School of Public Management and Administration

SPMA referencing guide

2024
1. GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR THE WRITING OF ASSIGNMENTS/PROPOSALS

As an assignment, research proposal, dissertation or thesis is a scientific document, which

should not only conform to basic research and content requirements, but also to specific
technical requirements. The following paragraphs outline some general guidelines
pertaining to the technical aspects of academic writing.

i. Scientific documents (journal articles excluded) should include a table of contents

that outlines the list of headings as well as the associated page numbers. Main
heading should be capital letters and subheadings in sentence case. Sub
subheadings should also be in sentence case and in italics. See the following
example:

The headings in the text should be in exactly the same format as in the table of
contents (in terms of the use of capital letters, bold, italic etc.)

Paper size A4
Font (body text) Arial, 12pt
Line spacing (body text) 1½ spacing
Language setting Use the English (UK) settings in MS Word.
Heading numbering and As shown in document
format
Paragraph formatting Paragraphs should be justified (i.e., the text should be aligned
evenly along both the left and right margins to form a square
box).
Page numbers
 Front page None

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  Table of Contents, List Roman numerals, small caps (e.g., i, ii, iii)
of Figures, List of
Tables
 Body of assignment, Arabic numerals starting at 1 (e.g., 1, 2, 3) (this will start on the
List of References, page where the introduction is)
Appendices

ii. Every document should have an introduction and conclusion. The introduction
introduces the reader to the subject matter while the conclusion usually contains no
quotations or factual information but serves as a summary of what was discussed in
the document previously and may include recommendations and/or provide an
indication of areas for further research in the particular field.

iii. Headings and sub-headings should be a true reflection of the main theme, should
be clear, not vague and not too long. Do not underline headings. Do not refer to the
number of acts (legislation/regulations) in headings – just the title of the act. Separate
headings by writing, under the first heading, something pertaining to the topic which
will be discussed in the subsequent paragraph (bridging sentence or paragraph) for
example:

2. POLICY IMPLEMENTATION

Numerous models for policy implementation exist and will be described in the
following paragraphs.

2.1 Models for policy implementation

An assignment, dissertation or thesis cannot have only one sub-heading under a

section

iv. Do not start each word in a sub-heading with capital letters, but in sentence case -
write as you would when using the same concepts in a sentence. See the example:

1. INTRODUCTION
2. DEFINITION OF CONCEPTS
2.1 Intergovernmental relations in a developmental state

2.1 Intergovernmental Relations in a Developmental State X

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v. Use words to indicate numbers from nought to nine, for example: there were seven
public officials in the meeting representing their different departments. The only
exception is if age is expressed, for example: The head of the mission is 39 years
old. Any number above nine, use figures, for example: Only 40 delegates attended
the conference. Numbers starting from ten, will be 10, 21, 30 and so forth.

vi. Opinions should be substantiated and deductive arguments should only be made
once facts have been presented.

vii. All quotations must be followed by an indication of the sources thereof. Direct
quotations must be placed in inverted commas. Make sure of the placement of the
inverted commas, for example:

The whole sentence is a direct quotation:

“Administration is a type of cooperative human effort that has a high degree of rationality”
(Van Dijk 2019:6).

When a paraphrase of the words of an author is used:

May and Koski (2020:151) argue that “… the engagement of different private sector
entities and of key industry and professional associations means little unless their
involvement helps to foster broader communities of interest for addressing risks to critical
infrastructures”.

A quote within a quote or brackets within brackets or quote - use the single inverted
comma or square brackets:

Smith (2022:1) mentions that “it is necessary to always ask, ‘what is the right thing to do’
and act accordingly”.

Square brackets have important usage in academic writing, especially when the writer
needs to add information to a quotation. Normally, a quotation must be presented exactly
as it was spoken or written. The square bracket allows the writer an opportunity to fix
mistakes, add explanatory information or to change a quote to fit in a sentence.

