragraph, which will be the focus of
this guide.
The basic structure of a body paragraph
As you might know, many documents (including essays, reports and journal articles) are divided
into three basic components: introduction, body and conclusion. A paragraph works in a similar
way. Thus, there are three main components to a paragraph: the topic sentence (introduction),
a number of support sentences (body), and a concluding sentence (conclusion).
A good way of understanding a paragraph is to think of it as a mini-essay (as depicted in figure
2). The topic sentence states the point the writer wants to make. The supporting sentences
expand on and develop that point by referring to and discussing evidence. The concluding
sentence tells the reader the significance of the evidence in relation to the paragraph’s main
point. In this way, the reader knows what the point is, what evidence there is to make it and,
importantly, why that point is being made.
©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 6
Figure 2: Example structure of a paragraph
Source: Developed by AIB 2015.
In an AIB assessment, research and in-text referencing must be included in your paragraphs.
Here is an example of a typical paragraph which follows the structure above:
Self-awareness is a critical skill/ability for leaders. Self-awareness is the capacity to be aware of
emotions and feelings, moment to moment (Goleman 1995). If one is not aware of one’s own
emotions in an interaction, it would be impossible to regulate one’s emotions, which is the
second component in Goleman’s model (Goleman 1995). For example, if one is not aware of
rising anger in oneself in an interaction, the effectiveness of communication may be impeded
by an inappropriate outburst of anger. Thus, self-awareness is not only imperative for
communication but is also considered the foundation of emotional intelligence (Goleman 1995;
Mayer, Salovey & Caruso 2008). As emotional intelligence underpins many leadership styles, it
is imperative for leaders to develop.
Further information about paragraphs is available on the Academic Study Skills site.
4 TYPES OF WRITING
Strong academic writing may contain some elements of descriptive writing but should use both
analytical, critical and persuasive paragraphs because they have transparent reasoning.
Descriptive writing
The easiest form of writing uses descriptive paragraphs. In describing, you are repeating what
you have read in your own words (paraphrasing). In descriptive writing, you are not proposing
an argument but merely giving the background to the issue. You are presenting the information
as it stands, without evidence of your thinking. While you need to show your knowledge of the
topic with some description, it is your analysis and evaluation that is important and should take
up a greater proportion of the word count.
Analytical writing
Analytical paragraphs aim to explore a topic to reach a better understanding. This may involve
arriving at a definition of a term; an exploration of the advantages and/or disadvantages or
limitations of a process; explaining the reasons for a practice; and so on.
In order to fully analyse an issue or practice, it is important to consider information from
different sources and indicate how the different pieces connect together to provide the reader
with a solid understanding of the whole. In other words, analysis requires you to

Topic sentence

Supporting sentence 1

Supporting sentence 2

Supporting sentence 3

Conclusion sentence

©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 7
• categorise information (is it a definition, advantage, reason, result or something else?)
• identify the relationship between each piece of information in the same category and
across categories.
The paragraph below presents an analytical definition of cognitive dissonance.
Cognitive dissonance theory (CDT) is based on the idea that individuals seek, and wish to
maintain, an internal state of consistency (Festinger 1957). Cognitive dissonance is the negative
affective consequence of a discrepancy between related thoughts, attitudes, behaviours, values
or feelings (cognitions). Experienced as psychological discomfort, tension or unease, dissonance
for some is an extremely painful and intolerable thing (Festinger 1957, p. 266) and can lead to
serious long-term problems for organisations and their employees through job dissatisfaction,
absenteeism, increased turnover intentions, health problems, job burnout (Côté 2005; Härtel,
Hsu & Boyle 2001; Holman, Martinez-Iñigo & Totterdell 2008; Lewig & Dollard 2003; Pugh et al.
2011; Rafael & Sutton 1987); and suicide at the extreme (Hochschild 1983). Thus, CDT can be
applied to the workplace to improve employee morale, and through this, motivation.
Critical writing
Critical writing requires you to take into consideration at least two views on the information
you are investigating. It requires you to weigh up the evidence and arguments of others.
Often the most challenging thing for students to understand is that the essence of good
academic writing is not just accepting what is said at face value. In mathematics, there is usually
one right answer. In social science, absolute proof does not exist—there is no single correct
answer. For this reason, academic writing encourages the comparison and contrast of ideas and
concepts to other concepts, ideas and principles in a discussion of theory. This is sometimes
called critical analysis or critical judgment. The term “critical” in this sense does not mean saying
negative things. Being critical in the academic sense means using discrimination—talking about
differences in ideas and giving them a value.
The most characteristic features of critical writing are
• a clear and confident refusal to accept the conclusions of other writers without
evaluating the arguments and evidence that they provide
• a balanced presentation of reasons why the conclusions of writers may be accepted or
may need to be treated with caution
• a clear presentation of the evidence and argument, leading to your conclusion
• a recognition of the limitations in the evidence.
In order to display these features, critical writing will need to
• consider the quality of the evidence and argument you have read
• identify key positive and negative aspects you can comment upon
• assess their relevance and usefulness to the debate that you are engaging in for your
assignment
• identify how they can best be woven into the argument that you are developing.
©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 8
Remember that a much higher level of skill is needed for critical writing than for descriptive
writing, which is reflected in the higher marks earned by critical writing. Note also that before
a paragraph can be critical, it must first be analytical.
The following paragraph demonstrates critical writing in that it compares Salovey and Mayer’s
theory to Goleman’s model and indicates how the latter adds to the former.
Salovey and Mayer (1990) first used the term “emotional intelligence” (EI). They theorised that
emotional intelligence consists of the following three categories of adaptive abilities: appraisal
and expression of emotion, regulation of emotion, and utilisation of emotions in solving
problems. Goleman’s (1995) model of “emotional quotient” (EQ), on the other hand, comprises
the categories self-awareness, self-regulation, internal motivation, empathy and social skills.
Clearly, the awareness and regulation of emotions in self and in others are fundamental to both
models. It can also be seen that Goleman’s model expands that of Salovey and Mayer and places
emphasis on how EI operates in the world by expanding the notion of utilising emotion to solve
problems to include both interactions with oneself and others.
More information about critical writing is available on the Academic Study Skills site
Persuasive writing
Persuasive writing aims to put forward a point of view and convince the reader to subscribe to
this point of view. This can include the development of arguments, recommendations,
interpretation of findings, or evaluations of others’ work. To be effective, persuasive writing
must be both analytical and critical as well as put forward an opinion.
One technique to persuade a reader to your point of view is to analyse and synthesise a wide
selection of information from different sources. Detailing extensive evidence to support a
particular viewpoint will help convince the reader it is a valid one. The persuasive paragraph
therefore requires extensive referencing.
Another technique for persuasion involves comparing alternative viewpoints to determine
which one is more robust. This can include weighing up the amount and relative strength of
evidence on each side of the argument. It can also include refuting particular viewpoints by
pointing out flaws in the argument or finding solutions to any problems raised by a particular
author. This comparison is a form of critical writing.
Your opinion should be apparent throughout the paragraph through the use of various
techniques:
• the topic sentence: hedging language for the weaker side; more definite or inclusive
language for the stronger side.
• writer’s voice: refuting language to discredit certain opinions; drawing of implications to
suggest how each piece of evidence relates to the topic.
• the final comment: an indication of how all the evidence supports your opinion.
The following paragraph attempts to persuade the reader that self-awareness is the most
important ability with regard to emotional intelligence (EI). A different writer could have
determined another ability (e.g. self-regulation or empathy) was the most crucial to EI and
presented an alternative argument (with appropriate evidence).
©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 9
Self-awareness is almost certainly the most important area of emotional intelligence (EI) to
master. Defined as the capacity to be aware of emotions and feelings, moment to moment
(Goleman 1995), it is fundamental to both Salovey and Mayer’s (1990) theory of EI and
Goleman’s (1995) model of emotional quotient (EQ), both of which include it as a distinct
category. As Goleman (1995) explains, becoming aware of the self’s emotions allows one to
regulate emotions in oneself and in others. Thus, self-awareness is not only imperative for
communication but is also considered the foundation of emotional intelligence (Goleman 1995;
Mayer, Salovey & Caruso 2008). Without first developing self-awareness, one cannot develop
the other characteristics of EI.
Reflective writing
To reflect means to consider carefully, weigh up, or think purposefully about something. The
ability to reflect on your work and on that of others working with you is regarded as a critical
professional development skill. Similarly, reflecting upon your learning while undertaking study
helps to highlight areas particularly relevant to you and helps to deepen the learning.
For information on how to demonstrate the following skills refer to Reflective writing skills on
the Academic Study Skills site.
4.5.1 Reflective practice
Reflective practice is one of the critical elements of experiential learning. Developed by David
Kolb in 1984 and updated in 2015, the “experiential learning cycle” consists of four learning
stages in which immediate or concrete experiences provide a basis for observations and
reflections. These observations and reflections are used to develop abstract concepts, which
provide the basis for action that can be actively tested and, in turn, create new experiences.
In short, the process can be boiled down to three simple questions—What? So What? Now
What?
Figure 3: The experiential learning cycle
Source: Developed by AIB 2015.
©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 10
In the Kolb “experiential learning cycle”, as depicted in figure 3, reflection is a key element that
enables you to learn from your experience:
First, you involve yourself in (or “experience”) a task or new situation in an open-minded way.
Then, you consider (or “reflect on”) the experience, for example, by asking, “What did I notice
about my experience? How did it work for me? Do I still have questions?” Such reflection helps
you to make sense of your experience.
Next, you can answer questions such as “What does my experience mean? How could this go
better?” This helps you to identify what could be improved and what you should do differently
next time.
Finally, you can check out the new plan by putting it into practice and testing it by doing
something different. This takes you onto a new cycle of learning as you immerse yourself in a
new experience.
4.5.2 Writing reflection
Reflective writing is more than a description or summary of your experiences. Reflective writing
is a way of processing your practical experience to improve your learning. It is an opportunity
for you to review previous experiences and think about those experiences in relation to your
subject learning materials.
When writing reflectively, you critically evaluate your personal experiences to make
connections with theories and practice. Use your personal experience as a starting point and
consider how typical it is. Is there an academic article or research that shows your experience
has been examined or can be used more generally?
The two key features of reflective writing are:
1. The integration of theory and practice. You need to identify the important aspects of
your reflection and write these using the appropriate theories and academic context to
explain and interpret your reflections. Use your experiences to evaluate the theories
you have read from relevant academic literature. Reflective practice requires you to
synthesise different perspectives (whether from other people or literature) to help
explain, justify or challenge what you have encountered in your own or other people’s
practice. It may be that theory or literature gives us an alternative perspective that we
should consider; it may provide evidence to support our views or practices, or
explicitly challenge them.
2. Identify the learning outcomes of your experience. You may include a plan for next
time that identifies what you would have done differently. Refer to your new
understandings and the unexpected things you have learnt about yourself using current
literature as evidence to support your claims.
Reflective writing can be confronting, as you are writing about your experience and beliefs. Try
to stand back and look at your experience objectively. Try not to let yourself be influenced by
your feelings about a situation. Although you are writing about your own experiences and
feelings, you need to be as rigorous and thorough as you would be for any other assessment.
©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 11
4.5.3 Main feature of reflective writing
Reflective writing is a form of academic writing which allows the use of both first-person and
third-person perspectives (see table 1). As a large proportion of a reflective account is based on
your own experience, it is normally appropriate to use the first person (I). However, most
assessments containing reflective writing will also include academic writing. You are therefore
likely to need to write both in the first person (“I felt…”) and in the third person (“Northouse
(2019) proposes that …”).
Table 1: Reflective writing

You NEED to use the third person when	You MAY use the first person when
using statistics, reports, theories and academic literature that you have read as evidence to your claims. In this case, you need to include the sources you refer to. • Northouse (2019) defines authentic leadership as… He explains that… • Northouse (2019) argues/states/believes… • Smith (2018) demonstrated….	using personal experiences and/or reflecting or giving an opinion • My focus as a leader was to… • My leadership styles… • As a leader, I have learnt from relevant theories that …. • As a leader, I had to consider…
comparing and contrasting the views of others	including your own view
being objective Passive voice is highly recommended in academic writing: • It was found that …. • This has been shown to be…	being subjective Active voice is most appropriate in this instance: • My experience shows that…
referring to wider research • According to Smith and Northouse (2019), the absence of stress can produce more effective working outcomes.	presenting personal data • I found that when I am less stressed, I am less effective at work.
using evidence • A study by Smith (2019) demonstrates that stress lowers productivity.	giving anecdotal evidence • While stress forces me to meet deadlines, my superior has had to ask me to tweak sections of work I have submitted when stressed.
using reasoning • If one is not aware of one’s own emotions in an interaction, it would be impossible to regulate one’s emotions, (Goleman 1995). Thus, self-awareness is imperative for communication.	being intuitive • I have noticed that my conversations progress better when I am aware my emotions. Therefore, I believe that self-awareness is imperative for communication.

