Note that when you do this with an online source, you should still include an access date, as in the example.
When a source lacks a clearly identified author, there’s often an appropriate corporate source – the organisation responsible for the source – whom you can credit as author instead, as in the Google and Wikipedia examples above.
When that’s not the case, you can just replace it with the title of the source in both the in-text citation and the reference list:
In-text citation | (‘Divest’, no date) |
Reference list entry | ‘Divest’ (no date) Available at: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/divest (Accessed: 27 January 2020). |
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Harvard referencing uses an author–date system. Sources are cited by the author’s last name and the publication year in brackets. Each Harvard in-text citation corresponds to an entry in the alphabetised reference list at the end of the paper.
Vancouver referencing uses a numerical system. Sources are cited by a number in parentheses or superscript. Each number corresponds to a full reference at the end of the paper.
Harvard style | Vancouver style | |
---|---|---|
In-text citation | Each referencing style has different rules (Pears and Shields, 2019). | Each referencing style has different rules (1). |
Reference list | Pears, R. and Shields, G. (2019). . 11th edn. London: MacMillan. | 1. Pears R, Shields G. Cite them right: The essential referencing guide. 11th ed. London: MacMillan; 2019. |
A Harvard in-text citation should appear in brackets every time you quote, paraphrase, or refer to information from a source.
The citation can appear immediately after the quotation or paraphrase, or at the end of the sentence. If you’re quoting, place the citation outside of the quotation marks but before any other punctuation like a comma or full stop.
In Harvard referencing, up to three author names are included in an in-text citation or reference list entry. When there are four or more authors, include only the first, followed by ‘ et al. ’
In-text citation | Reference list | |
---|---|---|
1 author | (Smith, 2014) | Smith, T. (2014) … |
2 authors | (Smith and Jones, 2014) | Smith, T. and Jones, F. (2014) … |
3 authors | (Smith, Jones and Davies, 2014) | Smith, T., Jones, F. and Davies, S. (2014) … |
4+ authors | (Smith , 2014) | Smith, T. (2014) … |
Though the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, there is a difference in meaning:
If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the ‘Cite this Scribbr article’ button to automatically add the citation to our free Reference Generator.
Caulfield, J. (2023, September 15). A Quick Guide to Harvard Referencing | Citation Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved 3 September 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/referencing/harvard-style/
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Some teachers provide suggested guidelines for how many sources they want to see cited needed in an essay. If this is the case, students should follow this strictly. If teachers haven’t mentioned anything specifically, students should aim to hit around 6-8 references for every 1,000 words of content. This works to about 1 reference for every 200 words or roughly about 1 reference in each paragraph.
However, this is a general rule and should be considered the bare minimum. We’re not saying that every single paragraph of your assignment should have at least 1 reference. Instead, you need to consider the focus of references based on the subsection of the paper. It is important that you do not stuff in your references all in one place. You shouldn’t also make a conscious effort spread them throughout every section of your paper either . You should add in references organically where it would be needed by putting yourself in the shoes of the reader.
For instance, the literature review section is almost always going to need a higher focus on references . This is because the aim of this section is to establish existing ideas within your chosen topic. This in turn requires citations to the existing sources.
On the other hand, the findings, discussions, and conclusion sections are only going to need a moderate focus on references . These sections require you to make your own inferences based on the material you have researched. You should have partially covered the theoretical background for these in the previous sections. Hence there is a relatively lower need to cite sources here unless you are trying to further support your own findings and conclusions.
As we have mentioned in our guide on how to make introduction and conclusions for assignments, the conclusion section must not have new information that you haven’t covered (even if just partially) in the other sections. Instead, you should use this section to go over the key points to emphasize their implications further. In other words, you should not have any external references in the conclusions section .
Table of Contents
Yes, having an excessive amount of references in-text dilutes the quality of your paper. Doing this is going to make your paper seem like a very long literature review. Instead, your professors want to see that you have read through existing literature and engaged with it to form your own ideas. We cover in this some detail in our guides on how to prepare a literature review and how to critically analyze information.
Having said that, it is generally better to have too many references as compared to too few sources cited. While both approaches are not ideal, in case of over-citing with proper interlinking of the points from different sources), it shows that you have taken the effort to look up multiple sources. So, while you would have fewer original ideas in this case, the actual content should be of a high quality.
On the other hand, having too few references gives the impression that you probably wrote the paper at the last minute. When we don’t rely on enough external sources, we are likely to end up with generic statements or going off on a tangent.
So, to get an idea of how many citations is too many, you should ask yourself the question of whether you have been able to include enough original content of your own as well. If you’re dealing with a topic which has multiple viewpoints with arguments and counterarguments for each, then it is fine to even have even two or three references clustered together in consecutive sentences. However, just make sure that you follow up these consecutive referenced sentences with what you have inferred from them.
You can cite the same source multiple times, as long as you do it the right way, without making it seem like you have relied too heavily on the same source. Teachers expect to see that you have tried to explore different viewpoints on an issue. Simply citing the same sources over and over could make you susceptible to the same biases of those authors.
If you’re following the standard Chicago style , when citing the same source consecutively, the use of the word ‘Ibid’ is typically recommended. This word comes from the Latin word ‘ibidem’ which conveys the meaning of ‘in the same place’.
However, it is worth noting that the Chicago 17 th Edition does not favor the use of ‘Ibid’ and instead recommends shortened citations.
Other referencing styles like Harvard and MLA do not recommend the use of ‘Ibid’ and instead encourage shortened references instead. In the APA style, there is no specific recommendation to use ‘Ibid’ either. If you’re following one of these three referencing styles, then you don’t necessarily have to repeat the in-text reference for the source in each sentence. You just need to make it clear that you’re referencing the same source again.
The general consensus in academic circles at present is that foreign words which are used commonly do not need to be italicized. This includes Latin words like ibid., et al., passim, fait accompli and de facto, so you do not need to italicize these words.
You should follow up the word ‘Ibid’ with a comma and include the page number if you have to be referencing different pages of the same source. If not, then there’s no need to have a comma after Ibid.
Yes, you can have two or more citations in one sentence. However, if you if do this, take care to phrase the sentence properly. To avoid making the sentence too long, you can break up the citations as shown below. Alternatively, you can potentially combine the references in parentheses as explained in the next section.
If you want to cite multiple references within the same parentheses, you should separate them by using a semi colon (;) in between. This is shown in the following example in which two closely related points from different sources are combined together.
Here’s a calculator to get a ballpark estimate of the number and type of references which you need for your assignment. Please follow the instructions below to get an idea of how to use this calculator.
Nandakumar, M. K., Ghobadian, A., & O’Regan, N. (2010). Business‐level strategy and performance: The moderating effects of environment and structure. Management Decision . 48(6), 907-939.