"Books used [in classes] show methods of finding information but not much information in
preparation of the review (as prescribed by the Handbook of Academic Writing [HAW])"
(Libutti & Kopala 2022:15).

viii. Line spacing should be consistent before and after headings

ix. When making use of abbreviations - write out the word/name of the
organisation/institution/act when referring to it the first time, for example:

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The World Health Organisation (WHO) (2019:3) acknowledges the impact of poor living conditions
on the health of children.

Later in text

According to the WHO (2019:13) there are numerous interventions that can be made to address
the poor health of children under the age of ten.

or

Section 3(1) of the Intergovernmental Relations Framework Act of 2005 (Act 13 of 2005)
(hereafter referred to as the IRFA) outlines the role, composition and functions of the various
intergovernmental relations forums.

Later in text

The various steps in the intergovernmental relations dispute resolution process are outlined in the
IRFA.

x. Some pointers with regards to developing critical reading and writing skills:

• Reading skills:

– Critical and sensitive to language

– Ask yourself when evaluating information:
• Who is author? Profession, competence and qualification to write on
subject matter?
• For whom is article written? Scholarly or general public?
• Is author objective? Can he make the assumptions he is making?
• Where did he get his information – data collection method?
• Does the research compare with other works? Is this accepted
knowledge – if not, why not?
• Writing skills:

– Requirements for scientific writing:

• Substantiated
• Systematic presentation
• Concise
• Language usage
• Spelling and sentence construction comply with language
rules
• Thoughts must be expressed clearly, unambiguously and
intelligibly
• Use of pompous or vulgar language must be avoided
• Assignment must be easily understandable and should read
smoothly
• Avoid using idiomatic or colloquial expressions
• Do not start a sentence with “but” or “and”
• Refrain from using “on the other hand”

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 • Take note that when you want to use “therefore”, you need to argue
for something.
• Do not use the ampersand (&) in text, use “and”. The ampersand can
only be used for example when referring to the authors in brackets
(Mazenda & Masiya 2020:58).
• No headings or sub-headings at the bottom of a page.

x. Plagiarism

What is it?
* Direct quotation without recognition
Why should it be avoided?
* Unethical – illegal and subject to discipline
Consult UP Library/AIS website for full plagiarism policy

xi. Length of assignments

The ideal length of the assignment and minimum sources to be utilised according
to the year of study will be indicated in your study guide.

2. REFERENCE TECHNIQUES
Consistency is key
Do not number/use bullets in the list of references. It must be alphabetical and integrated,
and there must not be a distinction between books, journals etc.

When specific facts from an author’s work are used, page numbers must be included in the
text (for both quotes and specific statements) - even when paraphrased, page numbers
should be included. If reference is made to an entire study - no page numbers are required.

List of reference entry In-text referencing

2.1 Books

One author

Dhlamini, R. 2022. Straight and crooked thinking. Dlamini (2022:9) illustrates this by …
London: Pan Publishers.
or

Policy ………………. (Dlamini 2022:9)

Two authors

Sidanius and Pratto (2019:25) are of

Sidanius, J. & Pratto, F. 2019. Social dominance: the opinion that ………
an intergroup theory of social hierarchy and
oppression. New York: Cambridge University or
Press.
Preparing for each lecture is crucial for

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 student success (Sodanius & Pratto
2019:25).
Three or more authors

Cheminais, J., Bayat, S., van der Waldt, G. & Fox,
W. 1998. The fundamentals of Public Personnel
Management. Cape Town: Juta.
Use the name of the first author
followed by et al. – see italics
Cheminais et al. (1998:89 -109) discuss
this problem in detail.

Author/s of chapters in an edited book

Reddy, P.S. & Govender, J. 2014. Policy Very important - the author of the
management for effective and efficient public chapter is cited and not the
administration. In Thornhill, C., Van Dijk, G. & Ile, editors for example:
I. (eds). Public Administration and Management
in South Africa: a developmental perspective. The view proposed by Reddy and
Cape Town: Oxford University Press. pp 160 - Govender (2014:160) is that
169. public policy …..
or

The implementation of policy involves

executing a policy plan or action that
has as its main objective the remedying
of a particular problem (Reddy &
Govender 2014:160).

