The dictionary

No academic should ever give as a reference 'the Dictionary' - "It says in the Dictionary that the word means ...";. Nor is it satisfactory academic proof of the existence or meaning of a word to say "It's in the Dictionary". There are many dictionaries, even in one language. Academics always say which Dictionary, and give the full details in a footnote or Bibliography.

An error not uncommonly seen is a reference in a student's work to the 'Oxford Dictionary'. There is, as far as AWE is aware, no such thing. The Oxford University Press (OUP) publishes a number of dictionaries, each one of which has a more precise name than the one above - The Concise Oxford Dictionary, for example - perhaps the commonest in use among students (one small volume); the Oxford English Dictionary, the most authoritative - and 20 very large volumes in length; and The Oxford Dictionary of English, a single volume aimed mostly at non-native speakers. In this, as in all referencing for academic work, be precise in copying the titles of the works you list.)

If you use an online dictionary. it is essential to reference it clearly. (There are many dictionaries which can be consulted on line, more than one of which uses the word on-line in its title or web address. A search today (12-06-2015) for 'online dictionary' led directly to Merriam-Webster, at the address http://www.webster-dictionary.org; there are also the on-line Oxford Dictionary, Cambridge Dictionaries Online, and many more, including some compendious sites (short list available at [[1]]. AWE recommends you to reference it by the full internet address of the article you consulted, for example http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/awe.