Summary: You should make it clear right at the beginning of the paragraph that you are quoting something and what you are quoting. Then use linked sentences to make it clear that you are still quoting the same source. Finally, add a citation at the end of the paragraph. This way, your readers will know where you got your information from.

 

You know the problem. You have written a paragraph in a text where you summarise the findings of a scientific study. But where exactly and how often should you cite this source? Only once at the end of the paragraph? After every single sentence or are there other options? Here we look at three examples to find out which method works best:

1. Our recommendation: narrative citation*, sentence links and short references

* In a so-called "narrative citation", the author's name and possibly the year of publication are part of the continuous text.

Example: According to a recent study by ROY and JOMPHE (2024), Montreal's central neighbourhoods have been experiencing increasing displacement of low-income population groups since the early 1980s. In addition, the researchers show how this gentrification process, which is associated with rising rents and property prices, has led to a change in the social structure and dynamics of the affected area and a displacement of local businesses. The political decisions and urban planning measures of recent decades have played a significant role in fuelling this process (ROY & JOMPHE 2024).

This method is the most suitable. With a narrative citation, it becomes clear right at the beginning of the first sentence that you are summarising the results of a study. The sentence link at the beginning of the second sentence makes it clear that it is still about the same study. And at the end of the paragraph, a short reference shows once again where you got this information from.

2. Overly sparse: a single short reference at the end of the paragraph

Example: Montreal's central neighbourhoods have been experiencing increasing displacement of low-income population groups since the early 1980s. This gentrification process, which is associated with rising rents and property prices, has led to a change in the social structure and dynamics of the affected area and the displacement of local businesses. The political decisions and urban planning measures of recent decades have played a significant role in fuelling this process (ROY & JOMPHE 2024).

This method is not recommended. It is unclear what exactly the source citation refers to: Just the last sentence? The last two? The whole paragraph? Your readers could get the wrong impression that the first sentences represent your own findings.

3. Overeager: a short note after each sentence

Example: Montreal's central neighbourhoods have been experiencing increasing displacement of low-income population groups since the early 1980s (ROY & JOMPHE 2024). This gentrification process, which is associated with rising rents and property prices, has led to a change in the social structure and dynamics of the affected area and the displacement of local businesses (ROY & JOMPHE 2024). The political decisions and urban planning measures of recent decades have played a significant role in fuelling this process (ROY & JOMPHE 2024).

This method is also not recommended. It makes reading more difficult and looks clunky. It is also unusual to repeat the same source citation several times in quick succession. There are equally precise and much more efficient and elegant methods of citing a source.

(Earth Sciences Library, 2024)