Referencing a Dissertation in Chicago Style
Citation/referencing a dissertation is a necessity for every researcher in the academic space. Though many students find the process boring since it needs to be done meticulously, you cannot escape it. One of such citation styles is the Chicago style. Hence, in this article, we will take you through how to cite your dissertation in the Chicago style. By the end of this guide, you should know how to cite your academic work properly.
Many students have the notion that referencing a dissertation is a complex task and challenging to do. Admittedly, you need to do this carefully to avoid mistakes and time consuming, but that doesn’t make it as complex as speculated. Every citation style has its own rule, which must be followed throughout the process. Also, every university has its dissertation citation style. Therefore, before you even start the process, you should know the requirements of your university.
Importance of citations
Every Mater’s or Ph.D. student needs to present a dissertation at the end of his/her course before receiving a degree. When writing this academic work, students explore different sources for information, and data, being it on the web, journals, research papers, books, and review papers on the subject area. This is when referencing comes in.
When you use someone’s work, being it paraphrasing or quoting an entire portion of the work, you need to acknowledge the original author. This is what is known as a citation or reference. There is a wrong notion among students that stating sources make your work a copy. This is highly untrue, especially in the academic field. Instead, citations give credit to your work. It proves that indeed, you researched the topic and read others’ works before writing yours. It is also a form of supporting your work with other authors’ findings. Also, we cite sources to make an argument or argue the findings of other authors/researchers.
Below are some reasons you need to cite your dissertation.
- It’s a way of proving to readers that your work is well-researched
- Citations save you from being accused of plagiarism.
- It’s a way of crediting the authors, scientist, and researchers whose work you have used
- It makes your work credible within the academic, professional, and social space.
- In case a reader wants to read further on a claim you’ve made in your work, the citation can help them reach the original work
Chicago referencing system
There are two main types of Chicago style referencing,
Author-date citations: This is mostly used in the sciences field. With this system, you cite your sources by using the author’s last name and year of publication. When you use this style for your dissertation, make sure it is done throughout.
Notes & bibliography citations: With this type, you use numbers to cite your sources in endnotes or footnotes. Afterward, you make a list of all the sources in the bibliography section with detailed information.
If you are not sure of the type of Chicago style to use, consult your supervisor about it.