Porter, M. E. (1979). How Competitive Forces Shape Strategy. Harvard Business Review [Online]. Available from: https://hbr.org/1979/03/how-competitive-forces-shape-strategy [Accessed 14 November 2021]
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Understanding How, When and Why to Reference
It is important that you acknowledge your sources of information in your academic writing. This allows you to clearly show how the ideas of others have influenced your own work. You should provide a citation (and matching reference) in your essay every time you use words, ideas or information from other sources. If you would like to learn how, when and why to reference by watching a video, you can do so on Capstone Editing's YouTube channel .
Not referencing correctly can be perceived as plagiarism. It is expected and required at the university level that all your assignments will contain references. Otherwise, you are saying that the essay is made up entirely of your own original ideas, and that you have not engaged critically in any way with the literature. A passing grade requires that you use a minimum number of references (check your assignment marking criteria or ask your lecturer), and a good grade requires many more references than this. The purpose of referencing is to demonstrate the depth and breadth of your research, to show that you have read and engaged with the ideas of experts in your field. It also allows you to give credit to the writers from whom you have borrowed words or ideas. For your reader, referencing allows them to trace the sources of information you have used and to verify the validity of your work. For this reason, your referencing must be accurate and provide all necessary details to allow your reader to locate the source. It is therefore a good idea to keep careful records of all the sources you accessed when researching your assignment. This way, you do not have to hunt for these details after you have finished writing.
It can be difficult for new academic writers to know how to incorporate others’ work into their own writing. By learning how to use quotations effectively, and how to summarise and paraphrase the words and ideas of others, you can better avoid unintentional plagiarism.
A quotation is a word-for-word reproduction of someone else’s words, either spoken or written. When quoting from another source, you must:
Quotations should be logically integrated into your text. One way to do this is to lead into the quotation or paraphrase by using the author’s name (e.g. ‘According to Lines,’) followed by the quotation from Lines or a summary of Lines’s ideas.
Quotations must fit grammatically into your text. It is allowable to modify quotations slightly to ensure a good fit. However, it is essential that these changes are clearly marked using square brackets ([ ]). It is also possible to omit words from a quotation, shown using an ellipsis (…). Note that if you omit words, you must be sure that the original meaning of the quotation is retained. You should never omit words to change the meaning of a quotation.
The below examples show ways to integrate the original quotation ‘Most of the time, they don’t, and I mean really don’t, behave well’, showing changes to 1) the verb and 2) a pronoun. Notice the use of the square brackets to show your modifications to the quotation, and the ellipsis to show omitted words.
Finally, you should avoid using quotations that have not been adequately introduced. If a quotation is inserted without appropriate integration into your text, this can negatively affect the logical and grammatical flow of your work, and lower the quality of your writing. Not introducing quotations or incorporating them into your own sentences usually also means you are relying too heavily on the words of others, and your grades can suffer as a result.
Another option for integrating others’ ideas into your own assignments is by summarising and paraphrasing. Summarising means giving an overview of the main ideas in condensed form. Paraphrasing means putting an idea (usually in detail) into your own words.
To summarise or paraphrase well, you need to read carefully and understand the ideas in the source. Then, you can think about what those ideas mean in the context of your assignment and write them in your own words, integrating them well into your own writing. If you take sentences completely from the original source and just change a few words, this is not paraphrasing, and may be considered plagiarism.
For some students, the temptation to use a source’s original wording is high. To avoid this, after reading and understanding the author’s ideas, write just the keywords on a separate piece of paper. See if you can change some of the keywords to other words, while keeping the original meaning. Then, think about whether you can reorganise the order of the keywords, to write sentences that keep the original meaning, but that are quite different to the original. Using your keywords, and without referring to the original source, write your new sentences. It takes a while at first, but the process becomes automatic with practice.
Putting others’ work into your own words will not only ensure the material is effectively integrated into your writing, it also demonstrates to your reader (e.g. your lecturer) that you have understood, absorbed and interpreted the information. This is a key purpose of essay writing at university and will help you to get a better grade. In addition, the better you get at putting complex ideas into your own words, the more developed your writing style will become.
Remember that the need to reference is not limited to academic sources like books and journal articles. You need to reference ALL words, ideas or information taken from ANY source.
These sources might include:
Note that if the source you are citing is retrievable (i.e. can be located by another person using the information you provide in the reference list), you must provide a reference for the source. However, if the source is only available to you (e.g. a personal interview or email, or a private Facebook post), you should cite all necessary details in the text, but should not provide a reference in the reference list. ONLY irretrievable sources are not included in the reference list, and even these are still cited in the text.
The only times you would not reference are:
If you are concerned that you may not have referenced correctly, you should ask your tutor, lecturer or Academic Learning Advisor for their advice before submitting your assignment. Capstone Editing can also edit your work to correct your referencing and provide advice about how to reference correctly in the future.
Essay writing: everything you need to know and nothing you don’t—part 1: how to begin.
This guide will explain everything you need to know about how to organise, research and write an argumentative essay.
Organising your research effectively is a crucial and often overlooked step to successful essay writing.
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I'm currently reviewing a paper that has an uncommonly large number of references compared to the average number for that particular venue (more than 60 versus around 30). This is a regular paper, not a survey one, and although there does not seem to be wrong references, it feels like some are not really necessary, and the fact that one particular author is cited more than 15 times makes me worry that this paper is used to inflate the number of citations of that author (the submission is anonymous).
Should I mention this in my review, and try to examine which submissions are "abusive", or just let it go?
It's really a judgment call… some people consider that more references is good, because it gives the reader a wider perspective into the issue, and some people consider it a bad practice (in old times because it wasted paper, but nowadays mainly because it obscures the more valuable information inside a long wall of text).
I have, as a reviewer, sometimes asked authors to cut down on the number of references, so it is certainly an acceptable practice. Here are some factors you may consider when making the decision:
Are references cited in block? I tend to consider it is very bad practice:
A series of recent experiments have shown systematically that current human-powered aircrafts are not suitable for mass transportation [refs. 9–21]
Each paper (or group of two or three papers, at the very most) should be used with regards to a specific point in the discussion.
Somewhat disguised form of the earlier: are long lists of claims and references justified? Sometimes many citations are used as “examples”, where a few would suffice.
Could some of the citations be replaced by one or two reviews on the topic?
Are the work cited really the seminal work on each topic/idea/experiment, or are there also less “worthy” works cited?
Finally, it is true that there are some unethical practices that can lead to inflated number of citations. Excessive self-citation is certainly one, but there are others. For example, some authors cite very widely papers from all groups in their field , even when it is not really warranted, in an effort to help their chances at peer review: the idea is that the reviewer is less likely to be harsh to a manuscript that cites 5 of her own papers.
And in conclusion, if you believe that self-citation was the motivation, there is nothing wrong with reporting your doubts to the editor.