Source: Developed by AIB n.d.
©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 12
The paragraph below is not academic because it does not draw on literature or examples.
Therefore, it is an unsupported opinion of the student writer, which is not adequate.
I am a transformational leader. I am passionate and enthusiastic at work. I create visions for my
followers and inject energy and motivation into my team. I am a great example of an
inspirational leader for women in the workplace.
The following paragraph, however, explains and applies concrete examples to theory and is
persuasive because it posits an argument that is stated in the first two sentences and then
supported in further sentences.
Feedback from followers has revealed that I have the charisma of a transformational leader.
Hughes, Ginnette and Curphy (2015) explain that charismatic leaders engage the emotions of
followers through their passion, enthusiasm and vision for the future. I create visions for my
followers and inject energy and motivation into my team on a regular basis. I do this by being
passionate and enthusiastic at team meetings once a week when I outline sales targets and
their part in achieving the goals of the organisation. Motivating followers in this way to achieve
the higher organisational purpose is, according to Hughes, Ginnette and Curphy (2015), a key
characteristic of a transformational leader. Therefore, my preference for engaging followers’
emotions is the first characteristic that defines me as this type of leader.
5 WRITING ACADEMICALLY
The follow sections outline the essentials of academic writing. Further explanation can be found
on the Language, Style and Cohesion section of the Academic Study Skills page.
Third person
Academic writing uses a formal, objective style and so minimal reference is made to the author.
This means most academic writing (with the exception of reflective writing) should be in the
third person: using the third person makes your writing more objective and less personal. For
academic and professional writing, this sense of objectivity makes the writer seem less biased
and, therefore, more credible.
The third person helps the writer stay focused on facts and evidence instead of personal
opinions.
Use the proper pronouns. The third person refers to people either write by name or a thirdperson pronouns.
• Third-person pronouns include he, she, it; his, her, it’s; him, her, it; himself, herself,
itself; they; them; their; themselves.
• Names are also considered appropriate for third-person use.
o Example: “Smith believes differently. According to his research (cited in Jones 2022),
earlier claims on the subject are incorrect.”
Refer to the subject in general terms. Sometimes, a writer will need to refer to someone in
indefinite terms. In other words, they may need to address or speak about a person generally.
©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 13
This is when the temptation to slip into the second person “you” or “we” comes into play. An
indefinite third-person pronoun or noun is appropriate here.
• Indefinite third-person nouns common to academic writing include the writer, the reader,
individuals, students, a student, an instructor, people, a person, a woman, a man, a child,
researchers, scientists, writers, experts, the business, leaders.
o Example: “In spite of the challenges involved, researchers persist in their claims”.
• Indefinite third-person pronouns include one, anyone, everyone, someone, no one,
another, any, each, either, everybody, neither, nobody, other, anybody, somebody,
everything, someone.
o Incorrect example: “You might be tempted to agree without all the facts”.
o Correct example: “One might be tempted to agree without all the facts”.
An academic voice
When you engage in critical and reflective writing, you are developing your academic voice
within your subject. Wellington et al. (2005, p. 84) offer some suggestions for distinguishing
between the academic and the non-academic voice. They suggest that the academic voice will
involve:
• “healthy scepticism” … but not cynicism
• confidence … but not “cockiness” or arrogance
• judgement, which is critical … but not dismissive
• opinions … without being opinionated
• careful evaluation of published work … not serial shooting at random targets
• being “fair”: assessing fairly the strengths and weaknesses of other people’s ideas and
writing … without prejudice, and
• making judgements based on considerable thought and all the available evidence as
opposed to assertions without reason.
In other words, an academic voice is objective and professional.
• Emphasise things and ideas rather than people and feelings. For example, instead of
writing “I believe the framework is valid, based on these findings”, write “These findings
indicate that the framework is valid”.
• Avoid evaluative words that are based on non-technical judgments and feelings. For
example, use valid or did not demonstrate instead of amazing or disappointment.
• Avoid intense or emotional evaluative language. For example, instead of writing
“Parents who do not immunise are obviously abusing their children”, write “Lack of
immunisation has some harmful effects on children’s health”.
• Use objectivity to show caution about your views or to allow room for others to
disagree. For example, instead of writing “I think lack of immunisation spreads disease”,
write “There is evidence suggesting that the likelihood of measles outbreaks increases
with the reduction in immunisation”.
©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 14
• Find authoritative sources, such as authors, researchers and theorists in books or
articles, who support your point of view, and refer to them in your writing. For example,
instead of writing “Leadership is, in my view, clearly something social”, write “As
Northouse (2018) argues, leadership is intrinsically social”.
Source: Modified from Sydney University Writing Skill Centre 2019.
Linking sentences and paragraphs
It can be challenging to start a sentence or find words to show the relationship between your
ideas. However, linking sentences and paragraphs is an important step in maintaining the flow
and rhythm of your writing and improving its coherence. Possible linking words or phrases,
which help in this regard, can be found in table 2.
Table 2: Sentence starts, transitional and other useful works

To introduce
This essay discusses …	… is explored …	… is defined …
The definition of … will be given	… is briefly outlined …	… is investigated …
The issue focused on …	… is demonstrated …	… is included …
In this essay …	… is explained …	… are identified …
The key aspect discussed …	… are presented …	… is justified …
Views on … range from …	… is evaluated …	… is examined …
The central theme …	… is described …	… is analysed …
Emphasised are …	… is explained and illustrated with examples …

 

To conclude
In summary, …	To review, …	In conclusion, …
In brief, …	To summarise, …	To sum up, …
To conclude, …	Thus, …	Hence, …
It has been shown that, …	In short, …

 

To compare and contrast
Similarly, …	In the same way …	Likewise, …

©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 15

In comparison …	Complementary to this …	Then again, …
However, …	This is in contrast to …	In contrast, …
And yet …	Nevertheless, …	Conversely, …
On the contrary, …	On the other hand, …	Notwithstanding …
Whereas …	In contrast to …	That aside, …
While this is the case …	… disputes …	Despite this, …

 

To add ideas
Also, …	Equally important …	Subsequently, …
Furthermore, …	Moreover, …	As well as…
Next…	Another essential point…	Additionally, …
More importantly, …	In the same way …	Another …
Then, …	In addition, …	Besides, …
Then again, …	Firstly, secondly, thirdly, finally.	To elaborate, …

 

To present uncommon or rare ideas
Seldom	Few	Not many
A few	is uncommon	is scarce
Rarely	is rare	is unusual

 

To present common or widespread ideas
Numerous	Many …	More than …
Several	Almost all …	The majority …
Most	Commonly …	Significant …
… is prevalent	… is usual …	Usually …

©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 16

To present inconclusive ideas
Perhaps …	… maybe …	… might be …
There is limited evidence for …	… is debated …	… is possibly …
… could …	… may include …

 

To give examples
For example, …	… as can be seen in …	… supports …
An illustration of …	… as demonstrated by …	… is observed …
Specifically, …	… is shown …	… exemplifies …
such as …	As an example, …	To illustrate, …
For instance, …

 

To show relationships or outcome
Therefore …	As a result, …	For that reason, …
Hence, …	Otherwise, …	Consequently, …
The evidence suggests/shows	It can be seen that …	With regard to …
After examining …	These factors contribute to …	It is apparent that …
Considering, … concluded that	Subsequently, …	The effect is …
The outcome is …	The result …	The correlation …
The relationship …	The link …	The convergence …
The connection …	… interacts with …	Both …
… affects …	Thus, it is …	… causes …
… influences …	… predicts …	… leads to …
… informs …	… presupposes …	… emphasises …
… demonstrates …	… impacts on …	… supports …

©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 17

To present prior or background ideas
In the past, …	Historically, …	Traditionally, …
Customarily…	Beforehand, …	Originally, …
Prior to this, …	Earlier, …	Formerly, …
Previously, …	Over time, …	At the time of …
Conventionally…	Foundational to this is …	In earlier …
Initially, …	At first, …	Recently …
Until now, …	The traditional interpretation ..

 

To present others’ ideas
According to …	Based on the findings of … it can be argued …	… proposed that …
As explained by …	… states that …	… claims that …
However, … stated that …	… suggested …	… concluded that …
Similarly, … stated that ….	… for example, …	… agreed that …
Based on the ideas of …	… defined … as ….	… relates …
As identified by …	… disputed that …	… contrasts …
With regard to … argued that …	… concluded that …	… confirmed that …
… argues …	… highlights …	… demonstrates …
… found that …	… identifies …	… wrote that …
… demonstrated …	… also …	… reported ….
… pointed out that …	… maintained that …	… hypothesised that …
… expressed the opinion that …	… also mentioned ….	… asserts that ….
… identified …	…goes on to state/suggest/say	… emphasizes …
… challenges the idea …	… showed that …	… explored the idea …

