A mediagraphy is a "List of reference documents cited, whether paper, audiovisual or retrievable documents on the internet" (unofficial translation, original text from the Office de la langue française,GDT, 2001).

It is therefore necessary to write, according to rules, the information from sources that were consulted or used.

The most commonly used information includes: documents’ author(s), title(s), year of publication and edition, URL or DOI addresses, name of publisher, etc.

This task is made easier for students when they have previously saved all information related to the documents’ mediagraphic references (see task 1.4.1 Saving mediagraphic references).

DOI: Digital Object Identifier. A unique alphanumeric string assigned by a registration agency (the International DOI Foundation) to identify content and provide a persistent link to its location on the Internet. The publisher assigns a DOI when your article is published and made available electronically. (Source: American Psychological Association).

Students demonstrate their mastering of this task by:

• the presence and proper formatting of information required for each source in the mediagraphy;
• consistency and rigour when applying the required standard;

Some teachers require an “annotated mediagraphy” which leaves no choice for the students but to justify their choices, thus performing a careful selection when searching for information. This method also helps to prevent students from plagiarizing.

The required standard is set by the teacher according to local choices (teacher, program, department, discipline or academic institution). It is recommended that respecting the presentation standard of the quotations be included in the grading criteria of the assignment.

The following tools support the creation of a mediagraphy:

• a commercial methodological guide;
• the college or program’s methodological guide;
• mediagraphic management software (such as Zotero or EndNote);
• Working aids: databases of online examples on writing quotations and mediagraphies.

There are many standards for presenting mediagraphies. Adopting one common standard for the academic institutions or program makes learning and carrying out this task easier for students.

Mediagraphic management software helps and improves the students’ ability to write precise and consistent citations.