Knowledge is power, and lack of knowledge can be one’s downfall. Not quite getting it? Let me explain. Imagine you put your heart and soul into writing your dissertation. You don’t even cheat your way around; you put honest human efforts and handpick all the literature and citations you would go on to include in it. You are satisfied with the submission due to the amount of time you have put into it, but when you receive the results, your world comes crashing down, seeing the average grade.
You may wonder why your research paper was so negatively marked, but simple is that you ignored to gain knowledge about the dissertation reference styles, formatting, and basic common mistakes that most UK students tend to make. But worry not, we can totally nullify the chances of such a situation occurring to you by mentioning a brief guide of dos and don’ts about dissertation writing.
What Are Dissertation Referencing Styles?
It is no new discovery that the majority of research papers are written on existing knowledge, but on a certain gap in the information found. To offer evidence and explain the gap, the already existing and published research is used to give readers the context. However, when one is seeking support from another researcher’s work, it is against academic integrity not acknowledge their efforts.
Your recognition of their work is essential, as without their previous findings, you would not have any grounds to do your research either. So basically, referencing is offering credits to the authors of any publication from which we extracted information, and a referencing style refers to a standard format used to make these citations.
Importance of Referencing or Citing
The importance of referencing extends beyond just giving credit to the previous author. Here are key reasons why references are made:
- Plagiarism is considered a major misconduct against academia, and to avoid being alleged for it, it is important to mention the original author so your own ideas are distinguished from it.
- Citing relevant sources helps acquire your work’s credibility and trust, as it showcases the already existing knowledge over it.
- It assists future researchers in finding articles and authors that are relevant to their research or in diving deep into the information.
- It also assists in giving their research context by offering the history of the field of research and showing how they are placed in the scholarly conversation.
Different Referencing Styles
Different referencing styles dictate how in-text citations are going to be structured or written. Harvard is one of the most common and general reference styles used across the UK for multiple disciplines using the Author-Date system. Here are more reference styles and what disciplines they are used in:
- APA: This reference style is used in psychology and other social sciences. It used a similar Author-Date structure to Harvard.
- MLA: This reference style mentions the author’s page in in-text citations. It is used in research papers of literature, fine arts, and the humanities.
- Chicago: This style is commonly seen in history and humanities research papers and is noted in either footnotes or Author-date system.
Other styles include IEEE, Vancouver, and also Turabian. Students who are not familiar with these styles, they can search online for dissertation helpers by simply typing ‘write my dissertation’. Several online help agencies offer experts who are well-versed in the dissertation format and requirements.
Most Common Mistakes Made By Students in Writing a Dissertation
Students can often make very small mistakes that could result in loss of marks. Here are a few common mistakes to be wary of when writing dissertations:
Depending on Digital Tools
While technology is said to make our work faster and easier, we still cannot fully rely on it. Zotero may be a great tool for generating citations, but it can miss essential publisher details or do incorrect capitalization. If students do not double-check, they may be negatively marked for the mistake.
Unlisted and Listed Citations
It is important to list the sources in the final bibliography that are in-text citations and also to only list sources that are actually cited. Several students mismatch and add sources in the list that aren’t relevant to the research.
Page Numbers
Numbering your pages is crucial for the Harvard formatting style, and several scholars who miss this step suffer heavily with negative marking. These pages need to be numbered so they can be directly quoted.
Inconsistencies in Formatting
When selecting a reference style or structure for the dissertation, one should stick to it throughout the whole ordeal. Switching from one style to another amidst the same research paper can really give a bad impression of one.
These and such more are minor details which may not sound serious but are to the ethics of writing a dissertation. Students can take support from digital tools or seek dissertation help online from qualified experts to draft impactful thesis papers.
Conclusion
Dissertation writing is no easy academic task. It usually serves as the final year project for students in colleges and universities. This research project is presented to academic professionals who decide your final grade. It has intricate details that one should keep aware of, as they’re all marked and observed by professors. The referencing style is perhaps the most crucial part of research writing as it creates the foundation, context, and direction of the paper. Students of UK should seek expert guidance on their referencing styles and citations to avoid mistakes.
