For those of you who are in the process of writing a thesis, citation may be the most detailed job in the entire process. You may be aware that the process of citation is one that needs to be done with intricacy and needs to adhere to the standards that are set. Styles of citation such as the Harvard style and the APA formats are two of the most commonly preferred formats that are recommended by universities. In order to be able to get the formats right, it is important to understand how the formats work and also to know the subtle differences that the two have.
The Harvard Style of Citation:
This is a citation style that is very widely used and is highly recommended by universities and evaluating bodies for the use of aspirants of thesis and research studies. The citation style helps create a unique identity for the source of the original information in a matter that is used for publishing in a thesis.
The Harvard style of citation, lists down the citations from in a reference list at the end of the thesis. This reference list includes references from the thesis text in full form and makes for a detailed reference point and an acknowledgement of the resources that are used in the making of the thesis text.
The format for the citation style includes the last name of the author, followed by the first name after a comma and then the year of publication of the book is written within closed brackets. The name of the book or published resource is then mentioned after the mention of the year.
Since the citation is an extension of the reference placed in the text, it is important to know the format of the reference. The reference consists of the last name of the author, followed by the year of publication and then the page number on which the information may be found in the original resource, the page number is marked as “p.” followed by the number. The entire reference is written within closed brackets and is placed following the original information in the text.
APA Style of Citation:
This style of formatting and citation is one of the more popular styles and is formulated by the American Psychological Association, which shortens to APA. At first the APA style was used in journal publications and other such publications. However, over the years, the popularity of the style has grown and it has been brought in use for many academic projects and thesis works.
The location where the citations are listed in the APA style is known as the ‘references’ and all the references mentioned in the text are listed in this column of the thesis. This citation style is a more detailed one and includes almost all the information that one would need to identify a resource.
The style consists of the Last name of the author followed by a comma and the first name initial. The year of publishing then follows and is put in closed brackets, followed by a full stop. It must be specially noted that the name of the publication or the book is then mentioned but it is done so in italicized letters only, followed by a full stop. You need to then mention the city of the publisher followed by a comma and the state of the publisher after which you need to add a colon and then the name of the full name of the publisher or the resource from which the information is received.
When referencing with this style, it is required for you to use the past tense, where you tell the readers what the Author stated, with the Authors name and year of publication in brackets at the start of the phrase and the information in quotation marks. After the end of the information and after closing the quotations you need to put in the page number denoted by “p.” and it should be placed in brackets.
Keeping track of references with software tools for citation
When you are going through it, you will realize that not only is the process of writing the thesis overwhelming but referencing and citation is a process that is even more tiring. When you are making a study for the thesis and taking notes, at times it becomes difficult to keep track of the references and sources from where the study material is taken. It is in such cases that software systems and solutions come in handy. Specialized systems are developed in order to keep track of the references and make sure that they are put in the prescribed format.
- Endnote:
There are various versions to the software system which is made especially for those who are into academic research or in the process of writing a dissertation or thesis. With the software, one can manage to not only keep track of all the references but the system also converts them to citations. The system serves as a one stop solution for all the thesis and dissertation needs with regard to the literature of the project.
- Zotero:
Managing and organizing the material gathered for research is a task that one may find most daunting. However, with the help of software programs such as Zotero, one can ensure that all their study materials as accounted and ready for reference whenever needed. The program also helps in making sure that various kinds of citation styles can be correctly used with it and new styles can also be incorporated in the system.
- Mendeley:
When you need to make sure you have the right references and citations and want to take the help of a software suite for the purpose, chances are that you may have to shell out a cost, but with the Mendeley software suite, you can get the right kind of dissertation or thesis referencing and citation help for free.
The simple road to success
Finally, when you have finished your thesis and need to check your citations and references, you must ensure that you either take all the right steps of checking or use software systems to get it right or then get in touch with experts who may know the right methods to check a project for reference links and citation.
Making the thesis or dissertation is not as difficult as it is to organize the references and citation, and when you need to get your project approved right away, you should make sure that the citation is given special attention and done impeccably.