References for my dissertation
- Thread starter frogwoman
- Start date
_angel_
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My bf's aren't included in the word count, which would be completely opposite to Herbert's policy, even though they are in the same university.
I think it seems a bit odd to include references in the word count, tbh, do they want people to minimise the books they read??
frogwoman
Let them eat newts
littlebabyjesus
one of Maxwell's demons
There is such a thing as over-referencing. Yes, it's important to read what others have to say, but it's even more important to have your own ideas.
LilMissHissyFit
Disturbed in a pink bra
_angel_
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I don't think you can 'over read' though. Over using other people's ideas in work isn't the same as simply reading them, though. And I thought you were supposed to list everything you had read.
Agent Sparrow
AGENT TRAITOR; fools 8 year olds
Well, I know I used to "over-read" but mainly because whilst I was reading I wasn't starting to write.
Now I have urban to delay me from starting to write.
And I miss being able to go 10% over the word limit. My uni doesn't allow it at all.
I was once given 68% (instead of 70+), on the grounds that citing 92 papers in a 500 word rationale for a leaflet design was taking the piss a bit.
Agent Sparrow
AGENT TRAITOR; fools 8 year olds
That is quite a lot. If you were referencing (name, year) rather than footnotes, that would have meant just under 2/5 of your word limit would be taken up with references, and that's if all the papers were by single authors.
littlebabyjesus
one of Maxwell's demons
Yes, but a bibliography isn't going to take up many words. My point was mainly the one in your second sentence. Having said that, I think it is possible to over-read. At some point you need to synthesise your own ideas and have the confidence to sit down and write them. It is impossible to read everything, and the ability to choose what you need to read and what you don't is part of the test.
Reckoning doesn't cut it. On this, and on Harvard -v- other referencing schemes, surely by now froggy's read the student handbook? Or wherever else it it written?
My assignments' word counts never included references, which was just as well: I wrote them using Lyx (a LATEX front-end) and used BibTex to do the referencing - since they didn't actualyl appear in the text of the document per se they didn't show up in the word count - but I suppose they would have if someone had sat down with a pen and counted everything 
That was using Harvard referencing, too, which was a pain to start with, but which I got to quite like once I was more familiar with it...
That was using Harvard referencing, too, which was a pain to start with, but which I got to quite like once I was more familiar with it...
If it hasn't been recommended already, please can everyone reading this take a look at zotero for referencing
It is free, open-source, and works as a plugin for firefox, word and openoffice. It harvests references from google scholar, amazon, all the decent academic search engines etc, syncs them online so you can get them from any computer, and best of all automatically inserts them into your work by just clicking buttons (and formats them in whatever style you like).
It is like Endnote or refworks, but much better. Cannot recommend this enough- it has made my academic work much much easier.
www.zotero.org
It is free, open-source, and works as a plugin for firefox, word and openoffice. It harvests references from google scholar, amazon, all the decent academic search engines etc, syncs them online so you can get them from any computer, and best of all automatically inserts them into your work by just clicking buttons (and formats them in whatever style you like).
It is like Endnote or refworks, but much better. Cannot recommend this enough- it has made my academic work much much easier.
www.zotero.org
frogwoman
Let them eat newts
I used zotero and it was really useful 
cheers mate. one thing though, when i emailed it from home to uni it didn't seem to like that very much will i be ok if i submit it? I dont want any weird stuff happening
also, is about 120 or so different references (a lot of them are the same, but i mean in about 120 different palces in the text) an acceptable number for a dissertation, or should i have more?
cheers mate. one thing though, when i emailed it from home to uni it didn't seem to like that very much will i be ok if i submit it? I dont want any weird stuff happening also, is about 120 or so different references (a lot of them are the same, but i mean in about 120 different palces in the text) an acceptable number for a dissertation, or should i have more?
Why are you worried? What do you think is wrong with it? I wouldn't worry about accidental plagiarism, everyone thinks they've done that but I've never heard of anyone actually losing marks over it (there's a difference between using a similar turn of phrase to a book or article and forgetting to reference it, which even the marker will probably not pick up on, and passing off someone's ideas or whole quotes as your own); anyway, given your posting history you seem pretty conscientious, you don't strike me as the type of person who would be careless enough to accidentally plagiarise. As for the number of references, it really depends on your writing style. 120 in 10,000 words is definitely reasonable, I would usually have more but that's due to the way I write and because I tend to over-reference as well. Fewer than 100 and I would be a little more concerned but even then plenty of people can write very well without too many references.
I know it won't help to say don't worry about it and wait until the marks come in, because I worried about mine the entire time, but I'll say it anyway. Don't worry, concentrate on your exams and when you've finished them concentrate on having fun! Good luck, and let us know how you did when you hear back!
I know it won't help to say don't worry about it and wait until the marks come in, because I worried about mine the entire time, but I'll say it anyway. Don't worry, concentrate on your exams and when you've finished them concentrate on having fun! Good luck, and let us know how you did when you hear back!
johnnymarrsbars
www.friendrock.co.uk
its a bit weird that references count towards the word count in your dissertation 
frogwoman
Let them eat newts
Just checked it again - it was more than 120 - i did a find and replace in word with the brackets and it came to 168 references!
i did have a few minor typos tho ... but if i look over it now im gonna drive myself crazy, so not gonna even think about it ...
This was the case with my dissertation and really fucked me off. It's like being punished for reading more extensively .... grrrrr....
PS. Don't worry, am sure your dissertation is excellent, you just need to let go of that fear now you've handed it in as it is outside your control. Good luck
PS. Don't worry, am sure your dissertation is excellent, you just need to let go of that fear now you've handed it in as it is outside your control. Good luck
frogwoman
Let them eat newts
I'm kind of worried that i spent so much time refernecing that I didn't really have much in the way of an "original argument".
I can think of loads of things that I should have put in but haven't ... and I also didn't really do a proper conclusion, there's stuff i wanted to discuss in the conclusion but didn't, etc. Actualyl when i say i didnt do a conclusion, I did two separate ones, one for each country and didn't really tie them together. fuck im gonna drive myself crazy with this, i better stop
I'm kind of worried that i spent so much time refernecing that I didn't really have much in the way of an "original argument".
Actualyl when i say i didnt do a conclusion, I did two separate ones, one for each country and didn't really tie them together. fuck im gonna drive myself crazy with this, i better stop
Yes, stop. Don't even think about looking at your dissertation again until you've received the marks and maybe even give it a few weeks after that. When you've got some distance you can reread it and realise how good it actually is.
And as for not discussing everything, I'm planning on going to a DPhil and I know that even in 100,000 words there's loads of stuff that I'll feel is important and would like to include and will have to leave out. Part of writing a good dissertation is being able to make an argument and select information/cases/resources out of everything that could possibly be in it. You'll be fine!
It's a strange thought, isn't it? Do what I did and do another degree, then another, and another... I have my only exam this year on Thursday and I'm starting to stress a bit about it, then no more exams until my finals next June! Anyway, good luck with your exams, and also to anyone else with dissertations or exams coming up!
frogwoman
Let them eat newts
whats you exam on?
It's for the MPhil in International Relations at Oxford, first half is on the evolution of the international system from 1900 - 1950 and the second section is international relations theory. It's only three questions in three hours so it should be alright, but I'd best get back to revising!
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