Referencing in the research report

The report should follow an academic style of referencing. According to Butcher (1981: 226), there are four referencing systems from which to choose:

1. the short-title system;
2. the author-date system;
3. the reference by number system;
4. the author-number system.

You need to adopt the one that is acceptable to your university and academic discipline: ‘The first of these is used in most general books, the second mainly in science and social science books; the third and fourth less frequently’ (Butcher 1981: 167).

Source: Kumar Ranjit (2012), Research methodology: a step-by-step guide for beginners, SAGE Publications Ltd; Third edition.