Source: Modified from Manalo, Wont Toi & Bartlett-Trafford 2009.
©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 18
Connecting theory and practice
Academic writing at AIB requires you to link your practice and experience to the theory. This
demonstrates to the person marking your assessment that you understand the theory or
concept, have thought deeply about it and can apply it in practice to real life (or in some cases
simulated) examples. The following is an example of a reflective paragraph that links theory to
experience.
Self-awareness and self-regulation are fundamental categories of emotional intelligence which
are recognised in all theoretical models (Salovey & Mayer 1990; Goleman 1995). Self-awareness
is an awareness of one’s own emotions. As Goleman (1995) explains, becoming aware of
emotions in ourselves and others allows us to regulate emotions in ourselves and in others. For
example, after repeated failed attempts to explain a product to a customer, I realised I was
flushing, sweating and frustrated. It was this sudden awareness of my frustration that allowed
me to regulate this emotion by breathing deeply and calming down. I also became aware that
the customer was frustrated through the increased volume of her voice. Thus, consistent with
Goleman’s theory, it was the recognition of my own and my customer’s frustration that both
prompted and allowed me to regulate my own emotion and my customer’s through trying a
different tactic of explanation.
Applying the business case and using theory guidance is available on the Academic Study
Skills site.
©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 19
6 REPORT FORMAT
This section describes the standard report format, which should be used for many AIB
assessments. Further information about reports can be found on the Academic Study Skills
page.
Sections of the report
Figure 4 shows the basic report format of an AIB assessment. You are required to follow this
format unless the assessment details for a particular subject specifically ask you to use a
different format. A template for this report format is also available on the student learning
portal.
Figure 4: Example of the report layout
Title page – Please include:
• Assessment title
• Word count
• Student name
• Student number
• Subject name
• AQF level of Subject
Executive Summary (on a separate page)
Table of Contents
Executive summary
1. Introduction
2. <heading >
3. <heading>
4. …
6. Conclusions (or Recommendations and Conclusions where relevant)
References
Appendices
Source: Developed by AIB 2015.
Content within each report section
6.2.1 Title page (on a separate page)
Give your assessment a title and summarise the assessment question to remind the reader what
the assessment is about. Include the name of the business (or country) investigated if you are
writing about a particular organisation (or country/region). The title of the assessment should
be comprehensive enough to give the reader an idea about the coverage of the assessment.
©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 20
Also, include on the title page your name, student number and the subject’s name. Place the
word count (which includes all text from the start of the introduction to the end of the
conclusion or recommendations section, including in-text references) on the title page. The title
page is not included in the word count.
6.2.2 Executive summary (on a separate page)
The executive summary gives your reader an overview of the report. Before going through the
entire report, readers first want to see the summary. In fact, in many busy business situations,
decisions are sometimes made solely based on the executive summary, particularly if it is
persuasive.
Your executive summary should include what you did, how you did it (Background), why you
did it (Purpose), what your main findings were, and what your key recommendations are
(Results). Although the executive summary appears at the beginning of the document, it should
be written after completing the assessment.
An executive summary always appears on a separate page. It does not have any subheadings
and should not include in-text citations (references). An executive summary in an assessment
report is usually one or two paragraphs in length and typically should not be more than 250
words. An executive summary of a project can be longer but should never be more than a page
in length. The executive summary is not included in the word count.
6.2.3 Table of contents (on a separate page)
After the executive summary (on a new page), you should include a table of contents with a list
of the numbered sections and subsections of the assessment, showing page numbers.
Numbered appendices should also be presented in the table of contents (see the table of
contents for this guide as an example of a table of contents).
Most word processing software provides a function for inserting an automatic table of contents.
Please ensure the table of contents is updated before you submit the completed assessment.
A table of contents is not included in the word count.
6.2.4 Introduction
The introduction explains to your reader what you are going to tell them in the body of your
assessment. The first paragraph of your introduction gives the background to the assessment
and explains the circumstances which give rise to the need for a report. Your second paragraph
should state the aim, purpose or objective of the assessment, and the scope of your report. It
should mention any limitations and should present a very brief summary of the sections. The
introduction in an assessment report should not take more than about half a page; the
introduction for a project can be longer.
6.2.5 Discussion
The sections after the introduction are where you begin the discussion, outlining relevant facts,
presenting relevant concepts and theories and including analysis and evaluation. Make sure to
use appropriate resources to justify your arguments and use in-text referencing to acknowledge
other people’s work.
©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 21
Rather than having one long discussion section, divide your discussion into logical sections and
subsections, each with a descriptive heading (The heading description should not be used). This
will make it easier for your reader to understand what you are trying to say. Make your headings
longer than just one or two cryptic words (but not too long) to help the reader understand the
sections and flow of the assessment quickly. For example, the heading Advances in education is
more informative than either the word Advances or the word Education in isolation.
All headings and sub-headings are left-justified, in bold and the same size font as the main text
(size 12).
Headings should be numbered using whole numbers (1, 2, 3 etc.). Sub-headings use the format
2.1, 2.2, 2.3 while sub-sub-headings, if used, are numbered 2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.1.3 and so on. Figure
5 shows an example of heading numbering and layout.
Figure 5: Example headings numbering and layout
2. Heading
Under the primary level heading, the first paragraph of the section begins on a new line (like
this).
2.1 Sub-heading
Under the secondary level heading, the first paragraph of the section begins on a new line (like
this).
2.1.1 Sub-sub-heading
Following this tertiary level heading, the first paragraph of the section starts on a new line (like
this).
3. Heading
Under the primary level heading, the first paragraph of the section begins on a new line (like
this). etc.…
Source: Developed by AIB 2015.
Each section should start with a link to the previous section; for example, “The previous section
discussed strengths. However, weaknesses are also apparent.” When linking sections and
paragraphs, it is helpful to use transition words, such as moreover, furthermore, in addition,
also, consequently, so, on the other hand, in contrast, but, however or nevertheless (refer to
section 6.3).
6.2.6 Conclusion
The conclusion should summarise and tie together the whole of the assessment or project
without introducing new material. It should outline any implications which can be drawn from
the analysis.
In some assessments, you may be specifically asked to make recommendations. You should
then ensure the heading becomes ‘Recommendations and Conclusion’. Where possible, your
recommendations should outline the specific actions that are required. Recommendations
must be justified and the priority that you place on each recommendation needs to be
considered.
©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 22
A final sentence of the report could be used to demonstrate that the purpose of the assessment
task (stated in the introduction section) has been achieved.
6.2.7 References / Reference list
A complete listing of all the references you have cited, assembled in alphabetical order by
author surname, must be provided. The Reference list section is not included in the word count.
Details of proper referencing are contained in Sections 10 and 11 of this Style Guide.
6.2.8 Appendices
Appendices contain information that is relevant to but does not directly support your analysis.
They are optional. If used, they are placed after the References. You should explicitly refer to
an appendix in the text of your report, with a very brief outline of its contents. This reference
can be expressed as a sentence e.g. The questions used in the survey are listed in Appendix 1 or
in a phrase The key finding of the survey was that students appreciated a style guide (see
Appendix 1 for questions). By referring to appendices in the discussion of the report, you
encourage the reader to look at the additional materials. Appendices are not included in the
word count.
7 REVIEW OF THEORIES AND FRAMEWORKS
A review of theories and frameworks is a critical review of the way particular theories and
frameworks have been applied to a topic in the literature. As a critical piece of writing, a review
is more than a summary of various articles. Each paragraph should centre around a single point
relevant to your purpose. This point should be explored through the analysis and synthesis of
the information in various articles. You can attempt to arrive at a common understanding
around that point or to indicate differences of opinion exist.
The audience for this assessment is the teaching team who are interested in the content of the
articles being explicitly reviewed, the argument that is being presented by the author(s) you
have read, and your critical assessment of their ideas.
Review of a (single) article
Your task is to:
• Identify the key points and main arguments of the paper.
• Discuss these key points in relation to broader theories and concepts.
• Discuss their relevance to your topic or, for a piece of writing which requests reflection,
experience.
Use the following questions as a guide to help you draft your review:
• What are the aims and objectives of the article?
• What is the central argument, and how is it supported?
• What theoretical framework or central concepts are discussed?
• How does the work fit into the wider literature?
• How does the work advance your knowledge of the subject and/or the application of
the theory to your topic or professional experience?
©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 23
Wider review of theories and frameworks
A wider review of theories and frameworks is conducted to determine how these tools can
assist in the analysis of a particular problem or opportunity. A broad review of theories and
frameworks requires you to analyse, compare and synthesize information from different
authors to show the interrelationship between various research, ideas and opinions. As the
body of knowledge in any area is likely to be large, it does not require you to review every article
published. Instead, you should choose the literature most relevant to your purpose.
Therefore, when writing your review, it is vital that you establish your scope before you write.
You can do this by writing a clear purpose statement that you can return to when you are unsure
whether to include certain information. If, for example, you aim to review the literature on
assessing the quality of materials in an online course, information on other aspects of quality,
such as student support, would not be relevant even though it may appear in your literature
search.
By the time you finish your review, you should have a clear indication of the areas will need to
analyse in order to complete your purpose, and how they relate to your topic. You should also
understand the circumstances in which the components of the framework or model may not
provide an accurate analysis.
A review of theories and frameworks has the following features:
• A critical synthesis of a definition of key terms, derived from various sources.
• An analysis of different theories, models and frameworks and how they connect to the
question under consideration.
• Connection of the theories, models and frameworks to opinions expressed by various
authors.
• An analysis of any limitations of the models and frameworks or ideas expressed by the
author, particularly in relation to the question under consideration.
• Identification of topics that can be analysed to answer your research question.
• Synthesis of different authors’ contribution to the topics.
• The use of author-prominent referencing to indicate who is responsible for key ideas.
• Information-prominent referencing for widely held views or when outlining models or
frameworks.
• Identification of any gaps in the body of knowledge.
• Limited headings (without numbering) are acceptable.
8 OTHER ASSESSMENT TYPES
Alternative assessment items include (but are not limited to) projects, journal article critique,
oral presentations, small written items, forum posts, team assessments and proposals. Details
about each assessment item and the weighting for each assessment item in any given subject,
including the due dates, word limits and marking criteria, are set out in the subject outline
provided for the subject.
©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 24
9 STYLE
This section describes how you should format and present your written work for submission to
AIB. It is based on the following text:
Australian Government Publishing Service 2006, Style manual for authors, editors and printers,
6th edn, John Wiley & Sons, Milton.
For updates, see https://www.stylemanual.gov.au/.
Details of document settings at AIB
AIB’s document settings for academic work are as follows:
• 12 point, of one of the following fonts Calibri, Helvetica or Arial (Calibri is the font used in
this document)
• line spacing of 1.5 lines
• language set as English
• left-aligned or justified.
Spelling
It is highly recommended that students are consistent in their spelling, whether it be Australian,
British or American English.
Tables and figures
Tables and figures are an excellent way of illustrating and justifying your argument. However,
they must complement the written words discussed in the section(s) above them and should
not replace that discussion. Consequently, tables and their headers and footers are not included
in the word count. Ensure all the important points in your arguments are in your text and that
the reader does not have to search a table or figure for those points.
Maintain clarity when constructing tables or including figures. Place them directly after, or as
close as possible to, the paragraph that refers to them. Each table or figure should have the
following features:
• A table or figure number and a title should appear at the top.
The number should reflect the order in which the table or figure appears in your report. Use
whole numbers (Figure 1; Figure 2) and ignore the number in the source.
Keep titles brief and clear but long enough to make the table or figure self-contained so that its
relevance can be grasped without referring back to the text of the assessment. Only the first
letter is capitalised and there is no full stop.
©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 25
Example:
Figure 6: Market segmentation for concert attendees
Source: Developed by AIB 2022.
• Centre the title on the page.
• Use bold font.
• Notes and sources should appear below the table. Only the first letter is capitalised and
there is a full stop. The source is part of the citation (see section 11.11 for examples of
how to in-text reference a table or figure).
• The table and source (for both figures and tables), but not the title, should be one font
size smaller than the assessment.
For figures include the following:
• A legend clearly showing what each line or symbol in a figure stands for.
• Axis titles or column headings that clearly describe the variables involved, including the
scale used; for example, “sales revenue in $00s”.
• Axis scales which are clearly marked and have a clear break if the scale is not continuous
from zero.
Age 0-18 18- 21 25-30 31-40 41-60 60+
©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 26
Table three below is an example of a table presented in the appropriate style. The table is
mentioned in this text, is presented in a font size smaller than the text, includes a table number
and title above the table and acknowledges its source immediately below the table.
Table 3: Likelihood ratings—projects

Descriptor	Definition	Probability
Almost certain	Event is likely to occur in most circumstances	91–100%
Likely	Event will probably occur in most circumstances	61–90%
Possible	Event should occur at some time	41–60%
Unlikely	Event could occur at some time	10–40%
Rare	Event will only occur in exceptional circumstances	0–10%

Source: Larson et al. 2014, p. 233.
Oxford commas
The Oxford comma is placed between two co-ordinating clauses (clauses which begin with for,
and, not, because, or, yet or so), and between all items in a list (including the last two items
separated by the words and or or).
AIB does not require the use of Oxford commas but encourages them if they can help avoid
misunderstanding.
Examples
The waiters placed salt, vinegar and chips on the table.
The waiters placed salt and pepper, fish and chips, and oil and vinegar on the tables.
In the examples below, the use of a comma in the second sentence clears ambiguity. Ambiguity
can also be avoided by changing the order of the items (i.e. writing acronyms first).
Capital letters should be used for the first letter of proper nouns and acronyms.
Capital letters should be used for the first letter of proper nouns, and acronyms.
Capital letters should be used for the acronyms and the first letter of proper nouns.
Use of capital letters
All sentences should start with a capital letter. Similarly, the first word after a colon (:) is
capitalised. Capitals should also be used for the first letter of proper nouns or proper names,
and to mark titles and honorific names used in direct address (unless they have been
abbreviated to their generic element or unless it is a reference to a previous incumbent or the
office itself).
©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 27
For referencing, minimal capitalisation is preferred, so only the first word of book or article titles
have a capital letter. Author names and initials are always capitalised; however, for journal
titles, capitalise any word that is not a preposition or conjunction.
Initial capitals should always be used for names that identify the items in table 4.
Table 4: Use of capital letters

Place	Capital	Example
Countries	Y	Australia
Geo-political designations	Y	Adelaide the Asia-Pacific
Topographical features	Y	Mount Everest the Danube
Buildings/ public places	Y	the Louvre
General, unspecific areas	N	the beach
Commercial terms	Capital	Example
Organisations	All words except articles, prepositions & conjunctions	the Australian Institute of Business
Reference to organisations as a generic element	N	the institute the business
Trademarks, proprietary names & brand names	Y	Coca-Cola Apple
Model names	Y	Toyota Corolla
Documents	Capital	Example
Names of books	All words except articles, prepositions & conjunctions	the Australian Institute of Business
Titles in a document	Y	Chapter 10
Figures and tables	Y	Figure 5; Table 2

©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 28

Roman numerals	Upper case for title of book elements. Lower case for page and paragraph numbers.	Chapter V on page ix
People	Capital	Example
Names	Y	Jane Smith
Races	Y	Asian; Caucasian
Clan/ Tribes	Y	Zulu
Nationalities	Y	Canadian
Inhabitants of a region	Y	Melbournians
Speakers of a language	Y	Chinese
Adherents of a religion	Y	Christian; Muslim; Buddhist; Hindu
Time	Capital	Example
Days	Y	Monday
Months	Y	January
Seasons	N	spring
Holidays/ Holy days	Y	Christmas
Historical periods	Y for specific periods N for broad historical descriptions	the Renaissance the colonial era
Scientific Names	Capital	Examples
Taxonomic groups	Y down to genus level N for species and lower	Eucalyptus marginate Note: taxonomic groups require italics.

©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 29

Common names of animals and plants	N (unless they contain a proper noun)	a ring-tailed possum Bennett’s wallaby a rose
Chemicals and compounds	N (unless they contain a proper noun)	nitrogen
Viruses, bacteria	N (unless they contain a proper noun)	salmonella
Diseases	N (unless they contain a proper noun)	diabetes
Drugs	N for the common term Y for proprietary names	Panadol paracetamol
Numbers	Circumstance	Rule	Example
#	Number at the beginning of a sentence	Spell the word	Nineteen new businesses were registered this week.
#	Number in the sentence	Spell out numbers less than 10. Use numerals for numbers of two or more digits.	Of the new businesses, seven are in IT. The other 12 operate in various sectors.
$	Money	Use numerals, accompanied by a symbol. Distinguish between currencies.	The business sold A$200,000 worth of goods. The cost of each unit is US$2.
%	Percentages	Can be shown as either all text or number plus symbol. Text cannot be mixed with the symbol.	Revenue increased by ten percent. Revenue increased by 10% last year.
Fig.	Figures and tables	Use a numeral	Figure 5; Table 1

©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 30

Units	Names of units	Can be expressed either in words or by their symbol. Consistency is important. Symbols may be preferable in tables. Words may be preferable in body text.	3 metres 3 m 100 metres 100 m
/	Per	Spell with words. Use forward slash with numbers.	Three per day 3/day
Chapter 1	Titles	Use a numeral	Chapter 10 part 2
10/9/2020	Dates	Use numerals for the day and year, without a comma between elements. Abbreviations are acceptable in tables and figures.	1 January 2022 1/1/2022
20th C	Century	Use either numerals or words but be consistent.	21st Century Twenty-first century.
12 pm	Time of day	Expressed in words unless the exact time is important. If using ‘am’ and ‘pm’, these are lower case with no full stops and a space between them and the time.	The business will reopen at nine am tomorrow morning.

