Components of Academic Citations

An important consideration in writing any academic document is giving proper credit to the sources of information. This is done through a technique called “citations.” Citations essentially allow the document reader to cross-reference the information in the document with the original sources, allowing the reader to judge the merits of the document’s position and the accuracy of the author’s interpretation of the original documents.

There are four basic components used to accomplish this task, though each citation style has its own rules for their use. The dissertation author should familiarize himself or herself with the requirements of their institution on the required citation style.

In-Line Citations

In-line citations are effectively markers of information that was drawn from other documents. Most citation styles require at least the last name of the author and the year in which the source document was written. Others use numeric markers that correspond to footnotes or endnotes that contain the details of the citation.

Footnote Citations

Footnotes are found at the bottom of the page in which they are referenced. In citation use, footnotes contain the relevant disclosure of the source of the noted information. Unlike bibliographic citations, there is a separate footnote Footnotes can also be used to expand an idea when such expansion may not make sense in the text of the document as a type of sidebar commentary.

Endnote Citations

Endnotes are found at the end of the document and are numbered with a corresponding marker found in the body of the document. They otherwise are identical to footnotes in style and usage.

Bibliographic Citations

Bibliographic citations are located at the end of the document and are a simple, alphabetized list of all sources used in the document. Each citation style dictates the format in which this information is detailed and should be consulted. Bibliographic citations can also be annotated; meaning short abstracts of the source document’s nature and scope are included with each bibliographic citation.

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Proper citation of a dissertation can be a serious matter. Failure to properly document your sources can lead, at best, to a refusal of your dissertation and subsequent rewrite, and as worst can result in charges of academic dishonesty and fraud. Our writers are professionals who use state-of-the-art software to document the sources of all information used in their work. Clients can be sure that our writers will have all citations in place on assignments they complete on your behalf. Additionally, they can assist you by reviewing pre-existing documents for citation suitability. Contact us today for additional information.