The dissertation modules of your course will be the longest part of your studies at WMU, which can seem overwhelming. During the beginning of the semester, the library starts to hold classes specifically designed to help meet your dissertation needs, keep an eye on the events calendar so you don't miss your spot.
Here we also have advice on managing your studies and things to be aware of when writing your dissertation.
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| OAbutton provides free access to papers legally by scouring the web and emailing authors. Use it on the website, via plugins for Chrome and Firefox, or embed it into your library system. | When you install the extension, EBSCOhost Passport ™, will ask you to search for your institution/library, pick it and then you’ll be on your way across the web, finding quick access to articles on the sites you visit most. Look for the “E” icon, in-context on the page, or on the right-hand side to indicate access is available through your institution or freely available as Open Access. |
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Google Forms will fill most basic survey and questionnaire needs. It is free to use and easy to learn with many guides to help you learn.
Keep an eye on the library events page for classes on formatting questionnaires.
Advanced surveys
If you find you need more adavanced features there are a number of different products available. One popular service is QuestionPro with both a free and a paid service, features may vary. You can sign up for a free account or inquire at library@wmu.se to learn more.
| In the Library OneSearch you can find books and ebooks which will help you in creating a survey. |  |
If you would like help and guidance with using Google Forms you are welcome to contact the library for assistance. |
The WMU Library does not provide any transcription software to its users. However there are many online tools out there, here are some that our students have used in the past:
Otter (offers a free trial)
GoogleDocs also offers voice typing and the ability to record audio in text format. In a GoogleDoc, click on tools and then voice typing to try it out.
It is your responsibility to make sure that any work you scan or copy is done so legally. Publications, videos, and audio-visual material are all protected by the Universal Copyright Convention. Infringement of this can lead to prosecution by the copyright holder - usually the publisher.
Listed below are some guidelines as to what can be copied during your studies:
These guidelines are not extensive nor exclusive. If in doubt, please consult the librarians.
You may copy part of a work, corresponding to a "reasonable portion". A reasonable portion can for example be one article of a journal issue or one chapter of a book. The material still has to be properly cited and credited if used in your own research.
Copyrighted work may be copied for inclusion in essays, conference papers etc. This can only be done with the purpose of commenting critically on the material. Any such use has to cite the work and author (unless the author is anonymous or has agreed or directed that they not be named).
Coursework submitted at WMU is automatically checked for similarity and plagiarism with a third-party software. The Library does not have access to any similarity-checking software for use before submission. If you would like to run your essays through a checker, there are many available online however the library does not recommend any particular software and cannot guarantee the accuracy of any.
Academic integrity concerns the maintenance of academic standards such as honesty, factuality and rigor in research and academic publishing. Academic integrity also concerns itself with the avoidance of plagiarism. Within the academic world, it is not only considered extremely bad form to not quote your sources, it can also lead to serious charges or expulsion.
To avoid plagiarism always cite your sources and be sure to give credit where credit is due.
Plagiarism means copying someone else's work, intentionally or unintentionally. It is your responsibility to make sure that all your sources are given proper credit. This includes not only word-for-word citations but also data and ideas. If you are unsure if you should give something a citation, it is always preferable to err on the of caution, you would rather have a citation too many than one too few. To learn more about when and how to cite, read our academic writing guide.
Using someone else's work and passing it off as yours, apart from going against academic integrity, can also violate copyright laws.
Having someone else write the work submitted in your name is also a violation of your agreement with the university. All works should be original and fully cited.
The university uses a third-party similarity and plagiarism checker against all works submitted for credit.
The general recommendation to students is to always acknowledge where you are getting your ideas from. In assignments and other work you must make sure to cite all sources and acknowledge where you are getting ideas and material from.
APA is used at WMU. Make sure to cite according to these guidelines.
A general rule is that it is always better to cite than not to cite. But if you are unsure you are welcome to write to library@wmu.se or come ask at the library circulation desk.
Using AI and other online tools such as ChatGPT may result in accusations of plagiarism and/or academic dishonesty. You should be aware of your instructors' policy on using such tools for any specific assignment. It is also important to understand that these tools cannot fully replace or imitate true original scholarly work and that they come with many limitations.
Be aware that:
Personal Communication citation: (Communicator, personal communication, Month Date, Year)
Example: (OpenAI, personal communication, April 19, 2024).
To understand and evaluate AI tools we recommend the following resource:
Hervieux, S. & Wheatley, A. (2020). The ROBOT test [Evaluation tool]. The LibrAIry. https://thelibrairy.wordpress.com/2020/03/11/the-robot-test
| The Library has several print copies of the APA 7 publication manual. Students and staff are welcome to borrow a copy. You may also find a more detailed APA guide here. |  |
To cite something you must first correctly identify the item type of the material.
| The item type book includes all monographs, i.e., longer works entirely written by one or more authors. These books are cited the same whether they are read in print or online. If reading online you may add a doi or URL. |  |
| Academic articles are articles found in peer-review journals. They differ from newspaper articles. |  |
| Webpages include any page on the internet not clearly of another item type, usually they will not have an identifiable author. These should not be confused with content found on a webpage such as articles, ebooks or blog posts. |  |
| Edited books differ from monographs in that they consist of chapters by different authors with one or more common editor. These works will usually be cited on a chapter basis. |  |
Below are some brief examples of the most commonly asked citation questions, for more in-depth information on how to use APA as a style guide we recommend you use the APA official website or check out one of the library's printed copies of the Publication manual of the American Psychological Association.