One 1 thing 2 that 3 hasn't 1,4 been 5-7 mentioned 8 yet 1 is 3-5 the 9 effect 10,11 on 2,7,10 readability. 12 References 13 are 14 a 15 necessity 16 but 17 loading 18 up 19-21 a 22 manuscript 23,24 with 25 too 26 many 2 will 27 often 3-5 make 5-7 it 28 more 9,29-31 difficult 17 for 32 me 33 to 34 follow 35,36 and 37-39 can 40 be 3-5 a 13-15,19,21-23,25-27,29-33,35-37,39,40 deterrent. 41 If 2,3,5,8,13,21,34 a 3,14,15,19,26 paper 2,7,18,28 turns 1,6,18 off 1,4,14,21,35 its 1,7,32 readers, 2,23 it's 4,8,15,16,23,42 not 6,28 doing 1,2,4,8,16,32 its 2,3,5,7,11,13,17,19,23,29,31,37,41 job. 42
I can only see one way to resolve this and that is to critically assess if all references are necessary. Self-citation can be a problem but it may be perfectly fine in situations where the author is a leader in, for example, a small field. Excessive citations can also be a sign of the author not being able to weed out the critical papers from the "mass". In some cases, it may be tempting to provide all the literature found on a particular topic wher perhaps a review paper or relatively new paper summarizing past work could be referenced using the form "(e.g. author, yyyy)", indicating it is one of several possible references on the topic. I think it is perfectly fair to ask for such changes if the excessive referencing is clearly just excessive.
I do not think that there are inherent problems with citing some "extra" papers, if they are appropriately relevant. The purpose of citations is to help us form a network of research. If a paper is not cited, then it will not join that network. However, one does not need to cite every paper that an author has written in the past 5 years in order to maintain that network!
Rather than spend time examining each citation, perhaps you could ask the author why there are so many citations. If the author(s) has been inflating citations without due cause, then any academic worth their salt should promptly correct that indiscretion.
I wonder if the authors considered the question When you reference an article, is it always expected that you have actually read it?
I can imagine multiple likely reasons for the high amount of citations by one particular author:
Unfortunately no matter the reason, to judge fairly you basically have to read at least the abstracts of said citations and check their relatedness. However, as F'x' answer suggests, if there are "obvious" signs of over-citation, e.g. block citations of more than, say, three publications, you shouldn't bother with that and rather directly state your concerns in your review.
Once the amount of references surpasses a sensible amount, the authors should maybe more directly justify the citation themselves instead of forcing each reviewer to figure that out on their own...
There should be a Goldilocks-range for this, and what this supposed to be depends on your field, topic (whether relatively new or not), and most importantly, your advisor and thesis committee.
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Are you wondering how to write an academic essay successfully? There are so many steps to writing an academic essay that it can be difficult to know where to start.
Here, we outline how to write an academic essay in 6 simple steps, from how to research for an academic essay to how to revise an essay and everything in between.
Our essay writing tips are designed to help you learn how to write an academic essay that is ready for publication (after academic editing and academic proofreading , of course!).
Your paper isn't complete until you've done all the needed proofreading. Make sure you leave time for it after the writing process!
Types of academic writing.
With academic essay writing, there are certain conventions that writers are expected to follow. As such, it's important to know the basics of academic writing before you begin writing your essay.
Read More: What Is Academic Writing?
Before you begin writing your essay, you need to know what type of essay you are writing. This will help you follow the correct structure, which will make academic paper editing a faster and simpler process.
Will you be writing a descriptive essay, an analytical essay, a persuasive essay, or a critical essay?
Read More: How to Master the 4 Types of Academic Writing
You can learn how to write academic essays by first mastering the four types of academic writing and then applying the correct rules to the appropriate type of essay writing.
Regardless of the type of essay you will be writing, all essays will include:
An introduction
At least three body paragraphs
A conclusion
A bibliography/reference list
To strengthen your essay writing skills, it can also help to learn how to research for an academic essay.
The essay writing process involves a few main stages:
Researching
As such, in learning how to write an academic essay, it is also important to learn how to research for an academic essay and how to revise an essay.
Read More: Online Research Tips for Students and Scholars
To beef up your research skills, remember these essay writing tips from the above article:
Learn how to identify reliable sources.
Understand the nuances of open access.
Discover free academic journals and research databases.
Manage your references.
Provide evidence for every claim so you can avoid plagiarism .
Read More: 17 Research Databases for Free Articles
You will want to do the research for your academic essay points, of course, but you will also want to research various journals for the publication of your paper.
Different journals have different guidelines and thus different requirements for writers. These can be related to style, formatting, and more.
Knowing these before you begin writing can save you a lot of time if you also want to learn how to revise an essay. If you ensure your paper meets the guidelines of the journal you want to publish in, you will not have to revise it again later for this purpose.
After the research stage, you can draft your thesis and introduction as well as outline the rest of your essay. This will put you in a good position to draft your body paragraphs and conclusion, craft your bibliography, and edit and proofread your paper.
When learning how to write academic essays , learning how to write an introduction is key alongside learning how to research for an academic essay.
Your introduction should broadly introduce your topic. It will give an overview of your essay and the points that will be discussed. It is typically about 10% of the final word count of the text.
All introductions follow a general structure:
Topic statement
Thesis statement
Read More: How to Write an Introduction
Your topic statement should hook your reader, making them curious about your topic. They should want to learn more after reading this statement. To best hook your reader in academic essay writing, consider providing a fact, a bold statement, or an intriguing question.
The discussion about your topic in the middle of your introduction should include some background information about your topic in the academic sphere. Your scope should be limited enough that you can address the topic within the length of your paper but broad enough that the content is understood by the reader.
Your thesis statement should be incredibly specific and only one to two sentences long. Here is another essay writing tip: if you are able to locate an effective thesis early on, it will save you time during the academic editing process.
Read More: How to Write a Great Thesis Statement
When learning how to write academic essays, you must learn how to write a good body paragraph. That's because your essay will be primarily made up of them!
The body paragraphs of your essay will develop the argument you outlined in your thesis. They will do this by providing your ideas on a topic backed up by evidence of specific points.
These paragraphs will typically take up about 80% of your essay. As a result, a good essay writing tip is to learn how to properly structure a paragraph.
Each paragraph consists of the following:
A topic sentence
Supporting sentences
A transition
Read More: How to Write a Paragraph
In learning how to revise an essay, you should keep in mind the organization of your paragraphs.
Your first paragraph should contain your strongest argument.
The secondary paragraphs should contain supporting arguments.
The last paragraph should contain your second-strongest argument.
Your essay conclusion is the final paragraph of your essay and primarily reminds your reader of your thesis. It also wraps up your essay and discusses your findings more generally.
The conclusion typically makes up about 10% of the text, like the introduction. It shows the reader that you have accomplished what you intended to at the outset of your essay.
Here are a couple more good essay writing tips for your conclusion:
Don't introduce any new ideas into your conclusion.
Don't undermine your argument with opposing ideas.
Read More: How to Write a Conclusion Paragraph in 3 Easy Steps
Now that you know how to write an academic essay, it's time to learn how to write a bibliography along with some academic editing and proofreading advice.
The bibliography of your paper lists all the references you cited. It is typically alphabetized or numbered (depending on the style guide).
Read More: How to Write an Academic Essay with References
When learning how to write academic essays, you may notice that there are various style guides you may be required to use by a professor or journal, including unique or custom styles.
