Scientific Writing Knowledge Hub

Citing & Referencing

3 min read

What is citing?

Citing is correctly stating the source of a piece of information. In scientific texts, it usually looks like this:

Citing is important for a transparent scientific process (Ref et al. 2019).

Referencing means providing complete information for each citation in a bibliography1, so that readers can easily locate and check the original work:

Ref, A., Example, B., & Author, C. (2019). Transparency in scientific research: The role of citations. Journal of Made Up References, 12(3), 45–58. https://doi.org/10.1234/jmur.2019.0123

Why is this useful?

Citing and references are essential for three main reasons.

  1. Supports the scientific process. Science relies on information and findings being verifiable by others. If citations are inaccurate or missing, it blocks this process. That’s also why plagiarism is an absolute no-go.

  2. Builds your trustworthiness. Properly citing sources shows that you are honest and transparent about where your information comes from. As a scientist, trust is part of your reputation — hence why plagiarism is taken so seriously.

  3. Helps others navigate research. Accurate references make it easy for readers to find the original sources. Nothing more frustrating than chasing down a reference that doesn’t exist!

How to cite

When to cite?

Cite whenever you are using someone else’s ideas, data, or words — this includes paraphrasing. If it’s not your original thought, give credit (and if it is your original thought, but someone else published about it first, give credit too).

How many citations?

Use an appropriate number of citations depending on the context and your audience:

  • Well-known concepts for your audience: 1 citation, or sometimes even none, is enough.
  • New or less familiar concepts: 3–5 citations is a good range.
  • Don’t overdo it: Too many citations can make you sound unsure of your own ideas. For example, citing 10 papers for a simple point is usually too much.

Consider who will read your work. Experts in your field may not need citations for very familiar concepts, while a broader audience will appreciate more guidance.

Who to cite?

Choose sources that are trustworthy, relevant, and authoritative:

  • Peer-reviewed journal articles are generally more reliable than non-peer-reviewed sources.
  • High-quality journals are preferred, but relevance matters more than impact factor alone.
  • Established researchers can lend credibility, but strong work from newer authors is valuable too.
  • Avoid predatory journals — if in doubt, check the journal’s reputation carefully.

Include a mix of older and newer references to show that you know both the history and the current state of the field.

❗Always cite the original source (see point 3 from “Why is this useful?”). If you can’t locate it, ask your institution’s librarian for help — they’re experts at tracking down references.

How to reference

Referencing means providing the full details of every source you cited so that readers can find it. The easiest way to reference is to automate it using a reference manager, which automatically extracts all relevant information from a source. I recommend Zotero.

Key Elements of a Reference

A complete reference usually includes:

  • Author(s) – Who wrote the work?
  • Year – When was it published?
  • Title – The name of the article, book, or report.
  • Source – Journal name, book publisher, or URL.
  • Volume/Issue/Pages – For journal articles.
  • DOI or URL – If the source is online.

Double-check details even if you’re using a reference manager — they sometimes get it wrong, spelling, year, and page numbers matter.

Footnotes

  1. In the context of a journal article, the bibliography (often called a reference list) is a list of all works cited in the text. ↩