Textual contrast
9.6.1 Headings
See section 6.2.5. For further support, see Headings
9.6.2 Indented material
Use indented material in a systematic way, maintaining the same amount of indentation each
time to keep the document balanced. For example, every time you use a bullet-point list, use
the same indentation.
©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 31
9.6.3 Bullet-point lists
Itemised lists should be presented in bullet form unless numbers or letters are required to show
priority or chronology. However, use itemised lists sparingly as they can disrupt the flow for the
reader.
Punctuation of bullet-point lists is a matter for each author to decide as there are many different
views on the issue. Whichever choice you make, just be sure to remain consistent throughout
the document. However, they may be inappropriate in essays and the discussion section of a
report.
9.6.4 Italics
Italics are used in the following situations:
• titles of books, periodicals, websites, films, TV and radio programmes, works of art,
legislation and legal cases e.g. The AIB Style Guide outlines the…
• names of ships, aircraft and other vehicles e.g. The Titanic sailed from…
• scientific names of animals and plants e.g. Eucalyptus marginate is a …
• technical terms and those being defined e.g. Self Awareness can be defined…
• words requiring particular emphasis or tone e.g. Titles do not require a full stop.
• foreign words not yet absorbed into English e.g. He was given carte blanche.
9.6.5 Underlining
Avoid the use of underlining in your document as it could imply the presence of a hyperlink.
Shortened forms
9.7.1 Grammatical contractions (don’t)
Avoid using grammatical contractions in your document; write the words out in full, for
example, “do not” rather than “don’t”.
9.7.2 Abbreviations (Mon.)
Single word abbreviations consist of the first few letters of a word but not the last letters (for
example, Mon.). If using them, always use a full stop at the end of an abbreviation and follow
the usual capitalisation rules. In general, abbreviations are commonly used in referencing but
should be avoided when writing paragraphs.
9.7.3 Contractions (Mrs)
These usually include the first and last letters of a word but have letters missing in between (for
example, Mr). Capitalise as per the full word but do not place a full stop at the end.
9.7.4 Acronyms (SCUBA)
These are strings of initial letters that are pronounced as a word (for example ASIC). Acronyms
usually take all capitals, unless they are ones that have become familiar, everyday words (such
©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 32
as “scuba”). They do not have a full stop at the end. Write them in full the first time they are
used with the acronym in brackets. After that, the acronym may be used. For example: “The
Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) enforces company and financial
services laws…”.
When placing acronyms in a sentence, round brackets are used (see example above). When
writing an acronym in the references list, square brackets are used (see example below).
Example:
Australian Securities and Investments Commission [ASIC] 2021, Registering a business name,
viewed 16 December 2022, https://asic.gov.au/for-business/registering-a-business-name/.
9.7.5 Initialisms (MNC)
These are strings of initial letters that are not pronounced as a word (for example the USA; HR;
MNC). They are fully capitalised and do not have full stops. Like acronyms, define them before
use by placing the initialism inside round brackets after the full term. For example:
“Multinational companies (MNCs) have weathered the latest economic crisis…”
10 REFERENCING
This section explains the referencing requirements for AIB assessments, projects and theses.
AIB requires appropriate referencing in assessments. The AIB Style Guide provides detailed
information about referencing requirements and presents examples in the appropriate style.
These examples are produced using the Harvard Australian (AGPS) style.
Referencing other writers’ work demonstrates the breadth of the background work that has
gone into an assessment, shows the reader the source of any facts or information you are
quoting, allows verification of your data and strengthens your academic argument. Good
referencing contributes to improved assessment outcomes.
For practice with referencing, refer to the Academic Study Skills, Referencing page.
Referencing Tools
EndNote is a referencing tool that can simplify referencing and thereby save you time. The
software can compile your references for a particular assessment and generate the end text list
automatically. We strongly encourage you to download and use EndNote. The software is free
for AIB students. Resources which explain how to use it are available on the Student Learning
Portal. Section 12 also outlines each of the reference types in EndNote.
©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 33
The importance of referencing
In an academic environment, you are (nearly) always required to use referencing. You may
wonder why academic study includes a focus on referencing. Or you may wonder why AIB (“the
practical business school”) insists on referencing in assessments and projects.
Referencing is a way to acknowledge the sources you use in the development of your thinking
about an assessment and during the writing of an assessment. Referencing is a normal practice
and a standard skill learnt during academic study.
For a very long time, it has been practice in the academic world to clearly articulate which parts
of your work are derived from other people and, alternatively, which parts of your work
constitute your own contribution to a debate. In academia, it is the norm to use other people’s
work and then build on that to present original thoughts and ideas. You get rewarded for
summarising other people’s work well; you also get rewarded for original thought. At all times,
you need to show clearly when you are using or building on someone else’s work.
Whether you are copying (e.g. a table), quoting word-for-word, paraphrasing or summarising,
it is the standard academic practice to acknowledge your sources through referencing and
quoting.
Being able to identify good sources of information and effectively use this as evidence when
building an argument are important generic skills that are useful for all managers.
In many workplaces, sources of evidence or sources of information are not recognised or
acknowledged. And yet, in other workplaces, it is normal and expected that you demonstrate
where knowledge has come from. After all, whenever you use facts or data, you obtain those
from a source (an annual report, a newspaper article, the Bureau of Statistics or elsewhere).
Whenever you apply a theory or write about other people’s opinions, you are using someone
else’s intellectual property (which you read in a book or heard in a TED talk or elsewhere).
It is essential to learn about referencing and to become aware of different sources of
information. It enables you to ask yourself (or others) important questions when you are
reading reports or memos in the workplace, such as:
• Where did the information come from?
• Whose original idea is this?
• What sources of data were used?
• Are the data sources that were used appropriate?
• Is there better information out there?
While you currently may not use much (if any) referencing in the workplace, use of referencing
for AIB assessments increases your awareness of sources of information and enhances your
managerial skill set.
This guide outlines the rules to follow when referencing and provides examples of how to
format different sources. For further support and practice, see Referencing.
©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 34
Using credible sources
Your required minimum references must be from credible academic sources such as scholarly
books and peer-reviewed or ranked journals. In addition to the required credible academic
sources you must also reference all facts and information you use.
A credible academic source is one written by an expert in the subject area and edited and factchecked by multiple other experts to ensure that the information is accurate, comprehensively
researched and as free as possible from bias. A credible source is reviewed by peers with some
expertise in the field and cites the sources it uses to make and support its argument. For a full
definition of what a credible academic journal is please visit Searching for Credible Journal
Literature.
AIB assessments requires you to use a minimum number of credible academic sources in
addition to your textbook. You may also use credible and rigorously researched company,
industry, government and media sources, but these will NOT count toward the minimum
required credible academic sources. Most web-based sources are not sufficiently rigorous and
credible for use in academic assessments and therefore will NOT count toward the minimum
required credible academic sources for your assessment, and in addition, your assessment mark
will be adversely affected if you use poor references such as Wikipedia. To ensure currency,
your sources should be contemporary – no older than 10 years unless they are seminal. For
further guidance, refer to Scholarly, academic & peer-reviewed journals and Searching for
credible market and industry sources.
The AIB Online Library provides access to databases containing credible academic sources via
the Summon Single Search and linking via Google Scholar. For more information on using the
AIB Online Library, refer to the Library link on the Student Learning Portal.
No or minimal referencing: plagiarism
An absence of (or minimal) referencing usually implies that you are plagiarising. You are passing
off a thought, theory or quote as your own when in reality, it is not.
Plagiarism constitutes serious academic misconduct. Academics have lost credibility and at
times have lost their jobs when found to be plagiarising. Students found to plagiarise are
penalised, and there are cases of students being expelled for repeated academic misconduct.
To avoid plagiarism, you are strongly advised to appropriately paraphrase and adopt good
referencing practices in all your assessment and project work.
Summary of referencing at AIB
AIB requires appropriate referencing in assessments. The AIB Style Guide provides detailed
information about referencing requirements and presents examples in the appropriate style.
These examples are produced using the Harvard Australian (AGPS) style. The Academic Study
Skills page provides further support.
AIB assessments, projects and theses must contain proper referencing. Your grade will be
adversely affected if your assessment or project contains no/poor citations and/or references.
All referencing must be consistent across your assessment/report.
©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 35
10.5.1 Number of references
AIB assessments/projects typically contain the following number of relevant references from
credible academic sources in the references:
• MBA assessments 6–12 (will vary depending on the subject)
• The number of references needed for a Research Degree Thesis will vary depending on
the length of the thesis. Your Principal Supervisor will advise you if you have too many or
too few references.
10.5.2 Types of references
All references must be from credible sources such as academic journal articles, academic texts,
professional/industry-related journals and websites, government reports and formal company
documents. Your references should include the minimum number of academic sources as
specified by the assessment question. Refer to Scholarly, academic & peer-reviewed journals
for guidance.
AIB requires the Australian Harvard (AGPS) author-date referencing system. The author-date
referencing system includes both of the following:
• In-text citations. These are short references used in the text. These show the source
references of quoted and paraphrased materials you have used to support your
arguments or comments. They are included in the word count of an assessment.
• References. This is a list of all references used in the text. The list is placed at the end of
the assessment or project. References are presented in alphabetical order by the first
author’s surname and present full details of each publication referenced in the text. It is
important to note that references are not the same as a bibliography. The reference list
is not included in the word count.
• NB: AIB does not accept referencing with footnotes.
10.5.3 In-text citations
There are two main ways to present in-text citations, which are included in the word count.
Author prominent incorporates the author’s name into the sentence, frequently at its
commencement.
Example
Hardy (2016) states that AIB has a number of goals for the research department in the
2016–2020 Research Plan.
Information prominent places the reference at the end of the paraphrase, summary or quote.
Example
AIB has a number of goals for the research department in the 2016–2020 Research Plan
(Hardy 2016).
Each of these two methods is useful and appropriate. However, an information prominent intext citation allows you to clearly state your argument that is then evidenced and supported by
©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 36
the in-text citation. Author prominent is used when a concept or study is unique to an author,
or you wish to offer your opinion on the author’s comments. See also section 11.1.1
10.5.4 Reference list versus bibliography
• References notes any sources you have actually cited within your document.
• Bibliography lists all sources you consulted while writing your document, whether they
were cited or not. This is not required for AIB assessments.
Note that all AIB assessments, projects and theses require you to present references.
10.5.5 General formatting for the reference list
Your list of references should appear on a new page at the end of your assessment or report,
with entries listed alphabetically by the first author’s family name (or title if there is no author).
The title References heads the list, with bold formatting.
Each reference appears on a new line, and there is no hanging indent, bullet point or
numbering.
10.5.6 Punctuation
Referencing requires attention to detail with regard to punctuation and formatting.
Minimal capitalisation is preferred, so only the first word of book or article titles has a capital
letter (in addition to any proper nouns). Author names and initials are always capitalised;
however, for journal titles, capitalise any word that is not a preposition or conjunction.
A colon is used to introduce subtitles. The first word after the colon has a capital letter.
Section 11 of this guide presents examples of correctly formatted in-text and end-text
references. Whether you write a reference from scratch or export, copy and paste your
referencing information (for example: from Summon Single Search, EbscoHost, Google Scholar,
Trove), you should check all of your references for consistency of punctuation, including
capitalisation, commas and full stops (periods), and formatting such as the use of italics against
the guide.
10.5.7 Quotation marks
Traditional Harvard referencing style recommends using single quotation marks around any
direct quote. However, AIB recommends you enclose all direct quotes in DOUBLE quotation
marks because TurnItIn only recognises text enclosed in double quotation marks as a direct
quote.
In this guide, all Australian Harvard (AGPS) Author-Date direct quote examples are presented
within double quotation marks.
©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 37
Page numbers
Page numbers must be used when quoting directly from published material or when copying
tables, graphs, charts or diagrams. The use of page numbers is as follows:
Table 5: Page numbers

Number of Pages	Citation Style
One page	(Hardy 2016, p. 5).
Multiple pages with no sequence	(Hardy 2016, pp. 4, 6, 9).
Multiple pages in sequence	(Hardy 2016, pp. 29–37).