Referencing of multiple sources

If you wish to refer to more than one source which The implementation of policy involves
has the same viewpoint, list them together at the executing a policy plan (Hill et al.
relevant point in the sentence, putting them in 2019:6; Naidoo 2022:16; Reddy &
brackets with the author's name, followed by the Govender 2014:160).
date of publication and separated by a semi-
colon. The sources should be cited in alphabetical
order in each list.

Secondary of indirect citations – referencing sources that you have not directly
read yourself

You should, as a general rule, only cite sources in the text and in the list of references that
you have read directly (for example sources that you have read yourself and from which you
have directly taken information). However, it is sometimes necessary to use secondary (or
indirect) citations to sources that you have not read yourself.

Consider the following example:

Mbali (in Zulu & Thomas 2020:34) argues that consequence management is an important
management tool that should be used to ensure that service delivery is improved.

This sentence refers to a specific argument of Mbali. The citation used here indicates that
the student did not consult the source by Mbali (the primary source) directly. Instead, they
read an article by Zulu and Thomas (a secondary source) in which Mbali’s arguments were

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summarised. In such a situation, one has to acknowledge both the primary and the
secondary sources by using an indirect citation.

You should use the same basic approach whenever you need to refer to a primary source
that you have not read directly, but that is mentioned by the authors of a source that you
have consulted.

The following convention is used in such cases:

Brown (in Jones & Carter 2010:34) argues that …

Acknowledging that public accountability is a crucial principle in public financial

management is the first step towards sound financial management practices (Brown in
Jones & Carter 2000:34).

or

According to Skhosana (quoted by Williams 2023:10), public accountability is …

NB: only the secondary sources that one has directly read/consulted are included in
the list of references.

2.2 Journals

Mthabini, E., Mazenda, A. & Masiya, T. 2020. Mthabini et al. (2020:9) maintain that ...
Promoting public value by implementing reverse
logistic in the South African Police Service. Journal
of Transport and Supply Chain Management,
14(1): 1 – 9.

Armstrong, C. & Graham, G.A. 2017. Ethical
preparation for the public service. The
Bureaucrat, 4(1): 66-75.
Note: the name of the journal (not the title) should
be in italics
Public participation occurs when ….
(Armstrong & Graham 2017:67).
According to Armstrong and Graham,
(2017: 70) organisational culture ...

Jackson, R. 2015. Running down the up-escalator: Jackson (2015:176) is of the opinion ....
regional inequality in Papua New Guinea.
Australian Geographer, 14(5): 175-184. Regional inequality happens when
……… (Jackson 2015:176).
Note: sometimes the volume number is not
available. See an example of how the article
would be entered in a list of references if the
volume number were absent but if an issue
number or a date were known.

Jackson, R. 2017. Running down the up-escalator:

regional inequality in Papua New Guinea.
Australian Geographer, 20 May: 175-184.

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There will be times that you use the same author
that has published in the same year. Distinguish
by using a, b, c etc. In the text, also indicate the
difference by the a, b, c.
According to Clapper (2019a:370)
Clapper, V.A. 2019a. On seeing the promised
ethics is defined as …
land: prospects for public sector right doing.
Journal of Public Administration, 34(4): 379-392.
or
Clapper, V.A. 2019b. Ethics for public
administration and management in the 21st
Mechanisms to promote ethical
century. Administration Publica, 45(2): 94-104.
behaviour are …………… (Clapper
2019b:95).
In some instances, you might use various pieces
of work from one author, the order will be
chronological.
Trust is defined as ………. (Bews
Bews, N.F. 2001. You can put a value to trust in
2001:50).
the new economy. Independent Human Resource
Magazine, 1(1): 48-55.
or
Bews, N.F. 2014. The South African economy is
under pressure. Journal of Financial
Brews (2014:60) is of the opinion that
Management, 21(3): 45-65.
trust ……………

2.3 Electronic journal article

Cite a journal article as an electronic article only

when you have read the web page version of the
article with no page numbers or when the article is
a pre-publication version that has not yet been It is preferred that the printed and not
assigned to a specific volume or issue of the the online version be referenced
journal. Because no page numbers are available,
these are omitted from citations. Most journals,
however, have a print reference and it is easier
to use that reference than the electronic
reference. Molefe (2021) maintains that ...