Some of the most common style guides include:
Chicago style
For help organizing your references for academic essay writing, consider a software manager. They can help you collect and format your references correctly and consistently, both quickly and with minimal effort.
Read More: 6 Reference Manager Software Solutions for Your Research
As you learn how to research for an academic essay most effectively, you may notice that a reference manager can also help make academic paper editing easier.
Once you've finally drafted your entire essay . . . you're still not done!
That's because editing and proofreading are the essential final steps of any writing process .
An academic editor can help you identify core issues with your writing , including its structure, its flow, its clarity, and its overall readability. They can give you substantive feedback and essay writing tips to improve your document. Therefore, it's a good idea to have an editor review your first draft so you can improve it prior to proofreading.
A specialized academic editor can assess the content of your writing. As a subject-matter expert in your subject, they can offer field-specific insight and critical commentary. Specialized academic editors can also provide services that others may not, including:
Academic document formatting
Academic figure formatting
Academic reference formatting
An academic proofreader can help you perfect the final draft of your paper to ensure it is completely error free in terms of spelling and grammar. They can also identify any inconsistencies in your work but will not look for any issues in the content of your writing, only its mechanics. This is why you should have a proofreader revise your final draft so that it is ready to be seen by an audience.
Read More: How to Find the Right Academic Paper Editor or Proofreader
When learning how to research and write an academic essay, it is important to remember that editing is a required step. Don ' t forget to allot time for editing after you ' ve written your paper.
Set yourself up for success with this guide on how to write an academic essay. With a solid draft, you'll have better chances of getting published and read in any journal of your choosing.
Our academic essay writing tips are sure to help you learn how to research an academic essay, how to write an academic essay, and how to revise an academic essay.
If your academic paper looks sloppy, your readers may assume your research is sloppy. Download our Pocket Proofreading Checklist for Academic Papers before you take that one last crucial look at your paper.
Scribendi's in-house editors work with writers from all over the globe to perfect their writing. They know that no piece of writing is complete without a professional edit, and they love to see a good piece of writing transformed into a great one. Scribendi's in-house editors are unrivaled in both experience and education, having collectively edited millions of words and obtained numerous degrees. They love consuming caffeinated beverages, reading books of various genres, and relaxing in quiet, dimly lit spaces.
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"The Complete Beginner's Guide to Academic Writing"
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Citing and referencing information can be daunting for students who do not understand the principles.
There are numerous ways to reference. Different institutions, departments or lecturers may require different styles so check with your teacher, lecturer or instructor if you are unsure.
Bad referencing is a common way for students to lose marks in assignments so it is worth taking the time and effort to learn how to reference correctly.
When writing any academic essay, paper, report or assignment, you need to highlight your use of other author's ideas and words so that you:
There are many different styles of referencing, including Harvard, APA (from the American Psychological Association), Chicago and Vancouver. The Harvard referencing system is of the most popular styles and the remainder of this article deals with this system. However, your university may prefer the use of a different system so check with your lecturer or in your course information as to which referencing style to use.
Plagiarism is a serious academic offence. You are likely to be awarded 0% for an assignment which has evidence of plagiarism. If you continue to plagiarise then you may be excluded from your course.
Most universities will want a signed declaration with submitted work to say that you have not plagiarised.
Universities use anti-plagiarism software to quickly find plagiarised work. This software usually draws on huge databases of web sources, books, journals and all previously submitted student work to compare your work to so you will be found out.
Therefore, if you plagiarise, you are likely to be caught so don't take the risk and reference properly.
When writing an essay, report, dissertation or other piece of academic work, the key to referencing is organisation. As you go along, keep notes of the books and journal articles you have read and the websites you have visited as part of your research process.
There are various tools to help here. Your university may be able to provide you with some specialist software (Endnote – www.endnote.com ) or you can simply keep a list in a document or try Zotero ( www.zotero.org ) a free plugin for the Firefox browser.
Record as much information as possible in references to make finding the original work simple.
Include the author/s name/s where possible. You should write the surname (last name) first followed by any initials. If there are more than three authors then you can cite the first author and use the abbreviation 'et al', meaning 'and all'.
For one, two or three authors: Jones A, Davies B, Jenkins C
For more than three authors Jones A et al.
For some sources, especially websites, the name of the author may not be known. In such cases either use the organisation name or the title of the document or webpage.
Example: SkillsYouNeed or What Are Interpersonal Skills.
You should include the year of publication or a more specific date if appropriate, for journal or newspaper articles/stories. For webpages look for the when the page was last updated. Include dates in brackets (2020) after author information. If no date can be established, then put (no date).
Include the title of the piece; this could be the name of the book, the title of a journal article or webpage. Titles are usually written in italics . For books you should also include the edition (if not the first) to make finding information easier. Often when books are republished information remains broadly the same but may be reordered, therefore page numbers may change between editions.
Usually only relevant for books, but for these you should include the publisher name and place of publication.
If you are referencing a particular part of a book, then you should include the page number/s you have used in your work. Use p. 123 to indicate page 123 or pp. 123-125 to indicate multiple pages.
For webpages you need to include the full URL of the page (http://www... etc.) and the date you last accessed the page. The web is not static and webpages can be changed/updated/removed at any time, so it is therefore important to record when you found the information you are referencing.
Once you have recorded the information, you have everything you need in order to reference correctly. Your work should be both referenced in the text and include a reference list or bibliography at the end. The in text reference is an abbreviated version of the full reference in your reference list.
If you are directly quoting in your text you should enclose the quote in quotation marks, and include author information:
"Communication is simply the act of transferring information from one place to another." SkillsYouNeed (2019)
For longer direct quotations it may be neater to indent the quotation in its own paragraph.
Your reference list should then include the full version of the reference:
SkillsYouNeed (2022) What is Communication? [online] available at www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/what-is-communication.html (Accessed October 14 2022)
For a book you would use, in your text:
“Long before the twelfth century rhetoricians had collected quotations, particularly from classical authors, into anthologies called florilegia…” (Clanchy, M.T, 1993)
The reference list would then include the full reference:
Clanchy, M.T. (1993) From Memory to Written Record England 1066 – 1307 Oxford, Blackwell, p. 115
The same rules also apply when you are referencing indirectly and you have not included a direct quote. If you have used the ideas of another source, reference both in your text at the relevant point and in your reference list or bibliography at the end of your document.
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When quoting you may sometimes want to leave out some words , in which case use … (three dots).
"Communication is … transferring information from one place to another"
If you need to add words to a quote for clarity, then square brackets are used:
“Communication is simply the act [in communication skills] of transferring information from one place to another.”
You can use [sic] to note an original error and/or foreign spelling , SkillsYouNeed is a UK site and therefore uses UK spellings:
"The color [sic] of the water..."
Continue to: Common Mistakes in Writing Sources of Information
See Also: Note-Taking for Reading What is Theory? | Writing an Essay | Punctuation
References provide the information necessary for readers to identify and retrieve each work cited in the text .
Check each reference carefully against the original publication to ensure information is accurate and complete. Accurately prepared references help establish your credibility as a careful researcher and writer.
