How to Reference an E-book Using Oxford Style

When you are required to use the Oxford referencing style, the citation of an electronic book should include sufficient information to enable the reader to access or retrieve it. In that sense, references should have at least the following elements:

Surname, First name, Title [online text], (place of publication: publisher, year), in Library database, accessed DD Month YYYY

Here, you have an example of how an e-book should be cited in the bibliography or reference list:

Kelsall, Robert, Hamley, Ian and Geoghegan, Mark, Nanoscale Science and Technology [online text], (Chichester: John Wiley & Sons Ltd., 2005), in Google books, accessed 16 February 2013

If you use a footnote, the reference will look very similar, except for the order of the first two elements and the use of lower case letters instead of all capitals. In the example above, the footnote will look like:

Robert Kelsall, Ian Hamley and Mark Geoghegan, Nanoscale Science and Technology [online text], (Chichester: John Wiley & Sons Ltd., 2005), in Google books, accessed 16 February 2013

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Word Choice: Continuously and Continually

It can be easy to mix up continuously and continually when writing. Still, you should be careful to make the right word choice appropriate for your sentence. Careful word selection can greatly enhance your writing. It can also help your reader understand exactly what you are trying to express. In this blog I will explain when continuously and continually are appropriate.

Continuously means ‘unceasingly’ or ‘uninterrupted’. For example, I might say that “my ears were ringing continuously throughout the concert because the music was so loud”.

Continually, in contrast, means ‘regularly’ or ‘frequent intervals’. For example, if I make a habit of going to loud concerts, I might say that I “continually attend loud concerts”.

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Word Choice: Dependant vs. Dependent

Dependant and dependent sound similar when spoken, and they look almost identical. But these are distinct words referring to different things. Furthermore, whether you are following American or British convention impacts which word choice is appropriate for your writing. In this blog I will briefly explain the difference between dependant and dependent, and explain the difference in usage between American and British English.

Dependant is a noun and refers to someone who depends on someone else. For example, “taxpayers can pay less tax for each dependant they have”.

In contrast, dependent is an adjective meaning supported, determined, influenced, or controlled by someone or something. For example, “you should not take too many sleeping pills; you don’t want to become dependent on them”.

In American English, both the noun and the adjective forms – explained above – are spelled dependent. However, in British English, the noun is spelled dependant, and the adjective is spelled dependent.

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Word Choice: Elicit or Illicit

When words sound or look almost the same, it can be very easy to make the wrong word choice and use them inappropriately in your writing. Therefore, it is important to make sure that words are used appropriately. Otherwise, your reader may fail to grasp what you are trying to communicate to them. In this blog I will briefly explain the difference between the words elicit and illicit. I will also introduce an invaluable resource that can help all writers continue to improve their skills.

Elicit is a verb meaning ‘to call forth’ or ‘bring out’. For example, if a journalist is interviewing someone, and in doing so, asking them for information, we might say they are eliciting information. Alternatively, if someone’s actions called for someone else to act, we might say their actions elicited a response.

In contrast, illicit is an adjective which means ‘unlawful’ or ‘not permitted’. For example, we might identify drugs which have been outlawed in a given region as illicit substances. Using both of the terms being discussed in this blog, we could write, ‘in order to bust the drug ring, the undercover police officer elicited illicit substances’.

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Word Choice: Disinterested or Uninterested?

When two words look or sound similar, or when their meaning is similar, it is easy to use them incorrectly when writing. However, it is very important to use words appropriately. Word choice can significantly impact whether your reader grasps the message you are trying to convey.

One example of words that are easy to use incorrectly is disinterested and uninterested. In this blog I will briefly explain these words.

Disinterested is an adjective. It refers to being ‘impartial’ or ‘without bias’. It would be appropriate to use this word in the following way: “Disinterested, objective analysis is central to analytic philosophy”.

In contrast, uninterested means ‘indifferent’ or ‘unconcerned’. It would be appropriate to use this word in the following way: “When asked if she preferred the Thai Green Curry or the plain white bread, Sonia was surprisingly indifferent”. When pressed, Sonia might retort, “It is not that I am uninterested. I do care about both types of food. I am just trying to remain disinterested so that I do not influence your experience of them”.

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Harvard Referencing Several Works by One Author in the Same Year

Once you have finished writing your work it can be a chore to ensure that all your referencing is done properly. Different types of source require different elements and these elements are arranged in a particular way for each type of reference. Below, I will demonstrate how to reference several works by one author that were published in the same year according to the Harvard referencing style.

To reference a single book in Harvard style, you simply state the author’s surname and the year it was published. A basic reference should look like this: (Smith, 2010). If you have already stated the author’s surname in the sentence preceding the reference, then just state the year. For example, Smith has made significant contributions to the field of nanoethics (2010).

To reference multiple works by one author that were published in a single year, simply state the author’s surname and the publication year but differentiate each work with a lower case letter directly following – with no space – the year of publication. For example, (Smith, 2010a).

If you need to reference multiple works by one author in a single citation, just separate each year of publication with a semicolon. Such a reference should look like this: (Smith, 2009; 2010a; 2010b).

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Follow These Guidelines to Improve Your Writing Skills

Students often learn from experience and the mistakes they make. This is one way in which writing skills can be improved. Providing information is not enough; you have to be interesting and engaging at the same time. In this article we discuss some tips to improve your writing skills.

Make Writing a Habit

It is not possible to develop writing skills overnight. Students hoping to improve their skills need to make writing a habit and include it as part of their routine. If you write regularly, for a set period of time, it is likely you will improve your writing skills dramatically. It will also help to improve your productivity.