Source: Developed by AIB 2015.
Abbreviations
Table 6: Abbreviations

app.	appendix	n.d.	no date	rev.	revised
chap.	chapter	no. or nos	number or numbers	suppl.	supplement
Cth	Commonwealth of Australia (used in legislation)	p. or pp.	single page or pages	trans.	translator or translators
ed. or eds	edited by, editor or editors	para.	paragraph	vol.	volume
Edn	edition	pubn	publication
et al.	and others (from Latin et alia)	pt.	part

Source: Developed by AIB 2015.
The rule regarding full stops after abbreviations is this: When the last letter of an abbreviation
is the last letter of the word, a full stop is not necessary (e.g. edn or eds). However, when the
last letter of the abbreviation is not the last letter of the word, a full stop is used (e.g. ed. and
et al.).
©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 38
11 REFERENCING EXAMPLES
Here are some examples of Australian Harvard (AGPS) author-date style. More detailed
examples are included throughout this guide, but these general principles should be followed
where no exact example can be provided.
Basic referencing
The majority of resources you will use in your studies are books, journal articles and websites.
The main components of the references for each of these sources are stated below.
11.1.1 In-text references
The in-text reference contains the author’s family name and the year of publication.
Examples
Northouse (2022) states the true leader may not be the one appointed to a leadership
role.
The true leader may not be the one appointed to a leadership role (Northouse 2022).
When quotes are used, a page number is added if it is available. Page numbers are usually
available on the PDF version of journal articles and print books. They are absent from websites
and ebooks.
Examples
Mirvis (2012, p. 95) reports “30 percent were dissatisfied and 8 percent were outright
disengaged.”
Bouchrika (2022) notes that online learning was a “safe and viable option” for
education during the pandemic.
For more information refer to section 10.5.3
11.1.2 End-text references
Figure 7 outlines the main components of the end-text reference for books, journal articles and
webpages. Refer to the examples in sections 11.2-11.18 for examples of how to reference
variations (e.g. two authors, no volume number, edited book).
©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 39
Figure 7: References
Source: Developed by AIB 2020.
©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 40
General rules
The following tables present general rules for presenting in-text and end-text references. These
are consistent regardless of the type of source. With regard to end-text referencing, you should
take note of how the highlighted aspect is presented, particularly in terms of formatting and
punctuation. Details other than the area of focus will vary with the source type, which is why
they are presented in grey. Examples of references for the different source types are presented
in sections 11.4-11.17.
11.2.1 Multiple authors

NUMBER OF AUTHORS

IN-TEXT CITATION

END-TEXT

 

Two authors	Information-prominent There is extensive debate regarding its consequences for shareholders (Mishra & Modi 2016). Author prominent Mishra and Modi (2016) state there is extensive debate regarding its consequences for firm shareholders exists.	Mishra, S & Modi, SB 2016, ‘Corporate social responsibility and shareholder wealth: The role of marketing capability’, Journal of Marketing, vol. 80, no. 1, pp. 26–46.
Three authors	Information prominent Lessons are learnt (Hughes, Ginnett & Curphy 2015). Author prominent Hughes, Ginnett and Curphy (2015) state lessons are learnt.	Hughes, RL, Ginnett, RC & Curphy, GJ 2015, Leadership: Enhancing the lessons of experience, 8th edn, McGraw Hill Education, New York.
Four or more authors	Information prominent Consumer reactions to two basic contribution types are examined (Hilderbrand et al. 2017). Author prominent Hilderbrand et al. (2017) examine consumer reactions to two basic contribution types.	Hilderbrand, D, Farooq, M, Demotta, Y, Sen, S & Valenzuela, A 2017, ‘Consumer responses to corporate social responsibility (CSR) contribution type’, Journal of Consumer Research, vol. 44, no. 4, pp. 738–758.

©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 41
11.2.2 No person author

SITUATION

IN-TEXT CITATION

END-TEXT REFERENCE

 

The organisation as author	Information prominent It is the board’s responsibility to mitigate risks (ASIC 2019). Author prominent ASIC (2019) suggests boards should be proactive in relation to corporate governance. Note: You may use an abbreviation for the organisation from the first mention as long as the abbreviation is given in the references list.	Australian Securities and Investment Commission [ASIC] 2019, Corporate Governance Taskforce: Director and officer oversight of non-financial risk report, viewed 16 June 2021, https://asic.gov.au/regulatory resources/corporate governance/corporate-governance taskforce/. Note: In this case, you do not need to repeat the name of the organisation after the title. The abbreviation used in-text is placed in square brackets after the full name.
The title (when no organisation is obvious)	Information prominent Employment conditions are changing (Employment the professional way 2000). Author prominent The book Employment the professional way (2000) states employment conditions are changing. Note: If the title of the source is long, it is permissible to shorten it for the in-text reference.	Employment the professional way: A guide to understanding the Australian job search process for professionally qualified migrants 2000, Australian Multicultural Foundation, Sydney. Note: The full title of the text must be written in the references list, no matter its length.

11.2.3 No date

SITUATION

IN-TEXT CITATION

END-TEXT REFERENCE

 

No date Note: If there is no year of publication, use n.d. in place of the year.

Information prominent The organisation is so committed to carbon neutrality that even their ink is environmentally friendly (Edible Blooms n.d.). Author prominent Edible Blooms (n.d.) ensure that their packaging is 100% recyclable.

Edible Blooms n.d., Sustainability commitment, viewed 16 June 2021, https://www.edibleblooms.com.au/ page/edible-blooms-commitment to-the-environment/.

©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 42
11.2.4 Indirect citation: Referencing an author who references others’ work

SITUATION	IN-TEXT CITATION	END-TEXT REFERENCE
Indirect (secondary) citation Note: Used when the article we read references other authors.	Workplace satisfaction comes from feeling valued at work (Neilson, cited in Nankervis et al. 2020). Neilson (cited in Nankervis et al. 2020) states that workplace satisfaction comes from feeling valued at work.	Nankervis, A, Baird, M, Coffey, J & Shields, J 2020, Human resource management: Strategy & practice, Cengage, Melbourne. Note: Provide the reference for the book/article you actually read. Neilson is not referenced here.

11.2.5 Multiple works by the same author.

SITUATION	IN-TEXT CITATION	END-TEXT REFERENCE
Same author, published in different years Note: There should be no confusion with the references.	Information prominent Human resources are a valuable asset (Stone 2014). They should be cultivated (Stone 2013). Author prominent Stone (2014) indicates that human resources are a valuable asset. Stone (2013) advises they should be cultivated.	Stone, RJ 2013, Managing human resources, 4th edn, Wiley, Milton, Qld. Stone, RJ 2014, Human resource management, 8th edn, Wiley, Milton, Qld. Note: List references in chronological order with the earliest first.
Same author published in the same year Note: The texts are distinguished by the addition of a lower case letter (a, b, c) after the year. The letter is determined by the alphabetical order of the title (not the order in which the references appear).	Information prominent Human resource management centres on managing employees productively and with concern for their wellbeing (Stone 2008a). The humanistic approach to employees is a result of the human relations movement (Stone 2008b). Author prominent Stone (2008a) describes how human resource management centres on managing employees productively and with concern for their wellbeing. Stone (2008b) indicates that the humanistic approach to employees is a result of the human relations.	Stone, RJ 2010a, Human resource management, 6th edn, Wiley, Milton, Qld. Stone, RJ 2010b, Managing human resources, 2nd edn, Wiley, Milton, Qld.

©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 43
11.2.6 Same family name

SITUATION	IN-TEXT CITATION	END-TEXT REFERENCE
Two different authors, same family name, different years	No special treatment is required. Reference as normal.	No special treatment is required.
Two different authors, same family name, same year	Information prominent Referencing requires attention to detail (SmithL 2022). Referencing guides are essential tools to ensure references are correct (Smith, B 2022). Author prominent Smith, L (2022) observes that referencing requires attention to detail while Smith, B (2022) notes that referencing guides are essential tools. Note: In this case we are having two authors with the same family name and the same year of publication. Therefore, in this instance, use the authors’ initials to distinguish between them.”	No special treatment is required. The end-text reference includes the authors’ initials, which enables readers to distinguish between them.

11.2.7 Two texts cited at once

SITUATION	IN-TEXT CITATION	END-TEXT REFERENCE
Attributing one piece of information to two texts	Information prominent Social entrepreneurs innovate to solve social problems (Frederick, O’Connor & Kuratko 2016; Scarborough & Cornwall 2016). Note: List the sources in alphabetical order by the first author’s name. Separate them with a semicolon. Author prominent Frederick, O’Connor and Kuratko (2016) and Scarborough and Cornwall (2016) indicate that social entrepreneurs innovate to solve social problems. Note: Separate authors of the different texts with the word ‘and’. Information prominent style may be more appropriate.	List these works as separate texts (i.e. two separate entries in the end-text list). No special treatment is necessary.

©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 44
Paraphrase versus quotes
There are two ways to approach the use of information you obtain from sources, direct
quotation and paraphrasing. The two approaches are cited in slightly different ways.
Direct quotations should be used sparingly, and it is strongly recommended that they comprise
no more than 10% of your assessment. By definition, they must be an exact replica of the
original, without change to any word or punctuation.
Add a page number to the reference if you quote from a written source. Add a time stamp in
hh:mm:ss format if you quote from video or podcast.

SITUATION	IN-TEXT CITATION	NOTES
Paraphrasing	Paraphrasing is preferable to direct quotation (Hardy 2010). Many writers, including Hardy (2010), believe that paraphrasing is preferable to direct quotation.	Paraphrasing is rewriting another person’s ideas in your own words, summarising them and attributing the ideas to the original author(s). Paraphrasing is preferable to direct quotation as it demonstrates your understanding of the ideas and concepts.
Short direct quote (<30 words)	GCWAL is “keen to expand its research in the area of Work-Applied Learning” (Hardy 2010, p. 5). As Hardy (2010, p. 5) states, GCWAL is “keen to expand its research in the area of Work-Applied Learning”. The benefits of social media in marketing are “readily apparent” (Jones 2022, 05:22).	Incorporate short quotations into your sentence using double quotation marks and a full stop after the citation. Include a page number in the reference when quoting from a written source. Use a time stamp when quoting from video or podcasts.
Long quotation	Armstrong (2015, p. 143) discusses the methods by which consumers make choices. He states that: The consumer arrives at attitudes towards different brands through some evaluation procedure. How consumers go about evaluating purchase alternatives depends on the individual consumer and the specific buying situation. In some cases, consumers use careful calculations and logical thinking. This can work to a vendor’s advantage…	If your quotation is more than 30 words, write an introduction in your own words, ending in a colon. Then present the quotation by indenting from the left margin (but not the right) and using the same font type, size and line space as the body of the text. Do not use quotation marks around the quote. When the quote finishes, continue your paragraph on the next line.

©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 45

No page numbers	Example of an ebook reference without page numbers Jones, D 2000, ‘The future of finance’, in Bryson, JR, Daniels, PW, Henry, N & Pollard, J (eds), Knowledge, space, economy, Routledge, London.	Add section name if available. No page numbers need to be added to quotes taken from written resources which do not have page numbers. Use time stamps to indicate the location of quotes in videos or podcasts in hh:mm:ss format. See section 11.14 for more guidance.
Omitting words from quotes	Barringer (2015, p. 111) states, “structure of the industry … has four key issues”.	To omit words from quotations, use an ellipsis. An ellipsis can also used if the quotation does not begin at the start of the sentence.
Incorrect Terms (wrong grammar, spelling etc.)	Many writers, including Hardy (2010, p. 10), argued that “… the world was round and to suggest that is flot [sic] is purely absurd”.	If the original text is incorrect in terms of grammar or spelling, insert [sic] to show it is part of the original and not an error on your part.
Quote within a quote (Double quotations)	Hardy (2010, p. 10) explained, “Markus and many others have said ‘citation is the key to all good academic writing’ (Markus 2009, p. 34), and I heartily support their view”.	For a quotation within a quotation, use single quotation marks within double quotation marks.
Explaining meaning	Hardy (2016, p. 9) stated that, “citation is de riguer [strictly required] for all professional academics”.	If you need to explain the meaning of a word in your quotation, place the explanation within square brackets after the word in question.

Books and eBooks
Cite and reference eBooks in the same way as print.
If the city of publication is not easily identifiable to a country, you may add either the
state/province or the country.
For examples on how to present references for books with more than one author, refer to
section 11.2.1 in conjunction with the examples below.

SITUATION	IN-TEXT CITATION	REFERENCE EXAMPLE
The basic book reference Note: The author may be an organisation.	Northouse (2022) states the true leader may not be the one appointed to a leadership role. The true leader may not be the one appointed to a leadership role (Northouse 2022).	Northouse, PG 2022, Leadership: Theory and practice, 9th edn, SAGE, London. Note: The publisher’s name is not in capital letters unless this is the standard presentation of

©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 46

their name (e.g. Pearson). Note: A colon is used to introduce subtitles. The first word after the colon has a capital letter.	Later editions	Note: As per the examples above, depending on number of authors.	Kuratko, DF 2014, Entrepreneurship: Theory, process, practice, 9th edn, Cengage, Boston.
Edited work	Davies and Barnett (eds 2015) state that the phrase critical thinking may be interpreted in multiple ways. The phrase critical thinking may be interpreted in multiple ways (Davies & Barnett eds 2015).	Davies, M & Barnett, R (eds) 2015, The Palgrave handbook of critical thinking in higher education, Palgrave, New York. Note: If there is one editor, follow the relevant ‘Author’ example above using (ed.).
Chapter in edited work Note: Book chapter from Authored book – Reference as a whole book	Swantz (2008) states that participatory action research requires researchers to be learners. Participatory action research requires researchers to be learners (Swantz 2008).	Swantz, ML 2008, ‘Participatory action research as practice’, in P Reason & H Bradbury (eds), The SAGE handbook of action research: Participative inquiry and practice, Sage, London. Note: The editor’s initials precede the family name whereas the author’s initials are always presented after the family name.
eBook no publisher	Murphy Jr (2021) maintains Warren Buffet is a genius. Warren Buffet is a genius (Murphy Jr 2021).	Murphy, B Jr 2021, Warren Buffet predicts the future, self published, New York.
Audio Book	Birney (2015) tells the story of an adventurous mouse. Note: to quote, use a timestamp instead of a page number Birney (2015, 11:53) states “The…”. (see section 11.3 for more information about referencing quotes).	Birney, BG 2015, Mysteries according to Humphrey, audiobook, downloaded 14 December 2022, Penguin Random House, https://audiobookstore.com/audio books/the-humphrey-audio collection.aspx. Note: Reference by author rather than narrator. Include Publisher and place of publication if they are available. Add the date you downloaded (as opposed to viewed).