Consistency in reference formatting allows readers to focus on the content of your reference list, discerning both the types of works you consulted and the important reference elements (who, when, what, and where) with ease. When you present each reference in a consistent fashion, readers do not need to spend time determining how you organized the information. And when searching the literature yourself, you also save time and effort when reading reference lists in the works of others that are written in APA Style.
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Academic referencing is basically using someone else’s words, data or findings in your academic writing and giving them the credit. It is a crime not to acknowledge the source of your work.
Lack of referencing is known as plagiarism – a serious offence that can result to jail time.
There are several types of referencing styles. The specific style to use depends on your study discipline.
Citing someone else’s work entails indicating the author’s name, date, title of work, where the work was published as well as the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) for online work.
Academic referencing styles, chicago/turabian, useful referencing tools and resources, final thoughts on academic referencing, related posts:.
Mastering the art and science of academic referencing has many benefits for the student and other users, including:
The most common referencing styles are:
APA (American Psychological Association) referencing style is used in Psychology and social sciences.
Basic APA guidelines are as follows.
MLA (Modern Language Association) is synonymous with humanities, languages and arts.
Basic MLA guidelines are as follows.
The Chicago Manual of Style is another referencing option for history, arts as well as literature. It incorporates both the Notes-Bibliography (NB) as well as the Author-Date (AD) formats.
Basic guidelines for using Chicago/ Turabian style are as follows.
The Harvard referencing style also uses the author-date format. It is used interchangeably in social sciences and humanities.
Basic guidelines are as follows.
As a research student, you will need all readily available citation tools. Zotero is a free citation tool that allows you to manage your research process.
Zotero allows you to attach research notes, share citations with colleagues, separate your research work into subjects, save your cited works in files as well as create reference lists as you work.
Zotero is available as an application.
Related post: How To Use Zotero For Reference Management (An Illustrative Guide)
Research work can take its toll on you as a student. The Endnote is a research software that allows you to access your stored citations anytime.
You can share and organize research documents using Endnote.
Another research management tool, Mendeley also allows you to connect with other colleagues and students.
You can use Mendeley to create bibliographies, pull out citation materials and organize your research in bits.
Mendeley is compatible with desktops, Mac as well as laptops.
Citavi is favorable for both students and organizations who need knowledge management strategies.
Citavi allows you to collaborate with colleagues, share research materials, store information, create discussion forums, categorize your research as well as manage your content.
This referencing tool simplifies your research process in numerous ways.
RefWorks allows you to retrieve information from any source, gives accurate references, provides unlimited storage folders, search tools, share with other users as well as supports institutions and libraries in providing seamless research process to students.
In conclusion, academic referencing is a skill that gets better with practice. As a PhD student, you cannot sail through without effective academic referencing. Knowing the various referencing styles and resources simplifies your research process.
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Grace Njeri-Otieno
Grace Njeri-Otieno is a Kenyan, a wife, a mom, and currently a PhD student, among many other balls she juggles. She holds a Bachelors' and Masters' degrees in Economics and has more than 7 years' experience with an INGO. She was inspired to start this site so as to share the lessons learned throughout her PhD journey with other PhD students. Her vision for this site is "to become a go-to resource center for PhD students in all their spheres of learning."
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Planning your essay
Writing your introduction
Structuring your essay
Structuring your dissertation
University essays differ from school essays in that they are less concerned with what you know and more concerned with how you construct an argument to answer the question. This means that the starting point for writing a strong essay is to first unpick the question and to then use this to plan your essay before you start putting pen to paper (or finger to keyboard).
A really good starting point for you are these short, downloadable Tips for Successful Essay Writing and Answering the Question resources. Both resources will help you to plan your essay, as well as giving you guidance on how to distinguish between different sorts of essay questions.
You may find it helpful to watch this seven-minute video on six tips for essay writing which outlines how to interpret essay questions, as well as giving advice on planning and structuring your writing:
Different disciplines will have different expectations for essay structure and you should always refer to your Faculty or Department student handbook or course Canvas site for more specific guidance.
However, broadly speaking, all essays share the following features:
Essays need an introduction to establish and focus the parameters of the discussion that will follow. You may find it helpful to divide the introduction into areas to demonstrate your breadth and engagement with the essay question. You might define specific terms in the introduction to show your engagement with the essay question; for example, ‘This is a large topic which has been variously discussed by many scientists and commentators. The principal tension is between the views of X and Y who define the main issues as…’ Breadth might be demonstrated by showing the range of viewpoints from which the essay question could be considered; for example, ‘A variety of factors including economic, social and political, influence A and B. This essay will focus on the social and economic aspects, with particular emphasis on…..’
Watch this two-minute video to learn more about how to plan and structure an introduction:
The main body of the essay should elaborate on the issues raised in the introduction and develop an argument(s) that answers the question. It should consist of a number of self-contained paragraphs each of which makes a specific point and provides some form of evidence to support the argument being made. Remember that a clear argument requires that each paragraph explicitly relates back to the essay question or the developing argument.
If you are writing an essay for a science subject you may need to consider additional areas, such as how to present data or diagrams. This five-minute video gives you some advice on how to approach your reading list, planning which information to include in your answer and how to write for your scientific audience – the video is available here:
A PDF providing further guidance on writing science essays for tutorials is available to download.
Short videos to support your essay writing skills
There are many other resources at Oxford that can help support your essay writing skills and if you are short on time, the Oxford Study Skills Centre has produced a number of short (2-minute) videos covering different aspects of essay writing, including:
Extended essays and dissertations
Longer pieces of writing like extended essays and dissertations may seem like quite a challenge from your regular essay writing. The important point is to start with a plan and to focus on what the question is asking. A PDF providing further guidance on planning Humanities and Social Science dissertations is available to download.
Planning your time effectively
Try not to leave the writing until close to your deadline, instead start as soon as you have some ideas to put down onto paper. Your early drafts may never end up in the final work, but the work of committing your ideas to paper helps to formulate not only your ideas, but the method of structuring your writing to read well and conclude firmly.
Although many students and tutors will say that the introduction is often written last, it is a good idea to begin to think about what will go into it early on. For example, the first draft of your introduction should set out your argument, the information you have, and your methods, and it should give a structure to the chapters and sections you will write. Your introduction will probably change as time goes on but it will stand as a guide to your entire extended essay or dissertation and it will help you to keep focused.
The structure of extended essays or dissertations will vary depending on the question and discipline, but may include some or all of the following:
The main body of your extended essay or dissertation will probably include your methodology, the results of research, and your argument(s) based on your findings.
The conclusion is to summarise the value your research has added to the topic, and any further lines of research you would undertake given more time or resources.
Tips on writing longer pieces of work
Approaching each chapter of a dissertation as a shorter essay can make the task of writing a dissertation seem less overwhelming. Each chapter will have an introduction, a main body where the argument is developed and substantiated with evidence, and a conclusion to tie things together. Unlike in a regular essay, chapter conclusions may also introduce the chapter that will follow, indicating how the chapters are connected to one another and how the argument will develop through your dissertation.
