referring to the evidence of others – through journal articles, books, ebooks, websites, reports etc. – shows that the points that you make are based on your reading and are not simply made up ideas for which there are no proofs. You can also refer to work that you do not agree with and you can explain why you do not find it convincing.
Using the work of others in your own assignments shows that you have engaged with the existing academic arguments around the topic. By referring to those academic works and building on them in your assignment you are placing yourself in the wider academic community.
If you use the work of someone else in an assignment and you do not reference where the material has come from you will be in breach of the Academic Integrity Policy, to learn more about academic integrity you can go to this course. This is a serious offence and the penalties can be harsh.