Literature citation in academic writing is a very important and often overlooked part of the process. Good literature citation can make your paper more convincing, but wrong citation can get you into trouble. Therefore, it is crucial that you handle and write your references correctly. Below we will explore in detail how to properly cite different types of literature.
Firstly, let us understand the common types of literature and how they are identified. Usually, we use the letters M, C, N, J, D, and R to represent different types of literature. These letters mean the following: Monograph, Collection of Essays, Newspaper Articles, Journal Articles, Dissertation, Report. Specifically, other types of literature that are not in the above list are replaced with the letter “Z”.
Let’s talk about how to cite these different types of literature. For example, when you want to cite a published book, you need to include the following elements: author’s name, title, city of publication, publisher, date of publication, and number of starting and ending pages. For example, Gill, R., English Literature Mastered [M], London: Macmillan Publishers, 1985: 42-45. Alternatively, if you are citing a paper from a journal, then at this point it is only necessary to include the author’s name, the title of the article, the name of the journal, the year of publication, and the number of starting and ending pages.
It is important to note that no matter what type of literature you are citing, the formatting must remain consistent. It is advisable to practice by USING the actual literature first. References and footnotes should correspond to the content detailed in the text by adding appropriate inverted commas or dashes for each entity, not just numbers such as 1 to n. References should be in the prescribed alphabetical order, not numerical order such as 1 to n, so there is no need to worry about the order in which they are inserted into the literature.
It is also important to note that if you add a citation to your paper, it should be a detailed paraphrase or an additional note on an argument or topic that is already clearly stated in the main text. Footnotes can only be preceded by nested symbols such as ①, ②, ③, etc., which are used to mark something that you have quoted repeatedly in the text.
Citing a dissertation such as a thesis needs to be done according to the formatting requirements of Specification Example 5. Similarly, no matter what kind of books, articles or materials you cite, you need to be careful to follow the standardised citation principles and indicators, so as to enhance the impact and credibility of your research results, but also to avoid unnecessary academic risks to the maximum extent possible.
Finally, here is a tip: you can search for the latest reference format guidelines document at metastases.org to understand the latest global format settings. At the same time, it is best to add your own understanding of the content in the process of citation, think and judge through deductive analysis, and finally put it together to form your own views and conclusions. via this medium, we hope it has been useful to students in your academic writing process!
