Advanced Higher History dissertation - References and the bibliography

2. As part of your dissertation, you must show where you found all
relevant pieces of information and historiography.
Referencing In your main text, you should include a
description of where you found each
relevant piece of information
Bibliography At the end of your dissertation you should
include a list of all the different sources that
you used
** The correct and consistent use of a recognised referencing
system is essential if you are to achieve high marks.

3. There are numerous options for referencing and bibliographies
but the two most commonly used are:
Oxford This involves using footnotes (small elevated
numbers next to each reference with details at
the foot of the page) and then a list of sources at
the end of the report
Harvard This uses in-text citations (naming the author and
published date in the main text body) before
giving a full list of all sources at the end

4. Oxford referencing
1. Next to the relevant fact, quotation, etc, place a small,
superscript (elevated) number
Go to ‘Add footnote’ in the References section of Microsoft Word.
2. At the bottom of the page, write out the full details of the
source e.g. author, title, publisher, year and page number
3. At the end of the entire dissertation, include an alphabetical
list of all sources used (no page numbers needed)

6. Harvard referencing
1. Next to the relevant fact, quotation, etc, in (brackets) write
the author’s surname, published date and, if relevant, the
page number
(Prescott, 1910, p23)
2. At the end of the entire dissertation, include an alphabetical
list of all sources used (no page numbers needed)

8. The Bibliography
• The Bibliography should be the final section of your report
• The Bibliography does not count towards your word limit
• The Bibliography must be in alphabetical order (either based
on all source types or split into sections e.g. books, websites)
• Make sure you use consistent referencing throughout
• The SQA recommend including a commentary on each
source

9. One possible example…
Source Comment
Geoff Layton, Weimar and
the Rise of Nazi Germany
1918-33, Hodder Murray,
2005
A good introductory text to the overall topic. It
included all main points although additional
sources were needed when researching specific
details about the main events
Finlay McKichan, Germany
1815-1939, Oliver & Boyd,
1992
Similar to the Layton text, this is a good source
for gaining a background knowledge of the topic
but more in-depth sources were required to
research my specific issues
Spartacus Educational
website, Nazi Germany
section, http://spartacus-
educational.com/GERnazig
ermany.htm
An excellent resource for primary sources. This
gave access to different primary views, split into
easily accessible sections, alongside a summary
of each event