Essential Examples of References Used in a Dissertation
Posted on: March 22, 2017
The references within a dissertation or thesis help to achieve several objectives. The first and most obvious objective is to eliminate plagiarism. A more important objective which is also achieved is to distinguish your own thoughts, ideas and concepts from those of others. Institutes usually have stringent requirements for the dissertation writing format, layout and contents. There are a number of ways to provide references in the bibliography section. A good reference example should be able to acknowledge source material completely. When you are writing an article and use someone else’s words or ideas, you should reference them.
Choosing from the Different Techniques of Referencing
Applying the proper referencing technique you should be able to compile the reference list to be placed at the end of your work. The reference list is the list of all the sources cited in your work. It reflects how well acquainted you are with the subject. The different techniques will decide what to alphabetises and which items are to be placed in chronological order. Different works will be referenced using different techniques. For example a piece of work presenting marketing dissertation topics, will be referenced in a different manner compared to a psychology dissertation. The APA style reference maintains structure and credibility and it is the most widely used style. The following is a list of the various different styles of referencing:
- ACS (American Chemical Society)
- AMA (American Medical Association)
- APA (American Psychological Association)
- Chicago
- CSE (Council of Science Editors)
- Harvard
- IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)
- MLA (Modern Language Association)
- MHRA (Modern Humanities Research Association)
- NLM (National Library of Medicine)
- OSCOLA (Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities)
- Oxford
- RSC (Royal Society of Chemistry)
- Vancouver
The Process of Selecting the Appropriate Referencing Style
The referencing methods listed above are just some of the methods used in an academic work. There may be other methods not listed above but these are the most widely used examples of references. For example, the MLA citation format establishes credibility while others are used for scientific works. The best referencing method for your academic contribution to your institute can be determined by the educators in your institute. They will be able to advise you the relevant methods which are most widely used at the institute. Ideally, this should be clarified at the time of initiating the project. You could be looking at some serious delays in meeting deadlines of composition if you find out half way through the composition process which referencing style to use.
The Elimination of Plagiarism with Effective Referencing
Plagiarism is defined as the method of claiming somebody’s ideology or theory as your own and passing it further. Students committing wilful plagiarism can face expulsion in high merit institutes as well as being black-listed indefinitely. Other institutes have different punishments for plagiarism. It is no longer considered as a small offence in academic institutes. Plagiarism will have serious penalties for cheating students. Once proper citation examples are used throughout a piece of work, all traces of plagiarism are automatically wiped clean. It will help to establish the final piece of work as a credible academic contribution, which also presents its unique perspective and understanding.