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How to Cite Sources in a Dissertation
  • Jan 2025
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How to Cite Sources in a Dissertation

7th January 2025

Referencing is an essential part of academic writing. When you reference your dissertation correctly, it gives your work a polished, professional look that meets academic standards. Proper referencing also supports your arguments, showing your research and understanding of the topic, which helps the person grading your work see your depth of knowledge.

In this article, we’ll talk about scholarly referencing. This simply refers to the formal way of citing sources in academic writing, as opposed to how you might list references on a resume or CV.

What is scholarly referencing?

Scholarly referencing is a method used in academic writing to show readers where you got the information, ideas, or quotes you’ve included in your work.

There are several referencing styles, but they all share some key details that help readers find the original sources you’ve used. These details include:

  • The author’s name

  • The title of the source

  • The type of source (such as a book, book chapter, journal article, or webpage)

  • The publication date, including the edition if it’s important (for example, a 2000 edition of a classic book might be more useful than the original date from 1818, though this can be noted in the bibliography)

  • The publisher and where it was published

  • Additional information, like volume/issue numbers or page ranges, if needed to help readers locate the exact part of the source you’re referencing.

Why and when do I reference?

Avoiding plagiarism

Accurate citation is crucial because it helps protect you from being accused of plagiarism. Anytime you use someone else's work in your own, whether through direct quotes, paraphrasing, data, or even ideas, you must give proper credit.

Plagiarism isn't always intentional. You might not mean to present someone else's work as your own, but failing to cite sources that have shaped your thoughts can still lead to accusations of plagiarism.

If you're unsure whether a source has influenced your ideas, it's always better to cite it! Proper referencing not only keeps you safe but also strengthens your work by showing your research and supporting your arguments.

Other reasons

Good citation habits are not just about protecting yourself from plagiarism – they also play a big role in your growth as a scholar and in contributing to the broader knowledge base.

When you cite your sources, you give readers a clear way to follow your research and see where your ideas and data come from. This transparency is an important part of academic courtesy. It also allows others to dive deeper into the material that influenced your thinking.

Citing reputable sources shows that you're well-versed in your field and strengthens your argument. When you support your ideas with credible research, readers are more likely to trust your conclusions. Citing extensively helps build your credibility and shows you’ve done your homework.

What referencing system do I use?

In some cases, you might have a choice of referencing styles. Many universities allow you to pick between parenthetical referencing or footnotes (common in Arts and Humanities) or numerical and parenthetical styles (often used in Sciences and Social Sciences).

If you do get a choice, consider these questions to help decide which style fits best:

  1. How many sources will I be citing?

  2. Will I be engaging deeply with these sources or just referencing them briefly to show trends in my field?

  3. Am I quoting directly or paraphrasing?

These questions should guide your decision and help you choose the referencing system that best matches your research style.

How do I reference my sources effectively and consistently?

Be systematic

When writing a dissertation, you’ll likely reference many sources, possibly even hundreds. If you wait until the end to compile your bibliography, you may struggle to remember every source you cited and locate all the necessary details.

This can become overwhelming. To avoid this, it's essential to set up an organized system for tracking the sources you've read and cited. This will not only help you keep track for later but will also make creating your in-text citations and bibliography much easier.

Use software to help you

There are several ways to track your sources, but the most efficient method—especially for handling recent online materials—is using reference management software. While universities often offer access to premium tools like RefWorks or EndNote, free options like Zotero can save time, even though they offer fewer citation formats and less advanced bibliography features.

Reference management software typically includes:

  • A database to organize your sources, such as creating folders for each chapter.

  • Fields to store necessary citation information, making it easy to reference later.

  • Tools that automatically gather citation details from web pages or DOIs.

  • Plugins for word processors like Word or LibreOffice that let you add citations directly.

  • Features for generating bibliographies and reference lists based on the sources you've cited.

These tools are a huge time-saver, making it easy to catalog and retrieve sources, while also generating citations and complete bibliographies. However, auto-generated bibliographies may not always be perfect, so you might need to manually adjust missing details or formatting to meet your department’s guidelines.

Parenthetical referencing styles

Usage

Parenthetical referencing styles are widely used in academic writing, particularly in Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. The most common formats include MLA and Chicago for the Arts and Humanities (especially in North America), APA for Social Sciences, and various forms of the Harvard system, which is used across disciplines globally.

These referencing styles are designed for simplicity and efficiency. They let readers quickly find the source in the reference list at the end of the paper (usually titled "References" or "Works Cited," containing only the sources directly mentioned in the work).

Parenthetical referencing aims to minimize interruptions in the text, so the author's name is included in the citation only when it’s not already clear from the context. For example, if you introduce a quote with "Smith argues that…", you wouldn't need to repeat "Smith" in parentheses right after.

Format and features (author-date systems)

Most parenthetical referencing systems follow an "author-date" format. This means the citation includes the author’s last name and the year of publication, or just the year if the author is already mentioned in the text. For example:

Scholars often say there are "far too many referencing styles for the young scholar to keep track of" (Smith 2012, p. 6).

Or:

Smith argues that "There are far too many referencing styles for the young scholar to keep track of" (2012, p. 6).

In the reference list, the year is always the first detail after the author’s name, so readers can easily match in-text citations with the correct source. If an author has published several works in the same year, you’ll use “2012a,” “2012b,” etc., to differentiate them.

