Any academic assignment or research requires references to acknowedge the authors of research, opinions, and ideas you have used in your assessment item.
This avoids plagiarism, a serious offence in the academic world.
If you don't reference anything, it is assumed that you are claiming all the ideas and opinions in your assessment item are your own.
Publication manual of the American Psychological Association
by 
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers
by 
Scientific style and format: The CSE manual for authors, editors, and publishers
A manual for writers of term papers, theses, and dissertations
by 
Style manual for authors, editors and printers
by References to books, articles, and websites follow standard citation styles. You need to be able to interpret and use the appropriate style.
We acknowledge the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first inhabitants of the nation and acknowledge Traditional Owners of the lands where our staff and students, live, learn and work.