©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 47
Journal articles
Cite and reference electronic and print journal articles using the same format. You do not need
to distinguish if you accessed the hardcopy or the online version. You do not need to include
the library database you obtained it from, as this will vary, and the URLs will be lengthy. For
journal articles on a website, you can include the URL.
Journal titles should be written in full rather than abbreviated.
Volume and issue numbers should be included when available. Harvard uses the following
format: vol. 1, no. 7. This may appear on journals as follows: 1(7).
Include the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) if available, e.g. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-014-
2305-6. The DOI assists your reader in locating the article, but no marks will be deducted if no
DOI is included, and its inclusion is optional.
For examples on how to present references for journal articles with more than one author, refer
to section 11.2.1 in conjunction with the examples below.

SITUATION	IN-TEXT CITATION	END-TEXT REFERENCE
The basic journal reference	Osagie (2017) states the telecom sector has a tremendous history of engaging themselves in different social activities.	Osagie, NG 2017, ‘Corporate social responsibility and profitability in Nigeria telecommunication industry: A case study of MTN Nigeria’, Journal of Entrepreneurship & Management, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 1–8.
Journal article: print or online Note: Articles appearing online should be cited in the same manner as articles in print journals.	Banke et al. (2014) states it has advantages such as fixed and higher variable costs. It has advantages such as fixed and higher variable costs (Banke et al. 2014).	Banke, R, Smith, J, Byzalov, D & Plehn-Dujowich, J 2014, ‘Demand uncertainty and cost behaviour’, Accounting Review, vol. 89, no. 3, pp. 839–855.
Journal article from a website Note: Online journal articles (those available in web page form only) usually do not have page numbers, so instead use section or paragraph numbers. Some may also have sections of an article and are divided by subheadings.If the paragraph number is not easily identifiable (e.g. it requires much scrolling to locate), it can be omitted.	Hernández-Perlines and Araya-Castillo (2020) support the premise that servant leadership improves team performance. Servant leadership improves team performance (Hernández-Perlines & Araya Castillo 2020).	Hernández-Perlines, F & Araya-Castillo, LA 2020, ‘Servant leadership and innovative capacity’, Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 11, viewed 11 June 2021, https://www.frontiersin.org/a rticles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00 290/full. Note: Include the issue number after the volume, if available (e.g. no. 6)

©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 48

Journal articles: Advanced online publication / pre-print Note: Prior to publication in journal, no volume and page number are available.	Maquieira, Tarí and Molina Azorín (2020) assert that chain hotels have better leadership processes than independent hotels. Research suggests that chain hotels have better leadership processes than independent hotels (Maquieira, Tarí & Molina-Azorín 2020).	Maquieira, SP, Tarí, JJ & Molina-Azorín, JF 2020, ‘Transformational leadership and the European Foundation for Quality Management model in five-star hotels’, Journal of Tourism Analysis: Revista de Análisis Turístico, Preprint, viewed 11 November 2020, https://www.emerald.com/ins ight/content/doi/10.1108/JTA -02-2019-0007/full/html.
Journal article with no volume/issue numbers Note: If a date of publication is available include it, otherwise omit.	Employees should be encouraged to show their emotions (Whitehurst 2016). Whitehurst (2016) says employees should be encouraged to show their emotions.	Whitehurst, J 2016, ‘How to build a passionate company’, Harvard Business Review Digital Articles, 15 February, pp. 2–4.
Journal article with article number rather than page numbers Note: Some journals have article numbers with individual numbering for each article	Chou, Tehereni and Masters (2014) state Workplace-based peer groups can teach students a great deal, whether they be formal or informal. Workplace-based peer groups can teach students a great deal, whether they be formal or informal (Chou, Teherani & Masters 2014).	Chou, CL, Teherani, A & Masters, D 2014, ‘Workplace learning through peer groups in medical school clerkships’, Medical Education Online, vol. 19, no. 1, article number 25809, viewed 15 June 2021, DOI:10.3402/meo.v19.2580.

©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 49
Web sources
The objective of referencing web sources is to enable your reader to be able to access the
sources you have cited. Webpages can be moved and removed so it is important to include the
date you referenced it and the URL in addition to other details which will enable your reader to
find the information if this happens.
For examples on how to present references for web sources with more than one author, refer
to section 11.2.1 in conjunction with the examples below.

SITUATION	IN-TEXT CITATION	END-TEXT REFERENCE
Online magazine	Ohnsman (2021) indicates that Tesla’s car production soared in 2021. Tesla’s car production soared in 2021 (Ohnsman 2021).	Ohnsman, A 2021, ‘Tesla notches record $1.6 billion quarterly net as it readies global production push’, Forbes, 20 October, viewed 22 October 2021, https://www.forbes.com/site s/alanohnsman/2021/10/20/ tesla-posts-record-16-billion quarterly-net-as-it-readies global-production push/?ss=sustainability&sh= 5b3a042d1285. Note: If the website has a day and month of publication, include it. If it does not, this information can be omitted.
Webpage with person author	Wenzel (2020) indicates that businesses are forging alliances aimed at increasing sustainability. Business leaders are forging alliances aimed at increasing sustainability (Wenzel 2020).	Wenzel, E 2020 ‘20 C suite sustainability champions for 2020’, GreenBiz, viewed 14 December 2022, https://www.greenbiz.c om/article/20-c-suite sustainability champions-2020. Note: If you are referring to a particular part of a webpage, use the URL of the page where that content is found. If the website has a day and month of publication, include it.

©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 50

Webpage with organisation/ Corporate author Note: If the name of an authoring organisation, e.g. government agency, is long and cited often in the text, it may be necessary to abbreviate the name in the in text citation.	It is the board’s responsibility to mitigate risks (ASIC 2019). ASIC (2019) suggests boards should be proactive in relation to corporate governance.	Australian Securities and Investment Commission [ASIC] 2019, Corporate Governance Taskforce: Director and officer oversight of non-financial risk report, viewed 16 June 2021, https://asic.gov.au/regulatory -resources/corporate governance/corporate governance-taskforce/. Note: In this case, you do not need to repeat the name of the organisation after the title.
Webpage no date Note: Use the abbreviation n.d. for “no date”.	Edible Blooms (n.d.) ensure that their packaging is 100% recyclable. The organisation is so committed to carbon neutrality that even their ink is environmentally friendly (Edible Blooms n.d.).	Edible Blooms n.d., Sustainability commitment, viewed 16 June 2021, https://www.edibleblooms.co m.au/page/edible-blooms commitment-to-the environment/.
Webpage no author Note: Examples of such webpages are rare and usually very old; most webpages are cited with the name of the website as the author. Check that there is not a more appropriate category.	The Internet 1996 World Exposition was a world’s fair for the information age (Internet 1996 World Exposition 1996). Interrupt Technology Corporation are a software consulting firm (Interrupt Technology Corporation n.d.). Special thanks to all our partners who supported us this summer (Three Rivers Stadium 1998). Note: The in-text reference is taken from the first few words of the full reference.	Internet 1996 World Exposition 1996, viewed 22 July 2009, https://park.org/main.html. Interrupt Technology Corporation n.d., viewed 6 December 2013, http://www.itcorp.com/. Three Rivers Stadium 1998, viewed 19 October 2003, https://3riversstadium.org/.

©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 51
Company and industry information
This section refers to company information that is publicly available or available via the AIB
databases (secondary data). When referring to information available from within your
organisation please refer to the section on personal communication.
Also note that any company and industry information is not considered to be an academic
reference. While you may reference it, if your assessment instructions require a minimum
number of academic references, these will not contribute to this number.
For examples on how to present references for company and industry reports with more than
one author, refer to section 11.2.1 in conjunction with the examples below.

SITUATION	IN-TEXT CITATION	END-TEXT REFERENCE
Company report	CIBC (2020) supports women’s equality and hosts free educational events in communities. The bank performs a quarterly review of environmental risk (CIBC 2020).	CIBC 2020, CIBC’s 2020 sustainability report, viewed 17 June 2021, https://www.cibc.com/en/about cibc/corporate-responsibility.html.
Company annual report	Woolworths partnered with Indigenous businesses to procure hand sanitiser (Woolworths Group 2020). Local indigenous businesses provided Woolworths with 300,000 litres of hand sanitiser (Woolworths Group 2020)	Woolworths Group 2020, Annual report 2020, viewed 10 June 2021, https://www.woolworthsgroup.co m.au/page/investors/our performance/reports/Reports/Ann ual_Reports.
Company profile from database	Origin Energy Ltd was originally part of Boral Limited (IbisWorld 2020). IbisWorld (2020) advises that Origin Energy will be divesting its interests in oil and gas assets. Canadian Pacific Railway operate across a 15,000-mile network in Canada and the US (Hoover 2021). Hoover (2021) outlines the products hauled by the Canadian Pacific Railway, including coal, grain, and industrial and consumer products.	IbisWorld 2020, Origin Energy report, viewed 19 June 2021, retrieved from IbisWorld database. Hoovers 2021, Canadian Pacific Railway Limited profile, viewed 19 June 2021, retrieved from ProQuest One Business database.

©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 52

Case study	Moussa and Somjai (2020) discuss cross-cultural understanding in international companies. International companies must foster cross-cultural understanding (Moussa & Somjai 2020).	Moussa, M & Somjai, K 2020, ‘Cross-cultural management: International automotive companies in Eastern Thailand’, Sage Business Cases, viewed 17 November 2022, https://sk sagepub com.aib.idm.oclc.org/cases/cross cultural-management international-automotive-eastern thailand.
Financial data	Yahoo Finance (2021) lists the opening share price for the ANZ Banking Group on the 14 January 2021 as $24.10. The opening share price for ANZ Banking Group on the 14 January 2021 was $24.10 (Yahoo Finance 2021).	Yahoo Finance 2021, ANZ Banking Group Ltd (ANZ.AX), viewed 6 August 2020, https://au.finance.yahoo.com/q/h p?s=ANZ.AX.
Industry report Author No author (cite the database e.g. IBISWorld as the author)	Caldwell (2021) indicates revenue has declined due to the lack of international students. Revenue has declined due to the lack of international students (Caldwell 2021). IBISWorld (2021) indicates that barriers to entry in the gardening industry are low. If you have access to the required equipment, it is simple to enter the gardening market (IBISWorld 2021).	Caldwell, JP 2021, Education and training in Australia, viewed 24 November 2021, retrieved from IBISWorld database. IBISWorld 2021, N7313 Gardening services in Australia, viewed 7 March 2021, retrieved from IBISWorld database.
Unpublished internal document Note: By using the words Company A or Name withheld in place of your business name, your business remains anonymous. You will need to be consistent	Company A (2015) indicated it finished the year with 3% growth. Name withheld (2017) indicated it finished the year with 3% growth. Company A finished the year with 3% growth (Company A 2015).	Company A 2015, Costs and implications of project beta. Unpublished internal document. or Name withheld 2017, Name of document. Unpublished confidential document

©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 53

and refer to your business as Company A throughout your assessment.

Conference proceedings
When referencing conference proceedings papers, the techniques used are very similar to those
employed when referencing journal articles.

SITUATION	IN-TEXT CITATION	END-TEXT REFERENCE
Conference proceedings	Jones, Baker and Hardy (2020) determined that small Zoom break out rooms were more effective than large groups in teaching. Quality information literacy instruction can be effective in an online environment (Jones, Baker & Hardy 2020).	Jones, F, Baker, A & Hardy, J 2020, ‘Reimagining information literacy teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic: Research and evidence-based practice skills training redesigned for online delivery’, ASCILITE 2020: 37th Conference of the Australian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education. Note: The name of the overall proceedings should appear in italics. For papers available online, include viewed date and URL (web site address).
Conference paper— hard copy	Riley (2015) presents a unique view on industrial relations. Industrial relations play a … role in education (Riley 2015).	Riley, D 2015, ‘Industrial relations in Australian education’, Contemporary Australasian Industrial Relations: Proceedings of the Sixth AIRAANZ Conference, AIRAANZ, Sydney, pp. 124–140.

©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 54
Data and statistics
Many sources for data and statistics are very similar to referencing a website.
Also note that data and statistics are not considered to be academic references. While you may
reference them, if your assessment instructions require a minimum number of academic
references, these will not contribute to this.

SITUATION	IN-TEXT CITATION	END-TEXT REFERENCE
Financial data	Yahoo Finance (2021) lists the opening share price for the ANZ Banking Group on the 14 January 2021 as $24.10 The opening share price for ANZ Banking Group on the 14 January 2021 was $24.10 (Yahoo Finance 2021).	Yahoo Finance 2021, ANZ Banking Group Ltd (ANZ.AX), viewed 6 August 2020, https://au.finance.yahoo.com/ q/hp?s=ANZ.AX.
Statistics Note: Where citing more than one report from the same author and published in the same year, identify them by assigning a lowercase letter (a, b, c) after the year according to the alphabetical order of the title. See section 11.2.5 for further guidance.	According to the ABS (2021b), retail trade rose in April. In 2019–2020, government assistance was provided to nearly 80% of businesses (ABS 2021a).	Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS] 2021a, Characteristics of Australian business, 4 June, viewed 7 June 2021, https://www.abs.gov.au /statistics/industry/tech nology-and innovation/characteristi cs-australian business/2019-20. Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS] 2021b, Retail trade, Australia, 3 June, viewed 7 June 2021, https://www.abs.gov.au/stat istics/industry/retail-and wholesale-trade/retail-trade australia/apr-2021.

©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 55
Encyclopedias and dictionaries
Generally, reference sources only need to be referenced in text and do not form a part of your
end text references.

