5 Common Citation Mistakes PhD Students Make

After reviewing hundreds of dissertations, I've identified the most frequent citation errors that cause delays and revisions.

1. Ghost Citations

These are citations that appear in your text but have no corresponding reference entry. They often occur when:

You delete a reference during revision but forget the in-text citation

You copy text from notes without copying the reference

You mistype an author's name

2. Orphaned References

The opposite problem—reference entries with no corresponding in-text citation. Your bibliography should only include sources you actually cite.

3. Inconsistent Author Names

"Smith, J." in one place and "Smith, John" in another. Pick one format and stick with it throughout your entire document.

4. Year Discrepancies

Citing "2019" in text but "2020" in the reference list is surprisingly common, especially with pre-prints that get published with updated dates.

5. Secondary Source Confusion

If you read about Study A in Study B, you need to cite it as "Study A (as cited in Study B, year)." Many students cite Study A directly without having read the original.

Prevention Strategy

Use reference management software (Zotero, Mendeley)

Run automated checks before submission

Have a colleague review your reference list

Use CiteOrbit for final verification

Your thesis represents years of work. Don't let citation errors undermine your credibility at the finish line.