Use the Best Writing Tools

Use the best writing tools to make your writing more effective. Technology can help you maintain a consistent format throughout the document. Use tools you are comfortable with to create a great piece with a uniform format to engage your readers and achieve higher marks.

Write As You Would Speak

To make your writing more clear, practice writing how you speak. To avoid misunderstanding in your academic documents the language you use should be very clear.

Get Feedback

Once you have finished writing ask your peers or friends to proofread your documents. Collate all the feedback and suggestions as it will help you in making your writing more readable.

Read a Lot

Make reading a habit as it helps you gain knowledge. By reading material from multiple sources you will acquire knowledge on any topic. Thus, researching the topic you have chosen to write on will allow you to include suitable information.

Consider your Target Audience

No matter what your subject, be it non-academic or academic writing, your target audience should always be considered. Use language in your writing that will impress your readers. Focus on writing style and choose your words accordingly, construct impeccable sentences and include relevant information to make your writing standout among numerous other articles.

Practice Writing

You should practice writing prior to starting the actual document. Practicing will help you in improving your writing skills by correcting common mistakes you make. Thus, you will begin to write documents with fewer errors.

You can definitely develop incredible writing skills that will help you to submit a well written variety of documents. Focus on the points mentioned here and cultivate this essential skill. Hiring professional academic proofreading services can also help you to identify and understand your weak points.

Reasons to Avoid Grammar Checking Software

Once you’ve finished writing academic documents such as assignments, thesis and dissertations it is necessary to check for errors before submitting it to your university, if you want to achieve the highest grades. There are various tools available for checking grammar and although they are decent tools for some grammar errors, they are not to be relied on as it is probable that they will miss some mistakes which can only be detected by humans.

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Reasons to Avoid Grammar Checkers

• Grammar is the art of constructing meaningful sentences. There are many aspects to be considered in forming grammatically correct sentences. Sentence structure, vocabulary, syntax etc. all have to be considered. Grammar checkers are merely computer programs which compare sentences with grammatical combinations programmed into it.
• It is not possible to program every correct combination of words into grammar checkers, thus they cannot assess written English as they are incapable of reading the English language.
• A computer program can only highlight certain errors. It may even detect some which are not actually errors. To avoid this you must be wary when using a grammar checker for checking your documents.
• Grammar software will help you to find spelling mistakes, typos etc. but when it comes to checking the flow of sentences it cannot give you reliable results. Thus, human editors are better than machine software, as only a human editor will have the ability to locate genuine errors and make your document completely accurate.
•  They cannot differentiate between confusing words. It might not find an error if the same kind of word is being used in place of the correct word. For instance, it might not differentiate between its and it’s. Though both words have different meanings, grammar checking software cannot recognise this difference and it will not consider it to be an error.

These are the reasons to avoid grammar checking software and to check your document prior to your submission to your university. Use proofreading services offered by professionals to make your academic documents flawless.

How to Write an Effective Dissertation

Once you have decided the topic of your dissertation, the next step involves research about the topic. Writing the dissertation might be difficult but the topic you select can make all the difference. Choosing a dissertation topic, therefore, is an art in itself.

Thesis writing for PhDs is a challenging task and appropriate guidelines can help writers to create great writing. In this article, we have focused on the aspects that can help you create an effective dissertation.

Tips for Dissertation Writing

Topic Selection

The dissertation topic you select should be engaging enough to keep you interested for the entire length of the course. Rare or unusual topics are good as your research will be unique, and may contribute useful knowledge to your field.

List the Key Points

Once you decide on your dissertation topic, list the key points that need to be addressed. Listing the key points can help you to organise your research effectively. It is advisable to note every crucial detail you gather along with the key points of your academic writing. You can also read dissertations written by other students if you feel this helps you. However, the best method of learning to write well is to read the best academic writers and try to imitate their style. In time, you will develop your own unique writing style.

Structure your Dissertation Writing

It is advisable to select topics that will allow you to brainstorm the areas that your dissertation topic needs to cover. Structuring the dissertation is the third step after topic selection and listing the key points. This step will allow you to make your writing clear and effective. A good structure for dissertation writing requires intense research about the topic you select in order to make sure that you address the most pressing concerns to do with your dissertation first.

Refer to Dissertation Examples

Referring to dissertation examples can also help you perfect your writing and get some great ideas. You should always select a proper format for writing dissertations so that you can also avoid some common mistakes. Learning from mistakes is a good habit.

Get Suggestions from Professors

Once you have written your first draft of your dissertation, get it checked by your professors and take on board their suggestions. Modify or edit your academic writing to show the changes suggested by the professors. This will help you to achieve the best grades possible when you finally submit your PhD thesis.

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Word Choice: Envelop vs. Envelope

When two words look or sound similar, it can be very easy to misuse them. This is true of spoken and written communication, but it is especially important in written communication. The audience of written communication must rely on one’s words and punctuation alone to grasp a message. As a result, word choice is very important in writing.

Envelop and evelope look and sound quite similar. In this blog I will briefly explain when to use each of these words. I will also give a great tip for improving your ability to communicate through writing.

Envelop is a verb meaning ‘to cover’ or ‘to enclose’. For example, it would be appropriate to use envelop in the following way: “As the buildings in the square began to burn, smoke started to envelop the crowd”.

Envelope is a noun which refers to a container that is used to send things in the post or mail. For example, we might say, “Did you post the money? Yes, I put it in an envelope and took it to the post office this afternoon”. While we might not normally speak this way, we could technically say, “The envelope enveloped the letter”.

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