Keep an eye out for referencing classes on the library events page
Key points:
APA does NOT require you to include the date of access/retrieval date or database information for electronic sources.
You can use the URL of the journal homepage if there is no DOI assigned and the reference was retrieved online.
A DOI (digital object identifier) is an assigned number that helps link content to its location on the Internet. It is therefore important, if one is provided, to use it when creating a citation. A DOI replaces a URL link in referencing if both are available. All DOI numbers begin with a 10 and are separated by a slash.
APA format structure: Author, A. (Year of Publication). Title of work. Publisher. APA format example: Roberts, Callum (2013). The ocean of life : the fate of man and the sea. Penguin Books. In text: (Callum, 2013, p.3) Be careful to: Capitalize the first letter of the first word of the title as well as the first letter of any proper nouns. The full title of the book, including any subtitles, should be stated and italicized.
Ebook is short for “electronic book.” It is a digital version of a book that can be read on a computer, ereader (Kindle, Nook, etc.), or other electronic devices. They are structured in the same way as books but with a URL or DOI at the end of the reference. APA format structure: Author, A. (Year of Publication). Title of work. Publisher. http://xxxx APA format example: Rugg, G., & Petre, M. (2007). A Gentle Guide to Research Methods. McGraw-Hill Education. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
APA format structure: Author, A. (Publication Year). Article title. Journal Title, Volume(Issue), pp.-pp. APA format example: Nevin, A. (1990). The changing of teacher education special education. Teacher Education and Special Education: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children, 13(3-4), 147-148.
APA format structure: Author, A. (Publication Year). Article title. Periodical Title, Volume(Issue), pp.-pp. https://DOI:XX.XXXXX APA format example: Yan Sun, Chen Zhang, Kunxiang Dong, & Maoxiang Lang. (2018). Multiagent Modelling and Simulation of a Physical Internet Enabled Rail-Road Intermodal Transport System. Urban Rail Transit, Vol. 4(3), 141-154. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40864-018-0086-4
Webpages can be tricky; first, determine if the page you are citing is another type of content. Often the webpage will be an online article or another format of information such as a blog and should be cited as such. If the website has a named author: APA format structure: Author, A. (Year, Month Date of Publication). Text title. Retrieved from URL APA format example: Trochim, M. (2006). What is the Research Methods Knowledge Base? http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/ If the web page does NOT have a named author: APA format structure: Article title. (Year, Month Date of Publication). Retrieved from URL APA format example: WMU Library. (2018, January 23). An introduction to library databases. http://library.wmu.se/basics/searching
This type of citation is applicable if you are citing lecture notes, for example from a slide show. However, when you are citing a lecture, consider whether you can trace the sources used in the lecture and read and cite these instead. APA format structure: Author, A. (Publication Year). Name or title of lecture [file format]. Retrieved from URL
If no author is specified, list the organisation behind the report in place of the author name. APA format structure: Author, F. (Publication Year). Title of report(Report No. XXX). Publisher. Organisation. (Publication Year). Title of report(Report No. XXX). Publisher.
APA format structure: Use fields as appropriate From/Adapted from Title [Type of media/Description], by Author, X. X./Organization, date, source. (URL). Licence Creator, X.X./Organization./User name. (Date). Title [Type of media/Description]. Source. URL
For more details on how to cite legal material please see the APA Guide and the Bluebook. Please be aware that both of these handbooks are US-centric and as such might need to be adapted in order to work for non-US legislation. The Bluebook includes some non-U.S. jurisdictions, but the list is somewhat limited.
In text citation of legal material should almost always be formed by the title of the law/code/act and the year of its enactment, if the title is long you may shorten it. (APA 7 2020, p.357). The title should be in italics (APA 7 p.358).
(Law n ° 2009-48, 2009)
Reference list entries of legal matter usually include:
Example
Law n ° 2009-48 of July 8, 2009 promulgating the Code of maritime ports. Official Gazette of the Republic of Tunisia 14 July 2009 (The President of the Republic, July 8 2009). http://www.legislation.tn/sites/default/files/fraction-journal-officiel/2009/2009G/056/Tg2009481.pdf
There are many citation management tools. Which one you choose depends on your needs. As the Library subscribes to RefWorks we can support it to a greater extent than other freely available tools online. RefWorks also integrates into both the Library system OneSearch and Google Scholar, making it easy for you to get references from these systems into the tool. If you would like to explore alternative options here are some common ones used:
MyBib: Install as an add-on to your browser, and it will create APA 7 references out of what is currently open in a particular tab. Works relatively well for webpages, but not very great for embedded content such as ebooks and articles found via the Library.
Mendeley: Add references manually to the downloaded Mendeley software or browser account. You can also upload files of references.
Mendeley and RefWorks both have add-ons for Word. Functionality will vary depending on your version of Word. RefWorks also has an add-on for Google Docs, which works well.
The university gives access to RefWorks to all its employees and students. RefWorks is a reference management service that will help you manage your citations for projects and essays.
You must critically analyse each source to find out its value. This is an important part of thinking academically, we provide some steps below to think about whilst doing your research.