Thesis Proof Edit Rewrite Services

Resources For Academic/Thesis Writers

This page provides various resources to help you write your thesis and other academic documents.* For books and other publications, Thesis Services provides only titles (obtain them from wherever you prefer).

Thesis Referencing And Reference Systems

Vancouver Referencing System

For example, one client followed the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors' (ICMJE's) Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals. The Vancouver reference style (author-date system) is also used by PubMed and MEDLINE.

Harvard Referencing System

There are too many Harvard guides available online to list, but prioritise your university's guidelines/notes in particular (they possibly request slight variations of standard Harvard guidelines) and those from reputable organisations.

Style Guides: Specific

Modern Language Association (MLA) Style Guides

Modern Language Association (MLA) guides are often used for theses and other academic papers in certain contexts (e.g. North America, China, Brazil, Japan, India) and specific subjects (e.g. liberal arts, humanities, modern languages, literature):

MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (Third Edition, 2008)
Previous editions came as the MLA Style Manual. Its target audience is high-level writers such as professors, thesis writers and 'academic scholars'. It's an indispensable guide if you're writing your thesis in MLA style.

MLA Handbook (Eighth Edition, 2016)
Between 1977 and 2009, this was known as the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. Although it primarily targets writers at levels different from theses writers (e.g. undergraduates, secondary-school students), it's still a useful aid for thesis writers.

OSCOLA Style Guide

OSCOLA: The Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities (Fourth Edition, 2009) is a useful style guide for legal and related theses. Online support materials are also available.

APA Style

The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (Sixth Edition, 2009) is the standard APA style guide. Also check out APA Style Central by the American Psychological Association.

Specific Subject Guides: An Example in Anthropology

Many universities use the Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute for style guidelines, but clarify this is okay with your supervisor and if it takes precedence over others (e.g. your university's style guide and/or guidelines).

Your University's Style Guide

Most universities have their own style guides or at least some general style guidelines, and these are sometimes used with external ones (e.g. MLA). If clashes between two occur, clarify with supervisors which takes precedence.

Style Guides: General

Chicago Manual of Style (16th Edition, 2010)
Subtitled The Essential Guide for Writers, Editors and Publishers, the sixteenth edition of the Chicago Manual of Style caters for American English and much International English. It's also a generally useful resource for all thesis writers and editors. An online version of the Chicago Manual of Style is available.

Visiting David Crystal's website is useful for resources on language and on grammar. For the latter, consider his Discover Grammar and Rediscover Grammar books.

To suggest a new category or a specific resource for thesis writing/other academic writers, please contact Thesis Services.

*Thesis Services is not responsible for external content.