Must-Know Tips On How To Cite A Dissertation In The Chicago Style

The Chicago style is widely used in most of the western English speaking world and is often described as one of the most respected writing styles for English literature. Used for many applications, most notably in publication and document construction, there have been sixteen official versions of this style since the year 1901.

When writing a dissertation, it is quite impossible to avoid citing the works of published authors, the very nature of scientific discovery is based on expanding upon previous discoveries. For this reason, proper formatting of any paper is important, both to avoid accusations of plagiarism and also to present your data in an acceptable manner. There are many styles one can follow to help accomplish this and in the following five points, I will present several tips that must be followed when citing a dissertation in the Chicago style:

1. 1.Decide upon which specific reference style you wish to use

There are two distinct styles used in this particular format for referencing an author and it is important to know which best suits your needs. The humanities style, which utilizes footnotes and an accompanied bibliography, or the social Sciences Styles, which uses parentheses accompanied by text references and a reference list.

2. 2.With or without a bibliography

It is not absolutely necessary to include a bibliography in your paper, though it does prove quite helpful. It is commonly expected that one cites a topic in both the text and the bibliography, however you should ask your instructor for the particulars about this.

3. 3.Full details of sources must be provided

Should you choose not to include a bibliography in your paper, you must still ensure that every detail pertaining to the original author of referenced pieces is still presented to the reader. The first time you present a new piece of someone’s work, you must also provide their full publication details in your notes.

4. 4.Using someone’s idea in writing

There are many acceptable ways of introducing an idea from someone else in your texts. Phrases like “argues, refers to, discussed, stated, compares, determined” and many similar statements, can used to connect the author to their words. For example, “Meg referred to to quantum nature of reality when formulating her hypothesis”

5. 5.Footnotes

A small number is placed at each referenced text and this number corresponds to foot notes at the bottom of the page, which provides the reader with information like the authors name, date of publication and other relevant information.