RESEARCH GUIDE
Dissertation References and Citing Software
Packages, Versions and Style
Dissertation references usually center on articles and books, but the analysis adds a second set: the statistical program, its packages and the data. These are cited with a version number, because the same command can behave differently in another release.
CITING THE ANALYSIS
What the Reference List Owes the Analysis
The results connect back to programs, packages, data and scales, and each link is a citation.
Dissertation references list the sources behind the work, and for a quantitative study that includes the software used to analyze the data. The choice of sources and the reference style are the researcher’s. OnlineSPSS, a specialist statistical consultancy for academic, clinical and professional research, supports the statistical component through an in-house PhD-level statistician; the programs and packages behind each reported result are part of that component.
Software Entries in the Reference List An APA 7 reference list entry for a statistical program gives the developer, year, program name, version and the label [Computer software], with the publisher added only when it differs from the developer. General-purpose tools such as a word processor need no entry.
Mentions in the Text Citing statistical software in the text starts with the first mention in the methodology, which gives the program name and version, and the in-text citation matches the reference entry. Later mentions usually need only the program name.
Packages Cited Individually A package that produced a reported result is cited with its authors, year, title and version. R can print the preferred citation of a package on request, and R itself is cited as well. The same applies to add-ons for other programs.
Datasets and Instruments Secondary data are referenced to their source and release, and each scale to its developer and to the paper reporting its validation, so that a reader can trace both the data and the measures.
A List That Reconciles Every in-text citation has an entry and every entry is cited. The version in the entry matches the one used for the final analyses, and the format follows the department's guide, whether APA 7, Harvard or another style.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Questions About Citing Software
A university license does not remove the need to cite, and an update during the project changes which version the entry names.
Does software licensed by my university still need a citation?
Yes: a citation credits the developers and tells a reader which tool produced the results, whoever holds the license. The reference entry names the program and the version actually used.
Which version should be cited if the program was updated during the analysis?
The version that produced the final reported results. If analyses were run in more than one version, the methods say so, and where it is practical the earlier analyses are rerun in the final version and compared, so that a single version can be cited.
How do you protect my research data and confidentiality?
Your dissertation materials and project details are handled confidentially. Project information is not published, and researcher names and institutions are not used publicly without permission. An NDA is available where required and can be arranged before sensitive materials are shared. Read more about confidentiality and data security.
What happens when I request an assessment, and how long does it take?
You share your research question, design and relevant materials, such as a protocol, an analysis plan or a dataset, and a statistically trained Research Coordinator reviews the request and responds the same day. The analysis, deliverables, timeline and one fixed project fee are then confirmed before any work begins, so the timeline follows from the agreed scope.
Still have a question? Find more answers in our full FAQ.
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Program, Packages and
Versions on Record
A reference entry is only as accurate as the record of which program, release and packages produced each result. Request an assessment if that record, or the analysis behind it, needs statistical support.
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