Page referencing can vary by style. For example, APA, often used in Social Sciences, doesn’t have a simple method for including page numbers, as it typically refers to paraphrased content. However, for direct quotes in APA, the citation might look like this:

Smith (2012) says, "There are far too many referencing styles for the young scholar to keep track of" (p. 6).

The Harvard "system"

Harvard referencing deserves special attention because it’s widely used, but it often varies from one institution to another. While many universities use the Harvard system, each may have its own slight differences in how it’s applied. Unlike detailed referencing styles like Chicago or MLA, which offer comprehensive guides on all aspects of writing, Harvard focuses mainly on the essential information needed in a reference and general formatting rules.

This means there are many variations of the Harvard style. Some differences include:

  • Whether authors' names are capitalized in the reference list

  • Whether "p." is used before page numbers or just the number itself

  • Whether a comma separates the author's name and the year in the citation (e.g., Smith 2012 or Smith, 2012)

  • How various bibliographic elements are organized and formatted

These small differences can cause confusion, especially since universities often claim their version of Harvard is the only correct one. However, these variations can add up, making it important to be aware of them as you write.

If you’re using reference management software, be extra careful. When you set it to output a “Harvard” reference list, it might not match the specific style your university expects. You’ll likely need to adjust it manually. Some reference managers offer different Harvard styles, so experimenting with these options can help you find the closest match, but don’t expect a perfect result.

Format and features (MLA)

MLA referencing is unique because it doesn't use dates to identify sources like other parenthetical systems. Instead, it focuses on keeping things even more streamlined by only including the author’s name in the citation, using minimal punctuation. For example:

Scholars often argue there are "far too many referencing styles for the young scholar to keep track of" (Smith 6).

If an author has more than one work mentioned in the text, MLA referencing identifies the specific work by including a shortened title. For instance:

Scholars often argue there are "far too many referencing styles for the young scholar to keep track of" (Smith, Scholar's 6).

This style aims to provide a quick and easy way for readers to find the source in the reference list with minimal disruption to the flow of the text.

Example of use

Note: The sources mentioned here and throughout this article are fictional examples.

In-text citation:

Scholars often argue that there are "far too many referencing styles for the young scholar to keep track of" (Smith 2012, 6).

In the References list:

Smith, Arnold. The Scholar's Complete Guide to Referencing. 2012. London: Scholar's Press.

Examples of parenthetical styles

  • MLA (Modern Language Association)

  • Chicago (author-date)

  • APA (American Psychological Association)

  • Harvard

Footnote / endnote referencing styles

Usage

Footnote referencing is most commonly used in Arts and Humanities, especially in the UK and Commonwealth countries. It is popular when scholars quote sources directly, often in detail, and it helps provide additional context, quotations, or clarifications. In footnote referencing, page numbers are almost always included, unless referencing classic literary works.

These texts may be cited by chapter, line, or scene number due to variations in editions.

This style assumes that readers may want to look up the source of a specific quote to understand its context or the argument behind it. In books or articles with extensive references, footnotes can take up large sections of a page, providing important bibliographic details and extra information.

Format and features

In footnote referencing, a superscript number (or sometimes parentheses for online work) appears at the end of a quotation or statement to show there is a related note. Most styles place these notes at the bottom of the same page or on the next page if there isn’t enough space. The footnote is usually separated by a horizontal line to make it stand out.

In some cases, all the notes are collected at the end of a chapter or document. The detail in the footnote can depend on whether there is a bibliography. If there is, the footnote typically includes just the author, title, and page number for the citation. Footnote referencing styles often allow you to list all sources you used in your research, not just those you directly cited.

Some footnote systems, like Oxford and MHRA, require full citation details in the footnotes and an alphabetized bibliography. However, for sources cited multiple times, later footnotes can use shortened versions with just the author, title, and page number.

Example of use

In-text:

Smith claims, "There are far too many referencing styles for the young scholar to keep track of."¹

In the footer:

¹ Arnold Smith, The Scholar's Complete Guide to Referencing (London: Scholar's Press, 2012), p. 6.

In the bibliography:

Smith, Arnold. The Scholar's Complete Guide to Referencing. London: Scholar's Press, 2012.

Examples of footnote styles

  • Chicago (footnote style)

  • Oxford

  • MHRA (Modern Humanities Research Association)

Numbered referencing styles

Usage

Numbered referencing styles are most often used in the sciences, where a large number of sources are referenced briefly or paraphrased. These styles are perfect for situations where numerous sources (5-10 or more) back a single idea, but direct quotes are rarely used.

The use of numbers to reference sources helps keep the flow of the text smooth, avoiding long interruptions that can happen with other citation methods, especially when many references are needed.

Format and Features

In numbered referencing styles, each source is assigned a unique number based on when it first appears in your text. The number is placed in parentheses (not in superscript, like footnotes) and is used for all future references to that source. At the end of your document, the references are listed in numerical order, making it easier to find each source quickly. This style works well for digital publications, as the numbers can be linked directly to their entries in the reference list.

Example of Use

In text: Students often find it challenging to keep track of the many referencing styles they need to learn throughout their studies (1-4).

In the reference list:

  1. Smith, A. The Scholar’s Complete Guide to Referencing. London: Scholar’s Press; 2012.

Common Numerical Styles

The most widely used numerical referencing style is Vancouver. However, many universities may simply refer to it as "the numeric style" without specifically naming Vancouver. Although variations exist, most are based on the Vancouver system. If you use referencing software, setting it to Vancouver style will generally get you very close to the format required by your university or department.

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