Molefe, N.E. 2021. Understanding transformation or

in government: various debates. Journal of
Development Studies, (In press). [Online] Available Understanding transformation
at: http://jds.doi.org/10.1016?direct=trueAN&li …………………….. (Molefe 2021).
(Accessed on 25 June 2021).

2.4 Acts/legislation

South Africa, Republic. 2005. Intergovernmental …… as stipulated in section 3(1) of the

Relations Framework Act of 2005 (Act 13 of 2005). Intergovernmental Relations Framework
Pretoria: Government Printers. Act of 2005 (Act 13 of 2005).

The President’s Coordinating Council is

an intergovernmental relations structure
(South Africa 2005: section 3).

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Very important – we do not refer to the number When writing it for the first time in the
of the Constitution when referencing it – the document - the Constitution of the
Constitution should be referenced as follow: Republic of South Africa, 1996 (hereafter
referred to as the Constitution)
South Africa, Republic. 1996. Constitution of the
Republic of South Africa, 1996. Pretoria: Thereafter you can just refer to it as the
Government Printers. Constitution eg section 41(1) of the
Constitution refers to the principles of
cooperative government.

When referring to different section of one

Act (see example of the Constitution) - it
is referenced as "South Africa" at the
end of the paragraph.

After using the full title number and date

during the first mention of the act and
the using short titles of acts thereafter,
for example Municipal Structures Act as
MSA or the Public Finance
Management Act as PFMA – be
consistent with the use of abbreviations
but do not write out some and use short
titles for others – consistency is
important – also see example under
2.8.

An example

The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (hereafter referred to as the
Constitution), outlines further protection by establishing the rights of children to basic shelter;
entrenching property rights and providing that no one may be deprived of property except in
terms of the law (South Africa, 1996). As such, the Constitution protects a right of access to
adequate housing in section 26. It also endorses the right to equality with non-racialism and
non-sexism being among the foundational values of the Constitution, section 1(b). Section
9(1) of the Constitution recognises that everyone is equal before the law and has the right to
equal protection on and benefit of the law. Section 9(2) expressly recognises that equality
includes the full and equal enjoyment of all rights and freedoms. In addition to section 9(3)
prohibiting unfair discrimination on a host of grounds which include sex and gender, section
9(2) specifically recognises that special measures may be adopted to promote the
achievement of equality amongst previously disadvantaged groups. In addition, considering
section 9(1) with section 26, it is clear that the state has an obligation to prohibit unfair
discrimination in respect of housing rights, and that it can adopt special measures to promote

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equality for women in the housing sector (South Africa 1996).

2.5 Internet references

If the author is known

Smith, M.N. 2012. Phenomenology: what's is it As stated by Smith (2012) …

about. Available at: http:// www.noesi.htm
(Accessed on 25 June 2012).
or

Phenomenology focuses on
……………… (Smith 2012).

Take note that the “www” reference

cannot be in blue ink as it means it is
a live link

If the organisation is known

Public Service Commission. 2019. About us.
Available at: http://www.psc.gov.za/home.asp#
(Accessed on 22 February 2019).
Note: if the abbreviation has been introduced in
the text eg Public Service Commission (PSC) –
then the abbreviation can be used in the text and
references in subsequent paragraphs.
The Public Service Commission is
tasked and empowered to, amongst
others, investigate, monitor, and
evaluate the organisation and
administration of the Public Service
(Public Service Commission 2019).

2.6 Newspapers (printed)

Dawes, N. 2023. Whistle-blower faces the axe. Dawes (2023:5) is of the opinion that ...
Mail & Guardian, 26 November: 4-5.
or

Protecting whistle-blowers is important

(Dawes 2023:4).

Only the title of the article or headline is known

Business Day. 2019. The influence of state State capture is a topic written about
capture on the economy. Business Day, 17 often in the media (Business Day
February: 7. 2019:7).

or

Business Day (2019:7) reports that

………..

