How to Cite a Dissertation in Chicago Style - Dos and Don'ts
Referencing is an important part of dissertation writing that you can never neglect. Your dissertation basically roams around the central argument or thesis statement you are trying to solve. To support your arguments, you have to explore the existing literature and add some relevant content to your own dissertation, increasing its worth. It often involves citing those sources properly to give credibility to the work.
There are many referencing styles, but our topic of discussion is to cite a dissertation in Chicago style. It's working since 1906 and today, the 17th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style, is mostly being used everywhere. Such original referencing systems are essential in dissertation writing as they increase the overall quality of the work.
However, the problem arises when students with zero knowledge of citation styles come to the ground. In these circumstances, getting assistance from professional dissertation writers would save the situation. They are so expert in their work that they will provide you with proper guidelines on how to cite a dissertation in Chicago style effectively.
Here, we will discuss a complete guide on Chicago-style citations along with its format and step-by-step guide. We will also explore some crucial dos and don’ts of citing dissertations in Chicago style.
What is Chicago Style?
The Chicago style, originating from the University of Chicago, offers two main varieties in their documentation of references: the first benign the humanities style often known as notes and bibliography and the second one is an author-date system. You can select any one of these two types depending on your subject requirements and the sources being used.
Along with that, your institution and supervisor's preference also matter a lot. So, it's best to consult your professor, teaching assistant, or publisher for guidance.
Types of Chicago Style
To cite a dissertation in Chicago style, you should first select the one style you want to use. You can either select the footnotes system or the author-date system; without mixing these two systems together.
Notes and bibliography style
Widely used in literature, history, humanities, and the arts. It involves citing sources in footnotes and often includes a bibliography.
Author-date style
Citations appear in parentheses within the text. This concise style is most favourably used in the social sciences whether it is physical or natural. These sources are briefly cited in the text by the author's last name and the publication date.
What is Chicago Style Citation Format?
There are some specific guidelines that are set for each referencing system. Similarly, if you are going to cite a dissertation in Chicago style, you should carefully follow its formatting guidelines as well. These mostly include keeping a margin of 1 to 1.5 inches on all sides of each page while keeping your papers double-spaced.
Furthermore, you don't need a title page in it, but if you decide to use one, leave out the header and page number. If you skip the title page, add your name and paper title on the first page. You should also add a page number (except on the title page) either in the top right or bottom centre. Font and size don't matter much, but it's suggested to go with 12-point Times New Roman.
How to Cite a Dissertation in Chicago Style?
Indeed, it is not child’s play to correctly cite all the sources used because it demands full command of the referencing system. Students looking for a perfect guide for the Chicago-style dissertations should stop searching anymore.
We are here to discuss it in a few steps to help you better understand the whole procedure. So, let's start by adding relevant Chicago-style dissertation examples.
Step 1: Collect all the Necessary Information
Before starting the actual referencing system, you should first gather the information needed to enter the citations. It includes the author's name who wrote the information you have collected for your work, the title of the dissertation, degree name, university name and the year of publication when the dissertation was awarded.
Step 2: Choose Your Format
As we have already discussed, there are two formats to cite a dissertation in the Chicago style. One is footnote type, where the most favoured field is humanities, and the other one is author-date, where social sciences are commonly referenced. Now, it's up to you to select the right format according to your subject and the University guidelines.
Step 3: Craft Your Footnote or Note Bibliography
If you are going to cite your dissertation in this style, follow the following three steps provided by West Virginia University.
Note
Start with the author's first and last name, then add your dissertation title with a subtitle in parentheses, then the publisher, and the year. Such as
Jakky Jones, "Evaluating the impact of artificial intelligence on Students’ progress”, PhD dissertation., (University of Chicago, 2023).
Short Note
For shorter references, use only the last name of the author and the thesis title to cite a dissertation in Chicago style.
Jones, "Evaluating the impact of artificial intelligence on students’ progress."
Bibliography Entry
In the bibliography, you should list the last name of the author as the first priority and then the first name, followed by the thesis title and the year.
Jones, Jakky. "Evaluating the impact of artificial intelligence on students’ progress” PhD dissertation. University of Chicago, 2023.
Step 4: Author-Date System
To simplify the author-date system to effectively cite a dissertation in Chicago style, you should follow these essentials:
Text Citation
Simply use the author's last name and the year in parentheses for in-text citations.
(Jones 2023)
Reference Entry
List the author's last name and first name, then write down the year and the title of the thesis. For example,
Jones, Jakky. 2023. "Evaluating the impact of artificial intelligence on students’ progress” PhD diss. University of Chicago.
Dos and Don’ts of Citing a Dissertation in Chicago Style
The following are some essentials that you must consider when you go to cite a dissertation in Chicago style. We understand that students often make silly mistakes in referencing that become a cause of their failure.
To avoid this, we have summarised the essential do’s and don'ts of this crucial process. You just have to strictly follow all of these:
Do’s
- First of all, you should make sure what is your citation style. It can be either an author-date or footnotes.
- Secondly, you should collect all the necessary information about the sources used, like the name of the author, dissertation, year of the award, etc from where you collected.
- Follow the proper citation format and rules to perfectly cite a dissertation in Chicago style.
- Use all the punctuation marks properly throughout this referencing system; otherwise, it may lead to errors.
- You can also use reference management tools to ease this tough process.
- Add relevant page numbers too in case you are directly taking information from the dissertation as it is in the form of quotes.
Don't
- Don’t use different styles in a dissertation, rather you should be consistent throughout this dissertation referencing process.
- Don't forget to add all the necessary information as missing any specifics will make your readers difficult to locate your sources.
- Don't mix footnotes and in-text citations together, both of these are totally different from each other.
- You should not undervalue the importance of this referencing system to cite a dissertation in Chicago style. Remember that it is very crucial to give credibility to your work.
- Don't forget to add a bibliography or a reference list at the end of your dissertation.
- Avoid submitting right after adding the references, rather you should spend enough time to double-check everything.
Conclusion
Although it is very overwhelming to cite a dissertation in Chicago style with our comprehensive guide, you will be all set on your way to proper referencing. We understand student’s situation when they don’t even know how to start referencing and what they should do and avoid.
So, we have resolved all these worries in this helpful manual where you will get everything from knowing the basics of Chicago style to its step-by-step guide and then the essential do’s and don'ts of the procedure.
However, in addition to this, if you are also going through a time shortage and need to learn how to cover hundreds of references correctly, you can seek assistance from dissertation writing services. Students often consult such service providers due to their 24/7 availability and on-time delivery of their desired work.
