Videos are increasingly used as academic sources, from recorded lectures to documentaries, but students often struggle to cite them. This UK guide shows you how to reference a YouTube video in Harvard, APA 7 and MLA, explains who counts as the author, and highlights the common mistakes to avoid. The Short Answer To reference a […]

Books are still the backbone of most reading lists, so knowing how to reference them correctly is essential. The exact format depends on your referencing style. This UK guide shows you how to reference a book in Harvard, APA 7 and MLA, how to handle e-books and edited chapters, and the mistakes that lose easy

MHRA referencing is the standard in many UK humanities subjects, especially English, modern languages, history and cultural studies. It uses footnotes and a bibliography rather than in-text citations. This guide explains how MHRA works, how to format footnotes and the bibliography, and the errors that most often cost marks. The Short Answer MHRA referencing cites

Chicago referencing is widely used in history, the arts and some social sciences, and it is unusual in offering two different systems. This UK guide explains both, shows you how footnotes and author–date citations work, gives clear examples for common sources, and points out the mistakes that most often cost marks. The Short Answer Chicago

Almost every UK university runs student work through Turnitin, yet many students are unsure what it actually does or what its similarity score means. This guide explains what Turnitin is, how it works, what percentage is considered acceptable, whether it detects AI writing, and how to keep your similarity score low the right way. The

Websites are among the most common sources students cite, yet they are also where referencing slips happen most often. Web pages can lack an obvious author or date, and different referencing styles handle them differently. This UK guide shows you how to reference a website correctly in Harvard, APA 7 and MLA, what to do

Understanding dissertation chapters is essential before you start writing, since UK examiners expect a specific structure at every level of study. Most UK dissertations follow a similar chapter structure, though names can vary slightly by discipline. This 2026 guide breaks down what each chapter should contain. Whether you are writing a bachelor’s project or a

Knowing how to write a thesis statement is one of the first skills UK students need at university, since almost every essay and assignment brief expects one. A thesis statement is the single sentence that tells your reader exactly what you will argue. This guide covers how to write one for essays and undergraduate assignments

Academic writing has its own conventions that differ from everyday or creative writing. Follow these four golden rules to keep your work clear, formal, and well-supported. The Short Answer Academic writing is judged on four things: an objective, formal register; every claim supported by evidence and referenced; a structure the reader can follow without effort;

A PhD thesis statement works differently from an undergraduate essay thesis, since it must stake out an original contribution to knowledge. Here is how to develop one that will hold up under examination. The Short Answer A PhD thesis statement is a single, defensible claim that names your original contribution to knowledge. It should state