Referencing in TOK Exhibition
How to make the references in TOK exhibition document?
General principles
References in TOK exhibition document should include adequate in-text references and reference list at the end of the document. Any picture of an object or an idea taken from sources must be acknowledged. If an object is the student’s own original work (for example, a painting that they created in a visual arts class) then this should be identified to ensure that teachers and moderators are clear about the origins of the object.
In-text references can be done in footnotes, endnotes, or in-text with brackets. The references at the end of the TOK exhibition document should include only those works (such as books, journals, magazines, and online sources) used by the student. There needs to be a clear connection between the works listed and where they are used in the text. A list of sources at the end of the TOK exhibition document is not useful unless reference has been made to all of them within the document.
The references at the end of the TOK exhibition document should specify at least the following:
- author(s), title, date and place of publication
- the name of the publisher or URL (http://...)
- the date when the web page was accessed.
Examples of in-text references:
Example 1, in-text references with brackets:
Our minds can be extremely flawed and biased from time to time (Desjardins, 2021). There can be many causes for heuristics and cognitive biases (Popov, Parker & Seath, 2017, page 170).
Example 2, in-text references with footnotes or endnotes:
Our minds can be extremely flawed and biased from time to time1. There can be many causes for heuristics and cognitive biases2.
----------
1Desjardins, 2021.
2Popov, Parker & Seath, 2017, page 170.
Examples of references at the end of the TOK exhibition document:
Desjardins, J. (August 26, 2021). ‘Every Single Cognitive Bias in One Infographic’. Retrieved from https://www.visualcapitalist.com/every-single-cognitive-bias/. Accessed on November 6, 2023.
Popov, A., Parker, L. & Seath, D. (2017). ‘IB Psychology Course Companion (2nd Edition)’. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
How to reference pictures in TOK exhibition document?
Your own pictures
If you have taken the picture by yourself, for example a picture of a Sacher cake you have baked, just mark the copyright to yourself. Mark copyright, the year when the picture was taken and your name like this: Copyright 2025 Firstname Surname. Mark this under the picture. No need to have a reference in the reference list.
Pictures from a source
If you use a picture from a source, you have to take into consideration the following:
- Do you know the person who has taken and made the picture?
- Do you know when the picture was taken or when it was done?
- Do you know the title or the name of the picture?
- Do you know the format of the picture? Is it a photograph, a painting or a table for example?
- Do you know where the picture is located? This includes physical and virtual places.
Here is an example of fully detailed reference of a picture: Surname, I. (2025). 'Exact name of the picture' [Photograph]. Gallery of Photographs, Jyväskylä. Retrieved from http://...