Thesis Instructions at Karelia University of Applied Sciences : In-text Citations – General Instructions

Mark the used sources with in-text citations. Provide the following information on the source:

1.     The author’s last name
2.    The year of publication or update
3.    The page(s) where the exact information can be found

For example, (Nokelainen 2016, 5–6) or According to Nokelainen (2016, 5–6), …

The author can be a person, organisation or a group of authors. Report the last name(s) of the person(s). There are, however, texts that do not have an author, such as acts, decrees and regulations.  

The Place of In-text Citations

    1. Focusing on informational content: place the in-text citation in brackets (parentheses) after the referencing.

Academic success requires several types of knowledge and skills. Although grammar and vocabulary are often the most obvious problem areas, students also need to have an internalized system that includes linguistic and pragmatic knowledge in order to communicate appropriately in the specific context. Moreover, they need schematic, that is background knowledge on the subject matter. (Hafernik & Wiant 2012, 47.)

    2. Author-centred citations: Start the sentence with the author’s last name. Write the year of publication and possibly also the page numbers in brackets (parentheses) right after the author’s name, providing the referenced text is just one sentence long. If the referenced text is longer, add the in-text citation at the end in the same way as in the information-centred approach.

According to Lindsey (2011), good scientific writing is characterised by precision, clarity and brevity. The text should also be written in non-complicated English, because in many fields, a half or even a bigger portion of the readers of academic texts do not have English as their first language. (Lindsay 2011, 11-12.)

Punctuating Citations

When the citation refers to only one sentence, place the full stop (period) after the last bracket (parenthesis). In other words, the in-text citation becomes part of the sentence.

To make the text comprehensible, the first part of the sentence should link new ideas to previous information (Lindsay 2011, 71).

When the citation is connected to more than one sentence, place a full stop at the end of the last sentence and add the citation after it. Place the full stop inside the brackets so that the citation becomes an independent, sentence-like unit.

To make the text comprehensible, new ideas must be linked to previous information. New information should not, therefore, be given at the beginning of the sentence. It is also possible to use linking words, such as conjunctions, which signal how different ideas are connected. (Lindsay 2011, 71.)

Other Observations Regarding Citations

• In-text citations cannot refer to previous or following paragraphs. Even if you are using the same source in several consecutive paragraphs, you should always add a new citation to each one.
• If you have used several sources, separate them by marking each citation right after the referred information. Often you need more than just one in-text citation at the end of each paragraph.  

There are a wide range of terms used in higher education for online learning, such as eLearning, computer-mediated learning, technology enhanced learning, and teaching with technology (Patel 2014, 22). In the past decades, the massive open online courses called MOOCs have changed the global education market and spread online learning technologies not only within higher education but also to the non-formal education sector (Freitas et al. 2015; Larionova et al. 2018).

• It is also possible to mark all the sources at the end of the paragraph, if they all have the same content. Separate different sources using a semicolon and put them in alphabetical order: (Freitas et al. 2015; Larionova et al. 2018; Rhoads 2015).

The basic rule when the author of the source is available:

Author’s last name year of publication, page number(s)

(Rhoads 2015, 59)

If there is no single author, use the name of the organisation or group.

(Statistics Finland 2016)

Electronic Sources

Refer to the electronic sources in your text in the same way as to other types of sources, that is using the author’s last name, or the name of the organisation or the group. Mark also the page numbers if the source uses them. The year of publication is the year when the page was updated or released. If such date cannot be found, write the current year. URL addresses are never included in in-text citations. 

(Bowden 2020)

(Statistics Finland 2020)

Two Authors

Use an ampersand inside the brackets (parentheses): (Hafernik & Wiant 2012, 47)

When the authors’ names are part of the sentence, use coordinating conjunction and: According to Hafernik and Wiant (2012, 47), …

Three or More Authors

When you refer to the source for the first time, use the last names of all authors:

(Skinner, Edwards & Corbett 2014)

Skinner, Edwards and Corbett (2014) suggest that ….

Later, you can refer to the source by the last name of the first author and with abbreviation et al.:

(Skinner et al. 2014)

Skinner et al. (2014) state that …

Six or More Authors

You refer to the source always using the last name of the first author and with abbreviation et al. 

References with the Same Author and Year

the first in-text citation referring to the publication of the author in your text: (Tracy 2012a)

another publication of the same author and year to which you refer later in your text: (Tracy 2012b)

Reference to One or More Sources

The sources are put in the in-text citation in alphabetical order according to the last name of the author. They are separated from each other by a semicolon. NB! You can use this type of citation only if the sources discuss the same topic and have the same information content.

(Freitas et al. 2015; Larionova et al. 2018; Rhoads 2015)

 

You can find more examples of in-text citations and references here