Another inane project related question- info on referencing dictionaries in academic work needed this time....

[ScummyMummy]

Do I put the name of the dictionary or the name of the editor(s) in the intext referencing, does anyone know? Not sure whether to treat it like any other book or if dictionaries have their own rules.
e.g. is it
A) Collins dictionary defines 'rabbit' as

1. a domesticated animal for pet or pot
2. a sex toy (Collins, 1986:1231)

or

B) Collins dictionary defines 'rabbit' as

1. a domesticated animal for pet or pot
2. a sex toy (nameofeditor(s), 1986:1231)

Eternal gratitude for any advice.

Any ideas?

i don;t know but i am trying to figure this outmyself RIGHT now. I think I might do (oxford, 2002, 1608)

I always put editors name it helps teh bibliography flow adn also lectures tend to look for authors names in bibliography and check the ones refered to in text are mentioned

not sure if this is relevant - but I'm using EndNote, which is a referencing software. when you create a reference it gives you about twenty types to choose from (book, edited book, journal article, report, etc etc). It doesn;t have anything specific for dictionaries or referene books. given that this software claims to be able to turn you references into any one of about 1000 referencing styles, this might indicate that a dictionary is simply an edited book.

have just checked our guidlines and if harvard it is The collins dictionary defines it as ...... (editor, year)

bibliograpy = editor (year) title place publisher

The primary rule is to be consistent so I would have thought the editor or editors, followed by date would be in keeping.

Thanks, you three. I guess I will go with treating it as any other edited book for the moment, then- your referencing software sounds like it would mention if convention demanded otherwise, hat. Intuitively I'm with you though, smurfgirl. Dictionaries seem different somehow...

My sister was saying that most newer edition dictionaries offer advice on how they should be referenced but mine is v old. I've just ordered a new one actually, so maybe that will be helpful. Will let you know if so, sg.

Hat- how is your thesis going? Any luck on restructuring it?

Are you too also in the throes of dissertation horror, gm and sg?

Oh thanks gm and lh- hadn't seen those posts when I clicked.

hatwoman: Judging by your other thread aren't you supposed to be madly cutting and pasting
(but mostly cutting) right now?
How's it going?

at the start of dissertation horror

What's your deadline gothicmama?

next March but have to juggle full time work placement and 6 essays related to that as well - omg I thinkI will now go and panic

I hope you can multi-task.

(But just imagine how you'll feel when it's all done).

Good luck.

thanks yes it 'll feel so good when it's all be done LH are you doing a dissertation or studying

A lecturer (I just have to mark the buggers).

that's probably worse I know how demanding us studenst can be

I pity you lionheart! Do you fail many, do you mind me asking? What is your subject, btw?

I think you are doing sw, like me, aren't you gothic?

Literature; very, very few fail.

but some do try very hard.

(in a worried sort of way!)

sw = social work, is that right?

i'm down to 17,000, which is a vast improvement. and I'm in the process of merging two sections into one, which were a bit repetitive. taht might loose me another 500. it's tough though. got a friend who knows a fair bit to have a look for me - she might suggest something else.

So glad things are improving, hat.

Yes- social work, lh. Love the doing of it but find academic side a bit tedious and this dissertation is easily the biggest slog of the 2 year course. I am enjoying bits of my research analysis in very small spurts to my surprise but am still failing to see the relevance of this dissertation for my sw career, tbh. I wish there was a way not to do it!

yes sm sw but 3 year course I think diseration is just to prove we can research

Hope so, gm. My research and methodology are shaping up ok, I think, but theory wise I'm really struggling. Lots of work needed.