Tips for putting your source references correctly in your thesis

Why do you use source citations?

When writing a thesis, sources - such as articles or books - are used extensively to support arguments, provide definitions of concepts, or present and compare theoretical models. It is crucial to correctly cite these sources for the following reasons:

• This allows you to provide authors of sources with recognition for their work.
• It also gives readers of your thesis the opportunity to look up the source,
• It helps to prevent plagiarism.

When should you include a source reference in your text?

You always include source references when you copy someone else’s words or ideas. It does not matter whether you copy the words literally (quote) or put them in your own words (paraphrase). You must also cite a source when you claim things, for example when you state that “men are better at leading than women” or that “Dutch people are eating increasingly unhealthily”. If you do not cite a source for these types of statements, you will have to substantiate them with arguments. You may use as many sources as you deem necessary to support your report or thesis.

If you fail to cite a source while still using it, it constitutes plagiarism. Plagiarizing in your thesis is regarded as fraudulent behavior. Additionally, mentioning a source without actually utilizing it is also considered fraudulent. Hence, it is crucial to be cautious when referencing sources. Plagiarism detection software checks for instances where external sources have been employed without proper citation. You must accurately reference sources in the text and include a correct bibliography.

Which sources can you use?

In principle, all sources can be used, including popular media sources such as de Volkskrant, De Telegraaf, a CNN broadcast, the NOS news, trade magazines, websites, etc. Especially at the beginning of writing your thesis, you often use these sources to indicate that a certain phenomenon is “in the news” or popular, or that it is a trend. Connecting this trend to the research you want to conduct with your client can be helpful. You can use these sources to support the problem statement. However, in the literature chapter, you should only use (reliable) scientific literature such as scientific articles and books.Where can you find scientific sources?

Colleges and universities often have a database available for scientific sources. Additionally, Google Scholar and Web of Science are also excellent places to begin your search. Google Scholar indexes a wide range of scientific literature, making it likely that you will find numerous useful resources. It is important to note that a source, such as a scientific article, is considered better when:

• It was recently written.
• It is frequently referenced.
• It was published in a reputable scientific journal with a high impact factor according to SCI (Science Citation Index) or SSCI (Social Science Citation Index).
• It is also beneficial to explore works by older, classic authors and read articles in your specific field. Sometimes, there is a dedicated journal focused on your subject, such as the Journal of Service Management.

Tip: Remember that most scientific literature is written in English, so make sure you use English search terms when conducting your research. Additionally, utilize exact search, search within a specific period or journal, search by author name, enclose your search terms in quotes, or use the operators AND and OR to refine your search.

What reference styles for citations are there?

Strict rules apply to referencing sources because there are various types of sources such as books, articles, websites, podcasts, and TV broadcasts. Consequently, different reference styles are employed for source citations. To provide an easy reference, we have compiled a comprehensive overview of the most commonly used styles below:

• The Harvard style is widely utilized in economics courses. Although there is no official style guide, there exist various variations.
• The Chicago Style is published by The Chicago Manual of Style.
• The APA style was developed by the American Psychological Association and was initially predominant in psychology and the social sciences. However, nowadays, almost all colleges and universities in the Netherlands adopt the APA reference style. The complete guidelines can be found on this website. Make sure to also consult our tips for crafting APA references.
• For legal courses, The Guidelines for Legal Authors must always be consulted. This guide was developed by the publisher Kluwer and takes into account the frequently used legal sources, such as laws and case law.

Bibliography

The bibliography should include all the complete source references that you have mentioned in your written text, and no more. Check our tips for creating your bibliography.