The function of sources

The sources you cite are an important part of the thesis. You should evaluate them critically to make sure that you use reliable sources. You  should also make sure that the sources you use support your text and are well integrated in the text. 

Sources have different functions in different parts of the thesis. You might also use different kinds of sources in the different parts.

 

In your thesis, you will use different kinds or sources in diffferent parts of the thesis. You will also use them with different purposes.

In the introduction, you will put your study into context and explain why it is important. Maybe you also want to use an example or a quote to help create interest in the topic. The sources you use can be scientific articles, but also statistics, policy papers, magazines, news and reports. Examples and quotes can also be taken from fiction and social media.

In the introduction, you will also give a background that includes previous research. The main kind of sources here would be scientific articles and sometimes conference papers, depending on the topic. For statements about the research area in general, review articles are a good source. For more specific results, original articles should be cited. Sometimes you also need to describe the current situation in society or in the industry. Usefuls sources for this could be reports, companies', agencies and organisations' webpages and trade magazines.

In the method and material section, you would cite methodology literature. This could be books, book chapters and scientific articles. If you use someone else's data, you should cite the source of this data.

If you conducted an empirical study, the results section would normally not include any sources, but rather be based on your own data. For a literature review, the included studies will be cited.

In the discussion, you will cite relevant sources that you used in the description of previous research in the background. Different fields and programs have different practices about using additional sources that you didn't use in the introduction and background. 

Part of thesis	Function of sources
Introduction	Boost interest Justify study Give background Present previous research
Method	Support chosen method Give source for fuller description of method
Results
Discussion	Compare results with previous research Put results into context