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 2.7 Newspapers (on-line)

Mehala, A. 2023. SA has to address climate Government recently released their

change. Business Day, 7 October [Online] plans on how to address climate change
Available from: (Mehala 2023)
http://www.businessday.co.za/article/change
(Accessed on 7 October 2023). or

According to Mehala, (2023) the South

African government …..

2.8 Policy documents/corporate bodies/White papers/Green papers

Note: if the abbreviation has been introduced in the text eg Department of Home Affairs
(DHA) – then the abbreviation can be used in the text and references in subsequent
paragraphs for example:
1st in-text citation: (Department of Home Affairs [DHA] 2023:6)

Subsequent: (DHA 2023:6)

South Africa. Department of Basic Education. The pass rate of learners is expected to
2010. Revised national curriculum statement improve in the following year
grades (Schools) policy: arts and culture. (Department of Basic Education [DBE]
Pretoria: Department of Basic Education. 2010:10).

South Africa. National Planning Commission.

2011. National Development Plan-Vision 2030. The long-term planning for the
Pretoria: Government Printers. implementation of the priorities is under
way (National Planning Commission
Note: In the first example above the corporate 2011:11).
body is both the author and the publisher of the
book. In such cases the publisher’s name is
omitted from the imprint.

Statistics South Africa. 2022. Mid-year population

estimates. [Online] Available from: The mid-year population estimates are
https://www.statssa.gov.za/?p=15601 (Accessed the following …. (Statistics South Africa
on August 2022). 2022).

South Africa. Department of Human Settlements.

2023. Annual Performance Plan. Pretoria: According to the Department of Human
Department of Human Settlements. Settlements (2023:5) …….

City of Tshwane. 2018. Report on the City of

Tshwane corporate employment equity plan Employment equity is important for
2017-2020. Pretoria: Group Human Capital sound human resource management
Management Department …. (City of Tshwane 2018:55).

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Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the
Environment. 2023. White paper on conservation 1st in-text citation: (Department of
and sustainable use of South Africa’s biodiversity. Forestry, Fisheries and the
Notice 48785 of 2023. Pretoria: Department of Environment [DFFE] 2023:6)
Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment.
Subsequent: (DFFE 2023:6)
Department of Tourism. 2023. Green paper on
the development and promotion of tourism in
South Africa. Notice 49223 of 2023. Pretoria: Tourism ……. (Department of Tourism
Department of Tourism. 2023:10)

or

The Department of Tourism (2023:5)

states that ………

2.9 Works universally known by their titles: dictionaries and encyclopaedias

Certain reference works are universally known by their titles and it makes things
considerably easier for the reader if these works are listed under their titles. Academic
references are preferable to dictionary definitions. Dictionaries should not be used to
provide definitions of Public Administration and Management related concepts – rather refer
to scholarly definitions.
Concise Oxford Dictionary. 2020. Sixth edition. Sv According to the Concise Oxford
“accountable”. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Dictionary (2020:8), … “accountable"
refers to …
Encyclopaedia Britannica. 1998. Sv
“participation”. London: Benton. or

“Accountable” is to be bound to give

account (Concise Oxford Dictionary
2020:8).

… as mentioned before
(Encyclopaedia Britannica 1998, sv
“optics”).

Note: “sv” is an abbreviation of the

Latin expression “sub verbo”, which
means “under the word”, in other words
the word consulted in the dictionary.

2.10 Unknown date or place of publication

For the sake of convenience some examples are given but the principles apply to any
source where the date or place of publication or the copyright date is lacking. If the date of
publication is unknown, an abbreviation of the Latin expression sine anno (without year) is
used in square brackets. If the place of publication is unknown, an abbreviation of the Latin
expression sine loco (without place) is used in square brackets. It is however very unlikely
that an academic source will not have a year or place of publication.

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Radebe, D.A. [Sa]. South Africa and its people. According to Radebe ([sa]:14) there are
Johannesburg: Southern Publishers. ……

Note: it is very unusual for an academic source or

not to indicate date or place of publication. Check
the quality of the source you are using. ... in that regard (Radebe [sa]:10).