For further guidance, watch this two-minute video on writing longer pieces of work .
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Many students and researchers often wonder about the right number of sources for a research paper. Some think using lots of references shows they did a lot of research, while others prefer to focus on fewer, more important sources. This article looks at what affects the number of sources you should use and gives tips to help you decide how many sources should be in a literature review or research paper.
References are extremely important in academic writing. They help support your arguments, show that you've read what other experts have written, and let readers know where your ideas came from. Using references also gives credit to other researchers and helps avoid copying someone else's work without permission.
A study in the Journal of Informetrics found that papers with more citations are often seen as more trustworthy and important. This shows why it's crucial to choose good sources for a research paper.
Several things can affect how many sources a research paper should have:
While there's no one-size-fits-all answer to how many sources do you need for a research paper, here are some general tips:
Most papers use between 25 and 100 references, depending on where you're publishing and what kind of research you're doing. Some journals might want fewer references to keep papers short, especially in fields where you don't need lots of citations to understand the research.
A good rule of thumb is to use 3 to 6 sources for a research paper on each page. This means about one reference every two paragraphs. This gives enough support for your ideas without making it hard to read. However, the actual number can change based on things like how complex your topic is and what format you need to use.
Different subjects usually use different numbers of sources. Most fields typically use 20 to 50 sources, but this can change based on what kind of research you're doing and what's expected in your field. For example, studies in psychology or sociology might use more sources to explain their ideas, while papers in math or philosophy might use fewer sources but talk about them in more detail.
To use references well in your research paper:
You should carefully evaluate the sources you use in your research essay to make sure they really help your work.
When thinking about how many paragraphs should a research paper have, remember that it depends on how complex your topic is and how much detail you need. Usually, a research paper has an introduction, several main paragraphs (each talking about one main idea), and a conclusion. How many pages is a research paper can be very different, often between 5 to 20 pages for college students, while graduate students might write longer papers.
For a literature review, how many sources should be in a literature review depends on how broad your topic is. A long review might use 50 or more sources, while a smaller one could use 20–30 sources.
Keeping track of sources and citations for a research paper can take a lot of time. Aithor helps solve this problem. Aithor keeps track of references, puts them in the right format, and even suggests useful sources you might have missed. It's like having a research partner who never forgets a citation.
Try using Aithor for your next research project, you’ll love it :)
What is self-plagiarism & how to avoid it.
Have you ever thought about whether using your own work again could be seen as copying? It might seem strange, but self-plagiarism is a real issue in school and work writing. Let's look at what this means and learn how to avoid self-plagiarism so your work stays original and ethical. What is self-plagiarism? Self-plagiarism, also called auto-plagiarism or duplicate plagiarism, happens when a writer uses parts of their old work without saying where it came from. This isn't just about copying w ...
Plagiarism has been a challenge for a long time in writing. It's easy to find information online, which might make some people use it without saying where it came from. But plagiarism isn't just taking someone else's words. Sometimes, we might do it by accident or even use our own old work without mentioning it. When people plagiarize, they can get into serious trouble. They might lose others' trust or even face legal problems. Luckily, we now have tools to detect plagiarism. But what about PDF ...
A correct usage of dialogues in essays may seem quite difficult at first sight. Still there are special issues, for instance, narrative or descriptive papers, where this literary technique will be a good helper in depicting anyone's character. How to add dialogues to the work? How to format them correctly? Let's discuss all relevant matters to master putting conversation episodes into academic essays. Essay Dialogue: Definition & Purpose A dialogue is a literary technique for presenting a con ...
Your professor says that it is necessary to avoid plagiarism when writing a research paper, essay, or any project based on the works of other people, so to say, any reference source. But what does plagiarism mean? What types of it exist? And how to formulate the material to get rid of potential bad consequences while rendering original texts? Today we try to answer these very questions. Plagiarism: Aspect in Brief Plagiarism is considered to be a serious breach, able to spoil your successful ...
When we write something for school, work, or just for fun, we often use ideas and facts from other places. This makes us ask: what is a citation in writing? Let's find out what this means and why it's really important when we write. What is Citation? Citation in research refers to the practice of telling your readers where you got your information, ideas, or exact words from. It's like showing them the path to the original information you used in your writing. When you cite something, you us ...
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In a way, these academic essays are like a court trial. The attorney, whether prosecuting the case or defending it, begins with an opening statement explaining the background and telling the jury what he or she intends to prove (the thesis statement). Then, the attorney presents witnesses for proof (the body of the paragraphs). Lastly, the attorney presents the closing argument (concluding paragraph).
There are a variety of approaches regarding the content of the introduction paragraph such as a brief outline of the proof, an anecdote, explaining key ideas, and asking a question. In addition, some textbooks say that an introduction can be more than one paragraph. The placement of the thesis statement is another variable depending on the instructor and/or text. The approach used in this lesson is that an introduction paragraph gives background information leading into the thesis which is the main idea of the paper, which is stated at the end.
The background in the introductory paragraph consists of information about the circumstances of the thesis. This background information often starts in the introductory paragraph with a general statement which is then refined to the most specific sentence of the essay, the thesis. Background sentences include information about the topic and the controversy. It is important to note that in this approach, the proof for the thesis is not found in the introduction except, possibly, as part of a thesis statement which includes the key elements of the proof. Proof is presented and expanded on in the body.
Some instructors may prefer other types of content in the introduction in addition to the thesis. It is best to check with an instructor as to whether he or she has a preference for content. Generally, the thesis must be stated in the introduction.
The thesis is the position statement. It must contain a subject and a verb and express a complete thought. It must also be defensible. This means it should be an arguable point with which people could reasonably disagree. The more focused and narrow the thesis statement, the better a paper will generally be.
If you are given a question in the instructions for your paper, the thesis statement is a one-sentence answer taking a position on the question.
If you are given a topic instead of a question, then in order to create a thesis statement, you must narrow your analysis of the topic to a specific controversial issue about the topic to take a stand. If it is not a research paper, some brainstorming (jotting down what comes to mind on the issue) should help determine a specific question.
If it is a research paper, the process begins with exploratory research, which should show the various issues and controversies. It should, ultimately, lead to the specific question. Then, the research becomes focused on the question, which should lead to taking a position on the question.
These methods of determining a thesis are still answering a question. It’s just that you pose a question to answer for the thesis. Here is an example.
Suppose, one of the topics you are given to write about is America’s National Parks. Books have been written about this subject. In fact, books have been written just about a single park. As you are thinking about it, you may realize how there is an issue about balancing between preserving the wilderness and allowing visitors. The question would then be Should visitors to America’s National Parks be regulated in order to preserve the wilderness?
One thesis might be "There is no need for regulations for visiting America’s National Parks to preserve the wilderness."
Another might be "There should be reasonable regulations for visiting America’s National Parks in order to preserve the wilderness."
Finally, avoid using expressions that announce, “Now I will prove…” or “This essay is about…” Instead of telling the reader what the paper is about, a good paper simply proves the thesis in the body. Generally, you shouldn’t refer to your paper in your paper.