SITUATION	IN-TEXT CITATION	END-TEXT REFERENCE
Dictionary	The Oxford English dictionary (2010) defines leadership as the traits that turn a person into a leader. Leadership is defined as the traits that turn a person into a leader (The Oxford English dictionary 2010).	Not referenced.
Holy/Sacred Book (e.g. The Bible or Koran)	(Psalm 23:6–8) (Koran chapter: verse)	Not referenced.

Tables, figures, images, photos or artwork
When using images, you must be aware of copyright. Not all images are freely available to use.
The best type of images are those with a Creative Commons (CC) licence
To search for images under the CC licence go to https://search.creativecommons.org/
Number the figures at the top in the order they appear in your report, using whole numbers
(Figure 1; Figure 2) and ignoring the figure number in the source.
Where a creator has given an image a title, you should aim to use that title. Write the title you
give the figure, table or the title of the image on top, after the figure number (e.g. Figure 1: The
return process).
In-text references are placed below the figure or chart, in font one size smaller (size 11) than
the main text (size 12). They are preceded by the word Source: and include a page number,
when available. Section 9.3 provides more details about formatting tables and figures.

SITUATION	IN-TEXT CITATION	END-TEXT REFERENCE
Table, figure or image from a book	In-text (paragraph) Figure 1 (Stone 2014, p. 125) shows… Your title on top of figure Figure 1: Essential terms for employment contracts Citation under figure Source: Stone 2014, p. 125.	Stone, RJ 2014, Human resource management, 8th edn, Wiley, Milton, Qld. Note: Refer to section 9.3 Tables and Figures for more information.
Table or figure from a website Note: If a figure, image	In-text (paragraph) Figure 1 (The School of life 2021) illustrates…	The School of Life 2021, The importance of Maslow’s pyramid of needs, viewed 7 June 2021, https://www.theschooloflife.com/t

©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 56

etc. is attributed to a person, reference the person as author. If it is attributed to an organisation, reference the organisation as author. If there is no attribution below the figure/image, do not assume that the writer is the author – in this case reference it as if there is no author.	Your title on top of figure Figure 1: Maslow’s hierarchy of needs Figure 3: Maslow’s hierarchy of needs Citation under figure: Source: The School of Life 2021. Source: Seong, cited in Cherry 2021. Note: If the diagram is not the author’s own, you should cite as a secondary (indirect) source.	hebookoflife/the-importance-of maslows-pyramid-of-needs/. Cherry, K 2021 The 5 levels of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Verywell Mind, 19 March, viewed 7 June 2021, https://www.verywellmind.com/w hat-is-maslows-hierarchy-of needs-4136760. Note: If a website has a day/month of publication include it as in the second example. Note: Refer to section 9.3 Tables and Figures for more information.
A table or figure you have modified, added to or changed in any way	In-text (paragraph) Figure 7 (modified from Stone 2014) illustrates the… Your title on top of figure Figure 7: Employment contract essentials Citation under figure Source: Modified from Stone 2014, p. 179. Note: You must advise that you have modified the table.	Stone, RJ 2014, Human resource management, 8th edn, Wiley, Milton, Qld. Note: Refer to section 9.3 Tables and figures for more information.
A table or figure you have made using data from another source	In-text (paragraph) As shown in table 4, salary is usually central to a contract (Davies 2020). Above figure Table 4: Employment contract essentials Under figure Source: Developed by Smith 2022 (Davies 2020; Stone 2012; Stone 2014) Note: In your paragraph, reference the source which provided the data you describe (e.g. Davies provided the data on salary in the example above).	Note: Reference the source(s) you obtained the data from (e.g. if the data came from a report, reference the report both in-text and end-text.) In the example here, we would reference Davies 2020, Stone 2012 and Stone 2014 as end-text references. Note: Refer to section 9.3 Tables and figures for more information.

©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 57

Below the table, the source will indicate the table or figure was developed by you (e.g. the student John Smith in the example above) and the sources from which you obtained the data (Davies and Stone in the example above).
Image or photo found online with creator and year	In-text (paragraph) The image PESTLE design (Gemmerich 2013) lays out external environmental factors. Above image PESTLE design Under image Source: Author Year licence. Source: Gemmerich 2013 licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. Note: The author may be an individual or a company. Note: If you assign a different title to the image than the one its creator gave it, you must write the original title in the source and reference by the original title. Above image PESTLE Analysis Under image Source: PESTLE design, Gemmerich 2013 licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 Note: If the image does not have a title, use a brief description of the image for the source e.g. Bay with forested hills.	Author Year, Title of the image, licence, viewed date, URL. Gemmerich 2013, PESTLE design, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0, viewed 3 June 2021, 359602@N02/8676632854.

©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 58

Image found online with no author or year

In-text (paragraph) The photograph Apple (n.d.) is a solid example of how images can be used to evoke feelings. Above image Figure 3: Apple Under image Source: Apple n.d. Note: If the image does not have an author reference by the title. If it does not have a year of creation, use n.d.

Apple, n.d., digital photograph, viewed 3 June 2021, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wiki pedia/commons/thumb/b/bb/MN 55_aka_Rave_Apple.jpg/1200px MN55_aka_Rave_Apple.jpg.

Learning Materials
When referencing previous learning materials please consult with your OLF (Online Learning
Facilitator) to determine what is appropriate as simply citing a previous assessment may be
considered a double submission and a breach of Academic Integrity.
Also note that learning materials are not considered to be an academic reference. While you
may, in certain circumstances, be required to reference them, if your assessment instructions
require a minimum number of academic references, any learning materials you use will not
contribute to this count.
You may use data from previously submitted assignments from the same or other subjects as
long as an in-text reference is provided to acknowledge that previously submitted work.
However, your discussion and analysis should be contextualised (i.e., uniquely written) for the
current subject, in accordance with the current assessment instructions.
If you have been asked to refer to a previous assessment, it is best to paraphrase your own
work, and re-quote others work appropriately.
Where appropriate and relevant, we recommend that you incorporate previous OLF feedback.

SITUATION	IN-TEXT CITATION	END-TEXT REFERENCE
AIB Learning Materials	AIB (2020) states retention of employees is crucial to maintaining corporate knowledge. Retention of employees is crucial to maintaining corporate knowledge (AIB 2020).	Australian Institute of Business [AIB] 2020, ‘Topic 5: Selection and retention of employees’, 8003SHRM Strategic Human Resource Management 2020 Term 1, Australian Institute of Business, Adelaide. Note: If there are multiple works by the same author follow the example in section 11.2.5.
AIB Video Speaker is not the creator/publisher	Independence of judgement is a crucial characteristic of a good director (Burrell, cited in	Australian Institute of Business n.d., AIB industry partnerships- Steven Burrell, AIB video, viewed 29 November 2021,

©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 59

of the video Note: If the year is not stated, use n.d.	Australian Institute of Business n.d.)	https://learning.aib.edu.au/mod/book/vi ew.php?id=102171.
AIB Collaborative Forum post	As suggested by Morrison (2020), a company must have a competitive advantage to succeed. A company must have a competitive advantage to succeed (Morrison 2020).	Morrison, S 2020, ‘SHRM collaborative forum’, 8003SHRM Strategic Human Resource Management 2020 Term 2, viewed 25 March 2020, https://learning.aib.edu.au/mod/forum /discuss.php?d=80422.
Guest Speaker	According to Valentino (2022), a process to crafting strategy exists. Crafting strategy is a process (Valentino 2022).	Valentino, LM 2022, ‘What is the process of crafting and executing strategy’, 9001SMGT Webinar, Australian Institute of Business, viewed 23 March 2022, https://learning.aib.edu.au/mod/forum/d iscuss.php?d=120617.
Unpublished work: Thesis	Markus (unpub.) states Tolkien draws on mythology. Tolkien draws on mythology (Markus unpub.).	Markus, N unpub., The use of mythology and language in Tolkien, BA Hons Thesis, University of Greenwich. Note: Title not italicised as not published.
Unpublished work: Previous assignment. Note: Double submissions (submitting work that is substantially the same as previously submitted work) are not acceptable without written approval from your subject coordinator.	Smith (unpub.) states the staff at BIA are highly motivated. The staff at BIA are highly motivated (Smith unpub.).	Smith, K unpub., Human resource practices at BIA, MBA SHRM Assessment 1, 8003SHRM Strategic Human Resource Management 2021 Term 5, Australian Institute of Business, Adelaide. Note: Title not italicised as not published.

©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 60
Legal Materials (Legislation/Cases)
Legal citation has its own rules. You can access full text of cases and legislation from the AUSTLII
and CanLII databases.
Note: Intext and end-text reference is the same

SITUATION	IN-TEXT CITATION	END-TEXT REFERENCE
Legislation Note: (Acts, Bills and Ordinances) Short title in italics, or use the long title if there is one, year in italics, jurisdiction abbreviation (in round brackets) and section/s if applicable	Section 1.5.5 of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) outlines who can be a company director in Australia. The duties of being a Company Director in Australia are numerous (Corporations Act 2001 (Cth), s. 1.5.5).	Corporations Act 2001 (Cth), s. 1.5.5
Cases Note: Details to include are: Popular title of Case (in italics) Year (in round brackets) Volume number Reporter abbreviation First page number.	Mabo v Queensland is a landmark High Court case that lead to the introduction of native title legislation in Australia (Mabo v Queensland (1989) 166 CLR 186). Mabo v Queensland (1989) 166 CLR 186 is a landmark Australian High Court case.	Mabo v Queensland (1989) 166 CLR 186

Multimedia materials
With the exception of LinkedIn Learning, the author of a video can be either the producer,
organisation, speaker or director, as long as they are identified in the source. Try to select
whichever is most appropriate.
For most platforms, the author will usually be the name of the channel. For platforms like TED
which feature a guest speaker, the speaker’s name provides more clarification. For LinkedIn
Learning, use the name of the instructor below the video as the author.

SITUATION	IN-TEXT CITATION	END-TEXT REFERENCE
LinkedIn Learning video Person instructor	Acayo and Schwanbeck (2015) argue that quantitative and qualitative data is best used together. Qualitative research is subjective (Acayo & Schwanbeck 2015).	Acayo, P & Schwanbeck, A 2015, Quantitative vs. qualitative research, LinkedIn Learning video, viewed 30 September 2018, https://www.linkedin.com/learnin g/learning-design research/quantitative-vs qualitative-research.

©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 61

Organisation instructor Note: LinkedIn is distinguished as a platform as it is a subscription service. For other video services simply write online video (or YouTube, TED, HBR) after the title. Note: Use the name of the instructor below the video as the author. This can be a person, an organisation or even both.	Big Think (2019) recommends using empathy to create better customer experiences. Employing empathy can help to create a better customer experience (Big Think 2019). Note: Include a timestamp when writing a direct quote in the (hh:mm:ss) format. This only applies to the in-text reference. See section 11.3 for an example.	Big Think 2019, Tim Brown: Use design thinking everywhere, LinkedIn Learning video, viewed 8 August 2020, https://www.linkedin.com/learnin g/a-design-thinking-approach-to putting-the-customer-first/tim brown-use-design-thinking everywhere. Note: Use the title of the video rather than the name of the chapter or course.
YouTube or online video Person author Organisation author Person & organisation author Note: If you mention an author by name in the text, use the same author in the reference list.	Godin and Rodwell (2018) emphasise the importance of being clear about your motivations when making important life decisions. HBR (2019) explains the Blue Ocean Strategy. Blue ocean strategy involves capturing new markets (HBR 2019). HBR, Kaplan & Norton (2014) indicate managers place undue emphasis on financial metrics. Managers place undue emphasis on financial metrics (HBR, Kaplan & Norton 2014). Note: Include a timestamp when writing a direct quote in the (hh:mm:ss) format. This only applies to the in-text reference.	Godin, S & Rodwell, C 2018, Seth Godin – what is marketing, YouTube video, viewed 15 January 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=rYfMhufnyEY. Harvard Business Review [HBR] 2019, The explainer: Blue Ocean Strategy, YouTube video, viewed 26 January 2022, https://youtu.be/sYdaa02CS5E. / Harvard Business Review [HBR], Kaplan, RS & Norton, DP 2014, The explainer: The balanced scorecard, HBR video, viewed 26 January 2022, https://hbr.org/video/3633937148 001/the-explainer-the-balanced scorecard.
AIB Video Note: If the year is not stated, use n.d.	Independence of judgement is a crucial characteristic of a good director (Burrell, cited in Australian Institute of Business n.d.)	Australian Institute of Business n.d., AIB industry partnerships Steven Burrell, AIB video, viewed 29 November 2021, https://learning.aib.edu.au/mod/b ook/view.php?id=102171.
Podcast Note: Cite all hosts and	The Robinhood app attracted celebrity investors soon after release (Raz & Tenev 2021).	Raz, G & Tenev, V 2021, ‘Robinhood: Vlad Tenev’, How I Built This with Guy Raz, podcast,

©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 62

guests as authors and include the title of both the episode and the podcast in the reference list. Note: As we reference one podcast in a series, the title of the podcast has capital letters.	Zenhom (2021) asks business owners to focus on a single unique selling point for their product to avoid confusing customers.	viewed 9 May 2021, https://www.npr.org/2021/04/07/ 985041291/robinhood-vlad-tenev. Zenhom, O 2021, ‘Is your product unique enough?’, The $100 MBA Show, podcast, viewed 10 June 2021, https://soundcloud.com/businessr epublic/mba1801-is-your-product unique-enough.
Social media (e.g. Facebook and Twitter) Organisation poster Person poster Note: Reference by author. Use the full text of the post as the title. If longer than 20 words, abbreviate the title and include […] to indicate this.	Permanent plantings generate weaker returns than cropping and grazing (Financial Review 2021). Gillard (2021) spoke with Abbey Hansen about removing the barriers to women in leadership.	Financial Review 2021, The gap is very wide between the very strong returns generated from cropping and grazing farmland […], Twitter, 21 June, viewed 21 June 2021, https://twitter.com/FinancialRevie w/status/1406687873261264896. Gillard, J 2021, I am always relieved I can appear on TikTok without dancing! […], Facebook, 25 March, viewed 14 December 2022, https://www.facebook.com/perma link.php?story_fbid=10159281575 547328&id=161674172327. Note: Include the name of the platform and date of the post after the title.
Blog Note: Blogs are not credible sources and generally should not be used.	Using a conversational tone of voice is more intimate for readers (Weaver 2020).	Weaver, R 2020, The Roald Dahl guide to persuasive copywriting, 8 viewed 11 February 2021, 14 August, https://copywritematters.com/roa ld-dahl-guide-persuasive copywriting/. Note: Cite blog posts as you would cite a webpage.