Note: the “S” of both sine anno and

“sine loco” is capitalised because it
introduces a new element of the
bibliography. In the text reference “s” is
written with a small letter.

2.11 Unpublished works

Dissertations or theses

Binikos, E. 2006. A sociological case study of the ... the kind of trust (Binikos 2006:5).
relationship between organisational trust and
whistleblowing in the workplace. Unpublished
Masters Dissertation. Johannesburg: University of
Johannesburg. or

Netshikhophani, A. F. 2012. A conceptual training

and development framework for public educators Netshikhophani (2012:50) mentioned
in the Limpopo Department of Education. that a training and development
Unpublished PhD thesis. Pretoria: University of framework can be very useful to
Pretoria. educators.

Unpublished papers

Zerubavel, E. 2020. The Benedictine ethic and the

spirit of scheduling. Paper presented at the annual Zerubavel (2020:6) states that ...
meeting of the International Society for the
Comparative Study of Civilizations, Milwaukee,
April 2020.

Diale, A.J. & Holtzhausen, N. 2005. Public or Whistle-blowers should be protected by

Protected Disclosure? The fallacy of whistle- the organisation (Diale & Holtzhausen
blower protection in South Africa. Paper 2005:4).
presented at the South African Association of
Public Administration and Management
(SAAPAM) conference, Pretoria, 20-21 October
2005.

2.12 Personal communication

Personal communications include private letters, memos, e-mails from unarchived sources,
personal interviews, telephone conversations, and similar resources.

As these sources do not provide recoverable During an interview conducted with Mr

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data, personal communications are usually not J.J. Morema, Chief Director in the
included in the reference list or can be included Department of Health, on 2 February
as follows: 2017, he mentioned that ……….

According to a communication by Mr
Morema, J.J. 2017. Verbal communication with J.J. Morema (2017), the combatting of
the author on 2 February 2017. Pretoria corruption is essential in order to
promote ethical behaviour.

The Vice Chancellor's statement was

confirmed during an interview (P.
Dawkins 2011, personal
communication, 11 October).

During an interview conducted on 11

October 2011, Prof Peter Dawkins
stated that …

2.13 Newspaper interviews

Jones, K. 2023. Interview with Kevin Jones (2023) believed …

Jones for The Times, 7 July, p. 88.
or
A policy guiding the …… should be
formulated (Jones 2023).

2.14 Statements downloaded from the internet

Ramaphosa, S. 2019. State of the nation address Ramaphosa (2019) stated that …..
on 10 February 2019. [Online] Available at:
http://gov.org.za:80/speeches/inaugta.html
(Accessed on 7 March 2019).

2.15 E-mail messages

Surname of sender, Initials of sender. (sender's e- Students should meet certain criteria to
mail address) Year. Title or subject of e-mail be admitted (Nkosi 2010).
message. [E-mail to:] Receiver's surname.
Receiver's initials. (Receiver's e-mail address)
or
Date received.

Nkosi, C.B. (nkso@info.ac.za) 2022. Discussion

on admission requirements of students. [E-mail Nkosi (2022) mentioned that students
to:] Muller, S. (mullers@afrinet.com) 2 March should meet certain criteria to be
2022. admitted.

2.16 Social media

Since social media posts do not have page numbers, no pinpoint reference is required.

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However, if you’re citing a long post, you may want to include a paragraph number
when quoting a source. The following format is suggested:

Surname, Initial(s). Year. Title of Post/Excerpt, Day and Month [Social Media Platform].
Available at: URL [Accessed date].

Musk, E. 2017. Technology breakthrough: new
developments in social media, 1 April [Twitter].
Available at: https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status
/848243350993895424 (Accessed 18 April 2017).
Musk (2017) mentioned that …...
or
New developments in social media
include …….. (Musk 2017).

