Appropriately referencing sources used in a PhD dissertation

Appropriately referencing sources used in a PhD dissertation

“Give credit where it is due”

This is the saying that is often seen circulating in the academic community. As a PhD student, have you ever wondered about this statement’s importance? You have spent valuable years in your school as well as your college. But have you been told the importance of referencing appropriately? Even if it has been said, have you comprehended its significance? Well, the purpose of this blog is not to panic you with the necessity of appropriate referencing but to drive the point that proper referencing is just a way of acknowledging the work of another person, which will eventually pave way to your academic progress.

Well, we will now take you through the importance of properly using PhD thesis referencing.

What is referencing?

By referencing you acknowledge the sources including articles, journals, books etc. you have used while coming up with your dissertation. You would be arguing about something in your dissertation. Referencing helps to substantiate the validity of your arguments.

The significance of referencing

When you are referencing you are giving credit where it is required. Another researcher would have performed meticulous research which would have even taken several years. So the right thing is to cite the sources. Proper referencing also saves you from the problem of plagiarism. Moreover, when you are referencing appropriately it is evidence that you have read in an exhaustive manner.

Appropriately referencing sources used in a PhD dissertation

What purpose does referencing serve?

  • Referencing your work lets the reader to differentiate your own opinions and finding from the work of other writers.
  • When you reference it lets the reader to find the document that you have cited.
  • We get knowledge from the works of others and referencing acknowledges these people.
  • Referencing also lets us to stand up for our own opinions and arguments. It shows that we are authentic.
  • When we reference we demonstrate that we have gone through and comprehended critical information in our subject area.
  • We show that you we dealing with evidence when we are referencing appropriately.

You would have written in your own way in your dissertation after going through several sources. Referencing lets the reader to delve into the topic if they want to by navigating to the sources you have cited. In this way, you are helping the reader enhance their skills.

The challenge in maintaining references in your PhD dissertation

You would have gone through several content in the web and would have spent long hours for the same. The key lies in diligently keeping trail of the source of your information. Some of the information would be yours and some would be taken through Google search. If you don’t keep track of this at each stage then you will find it difficult to reference all appropriately in the end. Dissertation Reference & Thesis Citation helps in the important stage of referencing.

The different citation styles

There are several ways of citing resources for your dissertation. The academic discipline is related to the citation style.

  • APA (American Psychological Association)
  • MLA (Modern Language Association)
  • Turabian style

It’s better to discuss with your professor to make out what citation style, including APA Formatting for PhD Scholars, is asked for in your specific course.

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