Newspapers
Newspapers and news can disappear from websites quickly as they contain primarily current
information. Ensure you include as many points of reference, including the date of publication,
as necessary to enable your reader to access them.
Also note that newspapers are not considered to be an academic reference. While you may
reference them, if your assessment instructions require a minimum number of academic
references, they will not contribute to this.
©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 63

SITUATION	IN-TEXT CITATION	END-TEXT REFERENCE
Newspaper article: Print or via database	According to Bickers (2021), the new deal is expected to come into effect in July 2022. The new deal is expected to come into effect in July 2022 (Bickers 2021).	Bickers, C 2021, ‘Young Aussies front of mind in trade deal’, The Advertiser, 16 June, p. 8.
Newspaper article: No author Note: Cite the name of the newspaper in italics.	The Advertiser (2021) reported that elder abuse is carried out by someone the elder knows and trusts. Elder abuse is carried out by someone the elder knows and trusts (The Advertiser 2021).	The Advertiser 2021, ‘Appreciate wise elders to help end abuse’, 16 June, p. 15.
Newspaper article: From a news website Note: Same principal as an online popular magazine.	Tham (2021) notes that the students at selective schools are not representative of the population. The students at selective schools are not representative of the population (Tham 2021).	Tham, M 2021, ‘More stress, unclear gains: Are selective schools really worth it?’, The Conversation, 17 June, viewed 17 June 2021, https://theconversation.com/more -stress-unclear-gains-are-selective schools-really-worth-it-160762. Note: If the website has a day and month of publication, include it. If it does not, this information can be omitted.
Newspaper article: From a news website with no author	According to ABC News (2021), Whalers Way is home to several threatened bird species. Whalers Way is home to several threatened bird species (ABC News 2021).	ABC News 2021, ‘Planned rocket launch pad at Whalers Way approved for test launches despite opposition’, viewed 17 June 2021, https://www.abc.net.au/news/202 1-06-16/whalers-way-rocket launch-site-approved-despite opposition/100221264. Note: If the website has a day and month of publication, include it. If it does not, this information can be omitted.

Personal Communications
Personal communication is a resource that is accessible only to you, so it does not need to be
included in your Reference list. However, if it comes from a source that can be accessed by your
reader, you will require an in-text citation and an entry in your reference list. The title not
italicised as it is not published.
Also note that any form of personal communication is not considered to be an academic
reference. While you may reference it, if your assessment instructions require a minimum
number of academic references, personal communication will not contribute to this.
©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 64
When in-text referencing personal communication, you may place the first name or initial of
the author before the family name.

SITUATION	IN-TEXT CITATION	END-TEXT REFERENCE
Email Note: State the type of communication and the date of communication as part of your in-text reference.	In an email sent on 10 August 2020, Professor M Jones discussed the pressing need for sustainability. An email indicated the pressing need for sustainability (M Jones 2020, personal communication, 10 August).	Note: Reference is not required unless it comes from an accessible source.
Interview Note: State the type of communication and the date of communication as part of your in-text reference.	During an interview conducted on 15 March 2021, Bill Holmes, outlined the financial performance of his company. The financial performance of the company was outlined (B Holmes 2021, personal communication, 15 March). During a phone interview conducted on the 26 July 2020, Dr Mulyadi Robin stated that…	Note: Reference is not required unless it comes from an accessible source. In other words, if the interview was conducted on a video, you will need to reference the video (see multimedia section).
Letter Note: State the type of communication and the date of communication as part of your in-text reference.	Smith, the Human Resource Manager of XYZ, expressed sincere regret in her letter dated 15 May 2020. The Human Resource Manager of XYZ expressed sincere regret that … in her letter (Smith 2020, personal communication, 15 May).	Note: Reference is not required unless it comes from an accessible source.
Telephone Note: State the type of communication and the date of communication as part of your in-text reference.	During a phone interview conducted on 19 May 2021, Professor P. Smith discussed the state of the ASX. The state of the ASX was	Note: Reference is not required unless it comes from an accessible source.

©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 65

discussed (P Smith 2021, personal communication, 19 May).
Confidential information Note: By using the words Company A in place of your business name, your business remains anonymous. You should be consistent in using Company A throughout your report.	Company A (2015) indicated it finished the year with 3% growth. Company A finished the year with 3% growth (Company A 2015).	Company A 2015, Costs and implications of project beta. Unpublished internal document. or Name withheld 2017, Name of document. Unpublished confidential document

Theses & Assignments
If the thesis is available on the internet, add the date viewed and a URL. The title not italicised
as it is not published.

SITUATION	IN-TEXT CITATION	END-TEXT REFERENCE
Unpublished work: Thesis	Markus (unpub.) states Tolkien draws on mythology. Tolkien draws on mythology (Markus unpub.).	Markus, N unpub., The use of mythology and language in Tolkien, BA Hons Thesis, University of Greenwich. Note: Title not italicised as not published.
Unpublished work: Previous assignment. Note: Double submissions (submitting work that is substantially the same as previously submitted work) are not acceptable without written approval from your subject coordinator.	Smith (unpub.) states the staff at BIA are highly motivated. The staff at BIA are highly motivated (Smith unpub.).	Smith, K unpub., Human resource practices at BIA, MBA SHRM Assessment 1, 8003SHRM Strategic Human Resource Management 2021 Term 5, Australian Institute of Business, Adelaide. Note: Title not italicised as not published.

Creating new citation styles
If you cannot find a relevant example of the type of source material you want to cite, and if you
have exhausted all the options, then cite all the details that would help the reader find the
source easily. Think about the following items:
• Who created the work?
• When was it created?
• What is the title and type of information?
• Where can one find it?
©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 66
12 ENDNOTE REFERENCE TYPES
It is important that the reference type you select within EndNote contains the format that you
are expecting. Use the tables below to help you choose the most appropriate EndNote
reference type based on its corresponding Style Guide heading.

11.4 Books and eBooks
Style Guide	EndNote
Book	Book
Edited work	Book (Edited)
Chapter in edited work	Book Chapter
eBook no publisher	Book (use ‘self-published’ in the Publisher field)
Audio Book	Audiobook

 

11.5 Journal articles
Style Guide	EndNote
Journal article: Print or online	Journal Article
Journal article from a website	Electronic Journal Article
Journal articles: Advanced online publication / pre-print	Electronic Journal Article (Pre-print)
Journal article with no volume/issue numbers	Journal Article (No Volume/Issue)
Journal article with article number rather than page numbers	Journal Article (Article Number)

 

11.6 Web sources
Style Guide	EndNote
Online magazine	Online Magazine
Webpage with person author	Web Page
Webpage with organisation/ Corporate author	Web Page (add a comma to the end of the author)
Webpage no date	Web Page (use n.d. in the Year field)
Webpage no author	Web Page (leave the Author field blank)

©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 67

11.7 Company and industry information
Style Guide	EndNote
Company report	Company Report
Company annual report	Company Report
Company profile	Company Profile
Financial data	Web Page
Case study	Case Study
Industry report	Industry Report
Unpublished internal document	Confidential Information

 

11.8 Conference proceedings
Style Guide	EndNote
Conference proceedings	Conference Proceedings
Conference paper – hard copy	Conference Paper

 

11.9 Data and statistics
Style Guide	EndNote
Financial data	Web Page
Statistics	Statistics

 

11.10 Conference proceedings
Style Guide	EndNote
Dictionary	N/A (in-text citation only)
Holy/Sacred Book	N/A (in-text citation only)

 

11.11 Figures, tables, images, photos or artwork
Style Guide	EndNote
Table, figure or image from a book	Book
Table or figure from a website	Web Page
Image or photo found online with creator and year	Image (Online)
Image found online with no author or year	Image (Online, Authorless)

©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 68

11.12 Learning materials
Style Guide	EndNote
AIB Learning Materials	AIB Learning Materials
AIB Collaborative Forum Post	AIB Forum Post
Unpublished work: Thesis	Unpublished Work (Thesis)(use ‘unpub.’ in the Year field)
Unpublished work: Previous assignment	Unpublished Work (Assignment)(use ‘unpub.’ in the Year field)
AIB Video	Online Video (use ‘AIB’ in the Type of Video field)

 

11.13 Legal Materials (Legislation/Cases)
Style Guide	EndNote
Legislation	Legislation
Cases	Case

 

11.14 Multimedia materials
Style Guide	EndNote
LinkedIn Learning video	Online Video (use ‘LinkedIn Learning’ in the Type of Video field)
YouTube or online video	Online Video
Podcast	Podcast
Social media (e.g. Facebook and Twitter)	Social Media
Blog	Blog
AIB Video	Online Video (use ‘AIB’ in the Type of Video field)

 

11.15 Newspapers
Style Guide	EndNote
Newspaper article: Print or via database	Newspaper Article
Newspaper article: No author	Newspaper Article (Authorless)
Newspaper article: From a news website	Online News Article
Newspaper article: From a news website with no author	Online News Article (Authorless)

©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 69

11.16 Personal Communications
Style Guide	EndNote
Email	N/A (in-text citation only)
Interview	N/A (in-text citation only)
Letter	N/A (in-text citation only)
Telephone	N/A (in-text citation only)
Confidential information	Confidential Information

 

11.17 Theses & Assignments
Style Guide	EndNote
Unpublished work: Thesis	Unpublished Work (Thesis)

©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 70
13 REFERENCES
Australian Government Publishing Service 2002, Style manual for authors, editors and
printers, 6th edn, John Wiley & Sons, Milton, Qld.
Academic Skills and Learning Centre 2019, Critical reviews Australian National University,
viewed 9 October 2019, https://www.anu.edu.au/students/academic-skills/writingassessment/critical-reviews.
Goleman, D 1995, Emotional intelligence, Bloomsbury Publishing, London.
Kolb, DA 2015, Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development,
Pearson, London.
Manalo, E, Wont-Toi, G, & Bartlett-Trafford, J 2009, The business of writing: Written
communication skills for business students, 3rd edn, Pearson Education, Auckland.
Mayer, JD, Salovey, P & Caruso, DR 2008, ‘Emotional intelligence: New ability or eclectic
traits’, American Psychologist, vol. 63, no. 6, pp. 503–517.
Salovey, P & Mayer, JD 1990, ‘Emotional intelligence’, Imagination, Cognition, and Personality,
vol. 9, pp. 185–211.
Sydney University Writing Skill Centre, viewed 29 October 2019,
https://sydney.edu.au/students/writing.html.
Wellington J, Bathmaker A, Hunt C, McCulloch, G & Sikes P 2005, Succeeding with your
doctorate, Sage, London.
©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 71
14 APPENDIX – HISTORY OF AMENDMENTS
Version 15
June 2019 – Addition of Sentence Starters, Transitional and other useful words
Version 16
December 2018 – Combination of the assessment and style guide into one document
Version 17
June 2019 – update to academic integrity definitions
Version 18
February 2020 – Update to tips for writing assessment, addition of reflective writing and
commentary examples and revision and update of referencing examples.
Version 19
September 2020 – Addition of new referencing examples for LinkedIn Learning videos, online
videos, online popular magazines, financial information, personal communication and images.
Version 20
January 2021 – Update to commentary instructions, removal of references to APA – Harvard is
the preferred style at AIB, addition of advanced online publication and audio book references,
minor update to table descriptions.
Version 21
July 2021 Major upgrade to the examples of all referencing examples to include full intext
examples.
Version 22
December 2021 Reorganisation of the Paragraphs and Types of Writing sections. Removal of
material duplicated in other places. Use of table to present capitalisation information. Minor
amendments to Referencing of Tables and images. Addition of Review of Models and
Frameworks section.
September 2022 minor update to advise that DOIs are optional. See Section 11.4
©AIB Style Guide December 2022 version 23 72
Version 23
December 2022. Revision of the definition of credible academic sources (section 10.3), add
EndNote reference type examples and reorganisation of the frequently asked questions (FAQs)
and quotes sections. Removal of examples duplicated in FAQs. Addition of the case study
example.