Crafting PhD dissertation in Chicago citation style is not a simple task. Students have to decode a series of benchmarks and metrics before they can send their papers for submission or publication. Among these metrics, an h-index is one of the most critical measures to check the influence and productivity of a scholar.
Apart from that, you should clearly know in what area of your work you have to apply this citation style. A Chicago-style citation PhD dissertation can be used to enlist a number of references and also utilised for in-text citations.
This article sheds light on ways to use Chicago-style citations for a PhD dissertation. Let’s first define what Chicago citation style really is.
What Is Chicago Style Citation?
The Chicago style of citation is a guide for publishing and using citations and indexes in your dissertation. As per The Chicago Manual of Style, students can use Chicago style in two ways when crafting their papers. Firstly, they can use it for notes and bibliography, and secondly, it can be used to mention the author-date.
If you are already aware of what you have to use in your Chicago citation PhD dissertation, well and good – if you don’t, it will be better to ask your supervisor for clarification. In case you get no clarification, hand over your papers to a custom PhD dissertation writing service. Professional and expert writers can assist you better with fulfilling the citation requirements of your work.
How Do You Cite a PhD Dissertation in Chicago Style?
To quantify your production and the impact of your research, an h-index is used. This metric was first developed by the physicist Jorge Hirsch and it is used to compute the number of papers along with the citation numbers that are larger or equal to ‘h’.
For example, as a researcher, if you cite twenty papers at least 04 times each, you will have an h-index of 20. To cite your PhD dissertation in the Chicago citation PhD dissertation, here are the elements that must be present in your work:
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Author of the Thesis
Here, you should mention the last name first and then enlist the names that are present in the source. If there are two authors, you should reverse the first name only and mention ‘and’ after the first name. The second name will be written in the normal order. If there are more than seven authors, you should enlist the early 07 ones. The names of the remaining authors shall be followed by an et al.
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Title of the Thesis
In this part, you will have to mention the title of your work in the Chicago PhD dissertation citation style. Ensure that you mention the title in the quotation marks.
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Degree
Here, you will mention the degree you are studying in the institute. There is no need to add too many details about the degree. Instead, you just mention the name and it will be enough for your Chicago citation PhD dissertation.
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University
This one is quite simple. All that you need to do is to mention the name of the university you are studying in. However, ensure that your university name is spelled correctly and that there are no mistakes.
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Year of Publication
In this part, you will mention the year of publication, and it should be the same as the one mentioned in the source. As per Citation Guides, here is what the general citation structure of your Chicago citation PhD dissertation looks like in this style:
‘Author(s) of the thesis. “Title of the thesis’’. Degree, University, Year of Publication.’
Notes and Bibliographies
Since the same kind of information appears in both bibliographies and notes, readers have to use the information in both places. Although the formatting of both places varies slightly. When reading a PhD dissertation citation Chicago style, the readers have to check the information source quickly without disrupting the flow. In this citation style, they can do so without feeling disturbed.
As for the bibliographies of Chicago citation PhD dissertation, they show the readers the extent of one’s research and also establish its relationship with the previous work. Not only that, but they also assist the readers in finding and using the sources you mention in their own research.
Furthermore, the bibliography section can include the sources that you might not have used directly in your written work. Even if you want fellow researchers to consult some sources, you can mention those in the bibliography section. If you are struggling with finding the resources, you can acquire help from online dissertation writers. They can assist you in finding the right sources and references for your work.
PhD Dissertation Chicago Citation Examples in Various Formats
Now, we are going to mention the free Chicago citation PhD dissertation examples for you to review. Depending on your degree type, all the requirements and the type of sources used, your way of formatting will vary slightly. Here are some of the examples that make this concept quite clear to you:
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Citing a Published Thesis
Bibliography and Notes
Note
Here, first, you will have to mention the first name, then the last name and then the work title in quotation marks. After that, you may mention the subtitles. It is followed by the name of the publisher and year.
Short Note
Here the author’s last name is followed by the title of the dissertation. Don’t forget to mention the title in quotation marks.
Bibliography
The bibliography entry is written when the last name is entered and then the researcher has to mention the first name. After that, you will mention the title of your dissertation along with the subtitle. Then, you will have to mention the year and it will be complete.
Author-Date
Reference Entry
The last name comes first, then you will have to mention the first name in the Chicago citation PhD dissertation. The year of publication comes after that. Then, you will have to mention the dissertation title along with the subtitle.
Text Citation
Here you mention the last name and then the year of publication. There will be no comma between these two.
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Citing an Unpublished Thesis
Bibliography and Notes
Note
Here, you mention the note number and then follow the first-name last-name sequence. After this, you enclose the dissertation title along with the subtitle in quotation marks. After that, mention the type of the unpublished thesis and then write the name of your university. The year of publication shall come at the end of the Chicago citation PhD dissertation.
Short Note
The note number comes first and the last name of the author comes immediately after that. The dissertation title in the quotation marks shall come at the end.
Bibliography
When crafting the bibliography, you mention the last name and add a comma. After that, you will mention the first name and then enclose the subtitle and main title of the work in quotation marks. Then comes the type of unpublished work. The university name and the year of publication come after that.
Author-Date
Reference Entry
Last name, and then the first name. Year of publication. Title and subtitle of work in quotation marks. The nature of unpublished work. The name of the university.
Text Citation
You will just have to write down the last writer’s name and the publication year here in this part of Chicago citation PhD dissertation.
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Citing in an Online Repository or Database
Bibliography and Notes
Note
Note number. First-name and last-name come after that. Then the title along with the subtitle of the dissertation. After that, the database name comes (italicised form) and the identifier name is also mentioned if that’s available. The year of publication and the internet address come after that.
Short Note
Note number. Last author’s name and the main title of a PhD dissertation.
Bibliography
Last author name, first name. PhD dissertation title and subtitle in quotation marks. The database along with the available identifier in italic form. The year of publication and the address are available on the Internet.
Author-Date
Reference Entry
Last name and then the first name with the year of publication. Then comes the dissertation title. After that database name is mentioned along with the identifier if that’s available. Ensure that it’s been written in the italicised form. The internet address shall come at the end.
Text Citation
Last name of author and the year of publication.
How Many Citations Should a PhD Thesis Have?
As per Academia Insider, on average, a PhD student should have an H-index between 1 to 5 and a postdoc student should have it between 2 and 17. A full professor is required to maintain it above 30 and an assistant professor should keep it between 4 and 35. The requirements for different indexes vary across different academic disciplines and positions. For further clarity on this, you should ask your supervisor and cater to whatever guidelines they give you for your Chicago citation PhD dissertation.
Conclusion
A Chicago citation PhD dissertation has to follow all the guidelines of the Chicago Manual of Style 17th edition. Regardless of whether you follow the notes and bibliography style or go for the author-date system, your reference list must be on point.
Like a majority of students, if you are still confusing this concept, it will be better for you to rely on the expertise of a deft person. Hence, you should buy a PhD dissertation online and instruct professional writers to craft your work in Chicago-style citations.
Lastly, you must check your paper fully at least once before submission. There must be no mistakes in the citations you craft in your PhD dissertation. Also, ensure that your h-index is also on point. You can use several platforms like Web of Science, Google Scholar and Scopus for calculating your h-index.
