How to Properly reference a Dissertation

Referencing is an important part of writing a dissertation. Therefore, you should understand how to do it to make your assignment complete. Your dissertation has a background. Past studies have a lot to contribute to your current writing and that is why it is important to refer to them. There are ideas and concepts upon which your dissertation is based. As you write your paper, you will be required to credit these sources. This is what is generally known as referencing a dissertation paper.

Good referencing is expected  for your dissertation right from the introduction section. Any ideas and assertions drawn from other sources should carefully be referenced based on the writing style needed. For that reason, you should understand the required writing and formatting style for your paper before writing it. There are various styles such as APA, MLA, Harvard and Oxford referencing among others.

Important Parts of a reference

Understanding your dissertation depends on how well you have connected it with other sources. You cannot write based on your thoughts entirely. There will be principles and facts that you will draw from other sources. To help the reader connect to these sources, here are important details that you should always capture for your references:

• Title of the source. Ensure you have the name of the book, article, magazine or website
• Author. A complete source should have a name
• Date of publication. When was the research done or completed? This should help readers understand how fresh your content is.You should always use the most recent publications so that you don't repeat what has already been studied in the past. However, there are times you may need to go back in history. It all depends on the gaps you want to address.
• Place of publication. Where was the publication made? This is also an important thing to capture.

Referencing your work

As you write your dissertation, you will have to take the time to study the required style of formatting and referencing. There are different types despite each carrying the same information as outlined above: title, name and publications details of your source. 

When referencing your dissertation in APA style, you will be required to include an in-text reference capturing the author's last name and date of publication in brackets. MLA formatting, on the other hand, requires the Author’s name and page of the source.

Most importantly, all the sources used in the writing process should be captured at the end of your writing. Prepare a list of each one of them based on the recommended format for the specific style of writing needed. Follow these procedures to avoid cases of plagiarism, where different sources were used with giving proper credit to the authors.

Final Thoughts

Dissertation referencing will help you meet the requirements for professional writing. Therefore, you shouldn't ignore this important aspect of writing. Any writing without proper referencing can amount to plagiarism, which is punishable by the law and on academic grounds as well.