Here is an example of a good introduction with the thesis:
Not too long ago, everyday life was filled with burdensome, time-consuming chores that left little time for much more than completing these tasks. People generally worked from their homes or within walking distance to their homes and rarely traveled far from them. People were limited to whatever their physical capacities were. All this changed dramatically as new technologies developed. Modern technology has most improved our lives through convenience, efficiency, and accessibility.
Note how the background is general and leads up to the thesis. No proof is given in the background sentences about how technology has improved lives.
Moreover, notice that the thesis is the last sentence of the introduction. It is a defensible statement.
A reasonable person could argue the opposite position: Although modern technology has provided easier ways of completing some tasks, it has diminished the quality of life since people have to work too many hours to acquire these gadgets, have developed health problems as a result of excess use, and have lost focus on what is really valuable in life.
For more information on body paragraphs and supporting evidence, see Proving a Thesis – Evidence and Proving a Thesis – Logic, and Logical Fallacies and Appeals in Related Pages on the right sidebar.
Body paragraphs give proof for the thesis. They should have one proof point per paragraph expressed in a topic sentence. The topic sentence is usually found at the beginning of each body paragraph and, like a thesis, must be a complete sentence. Each topic sentence must be directly related to and support the argument made by the thesis.
After the topic sentence, the rest of the paragraph should go on to support this one proof with examples and explanation. It is the details that support the topic sentences in the body paragraphs that make the arguments strong.
If the thesis statement stated that technology improved the quality of life, each body paragraph should begin with a reason why it has improved the quality of life. This reason is called a topic sentence . Following are three examples of body paragraphs that provide support for the thesis that modern technology has improved our lives through convenience, efficiency, and accessibility:
Almost every aspect of our lives has been improved through convenience provided by modern technology. From the sound of music from an alarm clock in the morning to the end of the day being entertained in the convenience of our living room, our lives are improved. The automatic coffee maker has the coffee ready at a certain time. Cars or public transportation bring people to work where computers operate at the push of a button. At home, there’s the convenience of washing machines and dryers, dishwashers, air conditioners, and power lawn mowers. Modern technology has made life better with many conveniences. Not only has technology improved our lives through convenience, it has improved our lives through efficiency. The time saved by machines doing most of the work leaves more time for people to develop their personal goals or to just relax. Years ago, when doing laundry could take all day, there wasn’t time left over to read or go to school or even just to take a leisurely walk. Nowadays, people have more time and energy than ever to simply enjoy their lives and pursue their goals thanks to the efficiency of modern technology. Accessibility to a wide range of options has been expanded through modern technology. Never before could people cross a continent or an ocean in an afternoon. Travel is not the only way technology has created accessibility. Software which types from voice commands has made using computers more accessible for school or work. People with special needs have many new options thanks to modern technology such as special chairs or text readers. Actually, those people who need hearing aids as a result of normal aging have access to continued communication and enjoyment of entertainment they did not previously have. There are many ways technology has improved lives through increased accessibility.
Notice how these proof paragraphs stick to one proof point introduced in the topic sentences. These three paragraphs, not only support the original thesis, but go on to give details and explanations which explain the proof point in the topic sentence.
Instructors vary of what they expect in the conclusion; however, there is general agreement that conclusions should not introduce any new proof points, should include a restatement of the thesis, and should not contain any words such as “In conclusion.”
Some instructors want only a summary of the proof and a restatement of the thesis. Some instructors ask for a general prediction or implication of the information presented without a restatement of thesis. Still others may want to include a restatement along with a general prediction or implication of the information presents. Be sure to review assignment instructions or check with instructor. If your assignment instructions don’t specify, just sum up the proof and restate the thesis.
Modern technology has created many conveniences in everyday from waking up to music to having coffee ready to getting to work and doing a day’s work. The efficiency provided by technology gives people more time to enjoy life and pursue personal development, and the accessibility has broadened options for travel, school, and work. Modern technology has improved our lives through convenience, efficiency, and accessibility.
See how the thesis statement was restated. The two major arguments about the possible locations proven to be incorrect were also included to remind the reader of the major proof points made in the paper.
Modern technology has created many conveniences in everyday life from waking up to music to having coffee ready to getting to work and doing a day’s work. The efficiency provided by technology gives people more time to enjoy life and pursue personal development, and the accessibility has broadened options for travel, school, and work. Without it, everyday life would be filled with burdensome tasks and be limited to our neighborhood and our physical capacity.
Here’s an example of a conclusion with a general prediction or implication statement with a restatement of thesis.
Modern technology has created many conveniences in everyday life from waking up to music to having coffee ready to getting to work and doing a day’s work. The efficiency provided by technology gives people more time to enjoy life and pursue personal development, and the accessibility has broadened options for travel, school, and work. Without it, everyday life would be filled with burdensome tasks and be limited to our neighborhood and our physical capacity. Modern technology has improved our lives through convenience, efficiency, and accessibility.
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Published on January 28, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on July 23, 2023.
The length of an academic essay varies depending on your level and subject of study, departmental guidelines, and specific course requirements. In general, an essay is a shorter piece of writing than a research paper or thesis .
In most cases, your assignment will include clear guidelines on the number of words or pages you are expected to write. Often this will be a range rather than an exact number (for example, 2500–3000 words, or 10–12 pages). If you’re not sure, always check with your instructor.
In this article you’ll find some general guidelines for the length of different types of essay. But keep in mind that quality is more important than quantity – focus on making a strong argument or analysis, not on hitting a specific word count.
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Essay length guidelines, how long is each part of an essay, using length as a guide to topic and complexity, can i go under the suggested length, can i go over the suggested length, other interesting articles.
Type of essay | Average word count range | Essay content |
---|---|---|
High school essay | 300–1000 words | In high school you are often asked to write a 5-paragraph essay, composed of an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. |
College admission essay | 200–650 words | College applications require a short personal essay to express your interests and motivations. This generally has a strict word limit. |
Undergraduate college essay | 1500–5000 words | The length and content of essay assignments in college varies depending on the institution, department, course level, and syllabus. |
Graduate school admission essay | 500–1000 words | Graduate school applications usually require a longer and/or detailing your academic achievements and motivations. |
Graduate school essay | 2500–6000 words | Graduate-level assignments vary by institution and discipline, but are likely to include longer essays or research papers. |
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In an academic essay, the main body should always take up the most space. This is where you make your arguments, give your evidence, and develop your ideas.
The introduction should be proportional to the essay’s length. In an essay under 3000 words, the introduction is usually just one paragraph. In longer and more complex essays, you might need to lay out the background and introduce your argument over two or three paragraphs.
The conclusion of an essay is often a single paragraph, even in longer essays. It doesn’t have to summarize every step of your essay, but should tie together your main points in a concise, convincing way.
The suggested word count doesn’t only tell you how long your essay should be – it also helps you work out how much information and complexity you can fit into the given space. This should guide the development of your thesis statement , which identifies the main topic of your essay and sets the boundaries of your overall argument.
