The word count usually includes everything in the main body of the text including citations, quotations and tables. Everything before the main text (e.g. abstract, acknowledgements, contents, executive summaries) and everything after the main text (e.g. references, bibliographies, appendices) are not included in the word count limit.
There are exceptions to this, but if there is an exception it should be explained in your assessment brief. For more information see the University Assessment Policy.
