UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

Referencing is the practice of formally acknowledging the ideas, words or data taken from other authors by providing complete details of the sources used. It typically follows specific styles such as APA, MLA or Chicago, which standardise how author names, publication years, titles and other information are presented. Proper referencing allows readers to locate the original sources and shows respect for intellectual property. Because the stem describes writing author, year and source details in a standard manner to acknowledge sources, it is clearly referring to referencing.

Option A:
Plagiarism occurs when someone uses another person’s work without proper acknowledgement, effectively presenting it as their own. It is the opposite of correct referencing, which aims to avoid plagiarism by giving credit to original authors. Since the stem is about acknowledging sources rather than misusing them, plagiarism is not the correct answer.

Option B:
Referencing demonstrates academic honesty and enables critical readers to verify claims, follow up on original studies and assess the reliability of the evidence cited. It is an integral part of scholarly communication and is governed by detailed formatting rules. The description in the stem, involving standardised author and year details, matches this practice exactly, so referencing is the appropriate choice.

Option C:
Sampling deals with selecting a subset of individuals or elements from a population for the purpose of data collection. It concerns who is studied, not how sources are cited in a written report. Therefore, sampling does not fit the context of acknowledging sources.

Option D:
Coding refers to assigning numerical or symbolic codes to responses or data categories for ease of analysis. While coding is crucial in data processing, it is distinct from the documentation practice of listing authors and sources. Hence, coding is not an accurate completion for the stem.