2.17 Referencing Artificial Intelligence

 Submitting writing, or other content generated by an artificial intelligence as your own

work is a violation of academic integrity regulations
 If you do use generative AI in your work, be sure to reference (cite) its use.
 Remember that referencing the use of an AI is not the same as citing the source of a
piece of information in its output.
 Be aware of the following shortcomings of current generative AI technology:
o They may not provide specific sources or references for the information they
output. Their responses are an amalgam of content pulled from across the
internet.
o It has been demonstrated that when an AI does provide academic
references, they are sometimes fake.
o The internet content that AI is trained on is dated. The information that an AI
is using to generate its responses is sometimes several years old.
o AI can demonstrate the same social and intellectual biases of its source
material.
When you paraphrase or quote the output of a generative AI in your text, use the
following format:
Works-reference-list entry format:
“The prompt you used” prompt. Title of AI, Version. Publisher of the AI, Date the content
was generated, URL of AI tool.
Works-reference-list entry example:
“Compare the good governance principles contained in the South African and Namibian
Constitutions” prompt. ChatGPT, 13 February version. OpenAI, 8 March 2023,
chat.openai.com/chat.
When including an AI-generated image in your work, use the following format if a
caption is needed:
Caption format:
Figure. Number of the figure. “Description of the prompt you used” prompt, Title of
AI, Version. Publisher of the AI, Date the work was generated, URL of AI tool.
Caption example:
Portfolio committee meeting. Figure 1. “Representation of a portfolio committee
meeting in progress” prompt, DALL-E, version 2. OpenAI, 8 March
2023, labs.openai.com/.

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If you have an AI generate a work and you wish to reference it, use the following
format:
Reference format:
“Title or brief description of the work” prompt description. Title of AI, Version.
Publisher of AI, Date work was generated, URL of AI tool.

Reference example:
Characteristics of representative democracy”. ChatGPT, 13 February version.
OpenAI, 8 March 2023, chat.openai.com/chat.
Describing how you used a generative AI in a method section or the introduction of your
paper, you should include the prompt used along with the relevant text from the AI’s
response. For long responses, consider including the full text of the response in an appendix
or with online supplemental materials.
See the example below:

“Is the left-brain right brain divide real or a When prompted with “Is the left-brain
metaphor” prompt. ChatGPT, 13 February right brain divide real or a metaphor?”
version. OpenAI, 8 March 2023, the ChatGPT-generated text indicated
chat.openai.com/chat. that although the two brain
hemispheres are somewhat
specialised, “the notation that people
can be characterised as ‘left-brained’ or
‘right-brained’ is considered to be an
oversimplification and a popular myth”
(OpenAI 2023).

See the student guide on using generative AI at the University of Pretoria

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 2.18 Figures and tables

All figures and tables must be numbered and should have a heading and the source should
be given after the figure/table. Headings of figures may appear at the bottom of the figure
and the heading of table at the top. The table or figure should be introduced and then
discussed or put into context afterwards. Do not include a figure or a table without
explaining its relevance. If the table or figure is the author’s own creation - it should also be
noted as a source. See the following examples:

Department of
Agriculture, Forestry
and Fisheries

Agricultural Food security

Health and Economic Trade and
Administration production and agrarian
food safety- development marketing
reform

Subsistence Small-holder
farming development

Figure 1: Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

Source: Nkwana (2016:206)

Table 2.2: International best practice in risk allocation for public private
partnerships
Appropriate South
Risks Determinants
party Africa
Planning and statutory
Planning or Public process undertaken in
statutory advance of tender √

Misspecification of Information and resources

output Public relevant for output
requirements requirements x

Works adhere to contract

Performance Private specifications regarding
performance x

Source: Adapted from Msiza et al. (2007:4) and the IMF (2004:18)

19
 See the example of a list of references – should start on a separate page

LIST OF REFERENCES

Department of Agriculture. 2002. The Integrated Food Security Strategy for South
Africa. Pretoria: Government Printers.

Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment. 2023. White paper on

conservation and sustainable use of South Africa’s biodiversity. Notice 48785 of
2023. Pretoria: Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment.

Fourie, J.J. & Kimaro, J.R. 2020. The interrelationship between ethics and integrity in
public administration. Administratio Publica, 28(2): 76 – 93.

Gladden, E.N. 1999. An introduction to public administration. London: Staples.