A short essay will need a focused, specific topic and a clear, straightforward line of argument. A longer essay should still be focused, but it might call for a broader approach to the topic or a more complex, ambitious argument.
As you make an outline of your essay , make sure you have a clear idea of how much evidence, detail and argumentation will be needed to support your thesis. If you find that you don’t have enough ideas to fill out the word count, or that you need more space to make a convincing case, then consider revising your thesis to be more general or more specific.
The length of the essay also influences how much time you will need to spend on editing and proofreading .
You should always aim to meet the minimum length given in your assignment. If you are struggling to reach the word count:
In some cases, you are allowed to exceed the upper word limit by 10% – so for an assignment of 2500–3000 words, you could write an absolute maximum of 3300 words. However, the rules depend on your course and institution, so always check with your instructor if you’re unsure.
Only exceed the word count if it’s really necessary to complete your argument. Longer essays take longer to grade, so avoid annoying your marker with extra work! If you are struggling to edit down:
If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!
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McCombes, S. (2023, July 23). How Long is an Essay? Guidelines for Different Types of Essay. Scribbr. Retrieved September 3, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/academic-essay/length/
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Tip: Learn more about how to write an academic essay with references to websites. How Do You Cite a Tweet in APA? APA refers to Tweets using their first 20 words. Tweet references should be formatted as follows: Author, A. A. [@twitterhandle). (Year, Month. date of publication). First 20 words of the. Tweet. [Tweet] Twitter. URL
9. Do one special edit especially for Referencing Style. The top students edit their essays three to five times spaced out over a week or more before submitting. One of those edits should be specifically for ensuring your reference list adheres to the referencing style that your teacher requires.
Even some individual courses might be different. Always check for local conditions): a typical 50s essay here will probably use four or five sources; in the 60s, it tends to be around five to ten, and typical 70s or above essays use probably somewhere between eight and 15 substantive sources. These are rough estimates, though.
Conclusion. Your conclusion should account for around 15% of your essay. You may wish to use 1-3 references to lend authority to your concluding statements. Of course, it is really hard to suggest exactly how many references your essay should include. This depends totally on the subject matter and word count.
According to experts at Native Assignment Help, a leading academic assistance company, a general guideline is to aim for around 10-15 high-quality references. This ensures that your essay is ...
Citation Styles Guide | Examples for All Major Styles. Published on June 24, 2022 by Jack Caulfield.Revised on November 7, 2022. A citation style is a set of guidelines on how to cite sources in your academic writing.You always need a citation whenever you quote, paraphrase, or summarize a source to avoid plagiarism.How you present these citations depends on the style you follow.
When you cite a source with up to three authors, cite all authors' names. For four or more authors, list only the first name, followed by ' et al. ': Number of authors. In-text citation example. 1 author. (Davis, 2019) 2 authors. (Davis and Barrett, 2019) 3 authors.
Use as many references as you need. You'll need an appropriate amount for your academic level - this will vary. Reference everything you cite. If you use an idea, cite and reference it. Ask your tutor. They may have guidance for you on how much reading they expect you to do. Students sometimes worry that there is an optimum number of ...
If teachers haven't mentioned anything specifically, students should aim to hit around 6-8 references for every 1,000 words of content. This works to about 1 reference for every 200 words or roughly about 1 reference in each paragraph. However, this is a general rule and should be considered the bare minimum.
One way to do this is to lead into the quotation or paraphrase by using the author's name (e.g. 'According to Lines,') followed by the quotation from Lines or a summary of Lines's ideas. Quotations must fit grammatically into your text. It is allowable to modify quotations slightly to ensure a good fit.
Figure 8.1 in Chapter 8 of the Publication Manual provides an example of an appropriate level of citation. The number of sources you cite in your paper depends on the purpose of your work. For most papers, cite one or two of the most representative sources for each key point. Literature review papers typically include a more exhaustive list of ...
The information included in reference entries is broadly similar, whatever citation style you're using. For each source, you'll typically include the: Author name; Title; Publication date; Container (e.g., the book an essay was published in, the journal an article appeared in) Publisher; Location (e.g., a URL or DOI, or sometimes a physical ...
An academic essay is a focused piece of writing that develops an idea or argument using evidence, analysis, and interpretation. There are many types of essays you might write as a student. ... I have included a reference page at the end of my essay, listing full details of all my sources.
Oct 21, 2013 at 11:13. As far as I know, there is no limit on the number of references, only on the number of pages, which is respected. - user102. Oct 21, 2013 at 11:53. There is probably some discipline influence at work. In the social sciences, it is not uncommon to have around 50 references in a journal paper. - Shion. Oct 21, 2013 at ...
Your thesis is the central claim in your essay—your main insight or idea about your source or topic. Your thesis should appear early in an academic essay, followed by a logically constructed argument that supports this central claim. A strong thesis is arguable, which means a thoughtful reader could disagree with it and therefore needs
Step 4: Writing the Essay Conclusion. Your essay conclusion is the final paragraph of your essay and primarily reminds your reader of your thesis. It also wraps up your essay and discusses your findings more generally. The conclusion typically makes up about 10% of the text, like the introduction.
You should write the surname (last name) first followed by any initials. If there are more than three authors then you can cite the first author and use the abbreviation 'et al', meaning 'and all'. Examples: For one, two or three authors: Jones A, Davies B, Jenkins C. For more than three authors. Jones A et al.
References provide the information necessary for readers to identify and retrieve each work cited in the text. Check each reference carefully against the original publication to ensure information is accurate and complete. Accurately prepared references help establish your credibility as a careful researcher and writer. Consistency in reference ...
Importance of Academic Referencing. Mastering the art and science of academic referencing has many benefits for the student and other users, including: It improves your writing skills: Referencing entails paraphrasing, summarizing and quoting other people's work. It also entails conducting thorough research and writing drafts.
There are many other resources at Oxford that can help support your essay writing skills and if you are short on time, the Oxford Study Skills Centre has produced a number of short (2-minute) videos covering different aspects of essay writing, including: Approaching different types of essay questions. Structuring your essay.
At college level, you must properly cite your sources in all essays, research papers, and other academic texts (except exams and in-class exercises). Add a citation whenever you quote, paraphrase, or summarize information or ideas from a source. You should also give full source details in a bibliography or reference list at the end of your text.
Many students and researchers often wonder about the right number of sources for a research paper. Some think using lots of references shows they did a lot of research, while others prefer to focus on fewer, more important sources. This article looks at what affects the number of sources you should use and gives tips to help you decide how many sources should be in a literature review or ...
Overview. In a way, these academic essays are like a court trial. The attorney, whether prosecuting the case or defending it, begins with an opening statement explaining the background and telling the jury what he or she intends to prove (the thesis statement). Then, the attorney presents witnesses for proof (the body of the paragraphs).
Essay length guidelines. Type of essay. Average word count range. Essay content. High school essay. 300-1000 words. In high school you are often asked to write a 5-paragraph essay, composed of an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. College admission essay. 200-650 words.