How do I reference a code in GitHub?

Okay, so you want to know how to give credit where it’s due when you’re using code from GitHub, right? It’s actually not too bad! Basically, you want to make sure you’re acknowledging the person (or people!) who wrote the code.

Here’s the gist: You gotta include the author’s name – you know, who actually created this awesome piece of code. Then, you need the date it was created. And of course, the title of the program or source code itself. Oh, and be specific about what it is. Like, is it a whole software package? Or just a little script? Be clear!

Think of it like citing a book, but for code.

Then, and this is important, you’ll use a little bracketed number – like [1] or [2] – to connect this short mention of the code to a much more detailed entry in your reference list at the end of your work. Make sense?

For example, let’s say I’m using a cool Python script I found on GitHub. My in-text citation might look something like this: “As shown in the ‘SuperCoolDataAnalyzer’ script [3], blah blah blah…”

And then, in my reference list, entry number 3 would be a full citation for that script, including all the details like the author, date, URL, etc.

It’s all about giving credit, and making it easy for others to find the original source. Because, you know, nobody wants to be accused of plagiarism, and more importantly, it’s just the right thing to do! Don’t you think?