Hart, T. 2009. Food security definitions, measurements and recent initiatives in

South and Africa and Southern Africa. Unpublished Report, Centre for Poverty
Employment and Growth. Pretoria: Human Sciences Research Council.

“Is the left-brain right brain divide real or a metaphor” prompt. ChatGPT, 13 February
version. OpenAI, 8 March 2023, chat.openai.com/chat.

Leedy, P.D. & Ormrod, J.E. 2010. Practical research: planning and design. 9th
edition. Boston: Pearson Educational Trust.

Marumahoko, S., Afolabi, O., Sadie, Y. & Nhede, N.T. 2020. Governance and urban
service delivery in Zimbabwe. Strategic Review for Southern Africa, 42(1): 41 – 68.

Mosimege, S.B. & Masiya, T. 2022. Assessing audit outcomes of pre-determined

objectives in a public institution. International Journal of Productivity and
Performance Management, 71(6): 2296-2315.

Mouton, J. 2001. How to succeed in your Masters and Doctoral studies. A South
African guide and resource book. Pretoria: Van Schaik Publishers.

South Africa, Republic. 1996. Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. Pretoria:
Government Printers.

South Africa, Republic. 2005. Social Assistance Act of 2005 (Act 13 of 2005).
Pretoria: Government Printers.

South Africa, Republic. 2009. The Presidency. Government wide monitoring and
evaluation framework. Available at:
http://www.thepresidencydpme.gov.za/publications/Policy%20Framework/Policy
20
%20Framework%20for%20the%20GWME%20system.pdf (Accessed on 6 April
2014).
Example of the cover page that must be used for all assignments. Note that the anti-plagiarism
declaration will be included just after the cover page)

Student name and surname

Student number

Subject name

Subject code

Responsible lecturer (title, initials and surname)

Assignment number (Assignment 1)

Date of submission

Contact e-mail address

21
 Declaration regarding plagiarism

The School of Public Management and Administration emphasises integrity and ethical behaviour with
regard to the preparation of all written proposals. Although the lecturer will provide you with
information regarding reference techniques, as well as ways to avoid plagiarism, you also have a
responsibility to fulfil in this regard. Should you at any time feel unsure about the requirements, you
must consult the lecturer concerned before submitting an assignment.

You are guilty of plagiarism when you extract information from a book, article, web page or any other
information source without acknowledging the source and pretend that it is your own work. This
doesn’t only apply to cases where you quote verbatim, but also when you present someone else’s
work in a somewhat amended (paraphrased) format or when you use someone else’s arguments or
ideas without the necessary acknowledgement. You are also guilty of plagiarism if you copy and paste
information directly from an electronic source (e.g., a web site, e-mail message, electronic journal
article, or CD ROM), even if you acknowledge the source.

You are not allowed to submit another student’s previous work as your own. You are furthermore not
allowed to let anyone copy or use your work with the intention of presenting it as his/her own.

Students who are guilty of plagiarism will forfeit all credits for the work concerned. In addition, the
matter will be referred to the Committee for Discipline (Students) for a ruling. Plagiarism is considered
a serious violation of the University’s regulations and may lead to your suspension from the
University. The University’s policy regarding plagiarism is available on the Internet at
http://upetd.up.ac.za/authors/create/plagiarism/students.htm.

For the period that you are a student at the School of Public Management and Administration, the
following declaration must accompany all written work that is submitted for evaluation. No written
work will be accepted unless the declaration has been completed and is included in the particular
assignment.

I (full names & surname):

Student number:
Declare the following:
1. I understand what plagiarism entails and am aware of the University’s policy in this regard.
2. I declare that this proposal is my own, original work. Where someone else’s work was used
(whether from a printed source, the Internet or any other source) due acknowledgement was
given and reference was made according to departmental requirements.
3. I did not copy and paste any information directly from an electronic source (e.g., a web page,
electronic journal article or CD ROM) into this document.
4. I did not make use of another student’s previous work and submitted it as my own.
5. I did not allow and will not allow anyone to copy my work with the intention of presenting it as
his/her own work.

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Signature Date

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NOTES

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