This is a guide to citing in a text only. There are further guides on Writing a bibliography and related issues.

When you refer to an author*whose work you have read in the body of your essay/assignment

Citations usually involve giving the surname of the author and the date the book/article was published

* remember the author may not be a person – it may be an organisation e.g. a charity or government department

There are two things to consider Is the name of the author a natural part of

your sentence or not? Are you making a particular or general

reference to something you have read?

Where the name of the author forms a natural part of your sentence.

For example: Buscombe states that auteur theory was

never a theory of the cinema.

The reader already knows the name of the author - Buscombe, so you do not need to repeat it, but you do need to give the date his work was published.

The date is needed because your bibliography might list more than one article/book by Buscombe. The date will help the reader identify the relevant one.

Buscombe (1973) states that auteur theory was never a theory of the cinema.

The brackets are there to tell the reader to ignore the information in the brackets for the moment and concentrate on the meaning.

The references are important but they can be confusing and distracting. Putting them in brackets helps the reader.

If you are not sure if the brackets are in the right place try reading the sentence out loud, leaving out anything in brackets.

If the sentence makes sense the brackets are probably in the right place

If it sounds odd you probably need to move them

Where the author name is not included in your sentence.

For example:

It has been said that the test of a theory is whether it produces new knowledge.

The reader does not know who said this, so you need to give the author’s name.

You also need to give the date he or she said it. The date of publication.

It has been said that the test of a theory is whether it produces new knowledge (Buscombe, 1979).

a page reference is essential if you have included a direct quotation.

It is also a good idea if you are: Paraphrasing or summarising a particular

point the author is making You are referring to a particular point he or

she makes

Buscombe (1973, p10) maintains that auteur theory was never a theory of the cinema.

If there are two authors e.g. John Smith and Paul Jones who wrote a book in 2001, your citation will look like this

Smith & Jones (2001) believe that …. or like this Some theorists (Smith & Jones, 2001)

believe that ……

Sometimes there are several authors (up to 30+ in the case of scientific papers)

If there are more than two, only give the names of the first two (as they appear in the book or article) and add et al (Latin for and the rest)

Williams, Thompson et al

It’s always a good idea to check the original text if you can, if not:

You need to show exactly where the information comes from.

Smith (cited in Henderson 1973, p34) has identified three main causes of child poverty.

REMEMBER - In the bibliography you give a reference for Henderson only. You cannot cite Smith because you have not used his work.

It shows that your ideas are based on a wide knowledge of your subject. ie you have done the reading.

It allows you to acknowledge the contribution of experts and authoritative sources in your subject. ie. You recognise that you owe a lot to what others have already done in your subject.

Correct referencing is a courtesy to the reader.

The reader might want to follow up (or check) something you have said.

The reference in the text should lead the reader to the place in the bibliography where the full reference will be found.

In the bibliography books, articles etc are always listed by author’s surname (or if the text is anonymous by title), followed by the date of publication.

If the reader has these two pieces of information he or she should be able to find the all the rest of the information.

You will only be able to cite your references properly in the text (and the bibliography) if you have kept a good record of where you found information.

Keeping a proper record saves time later and ensures that you do not lose marks for sloppy referencing.