Yes, a literature review uses in-text citations and a reference list to credit every source.
A reader opens a review to see what the field already says, who said it, and how those ideas fit together. That work only lands when you point to sources with precise in-text mentions and a complete list at the end. Skipping source credit turns a review into opinion. Using clear, consistent citations turns it into a reliable map others can read and trust.
What A Literature Review Actually Does
Think of a review as a synthesis. You group studies by theme, method, finding, or debate. You compare claims and show agreement or tension. Each claim traces back to authors through short mentions in the text and full entries later. The short mention appears right where you use the idea; the full entry lets a reader retrieve it.
Quick Style Snapshot Table
This snapshot shows how common styles signal sources inside the text and what they call the end list.
| Style | In-Text Form | End List Name |
|---|---|---|
| APA | Author–year, e.g., (Nguyen, 2023) | References |
| MLA | Author–page, e.g., (Nguyen 57) | Works Cited |
| Chicago (Notes-Bibliography) | Superscript note numbers | Bibliography |
| Chicago (Author-Date) | Author–year, e.g., (Nguyen 2023, 57) | References |
| IEEE | Bracketed numbers, e.g., [12] | References |
| CSE | Name–year or numbers | References |
Why Every Claim Needs A Source Trail
A review reports what others found. When you state an effect size, a method choice, a limitation, or a pattern across papers, you’re summarizing someone else’s work. The in-text pointer shows exactly where that idea came from. The end entry gives the full path to the paper, book, dataset, or preprint. That trail lets readers verify, extend, or challenge your synthesis.
Do Literature Reviews Need Citations And References? Practical Rules
Yes. Use short in-text markers near the sentence that borrows an idea or wording. Then give full entries in one consolidated list at the end. For author–date styles, place the marker before the period unless your stylebook says otherwise. For note systems, place the note number at the end of the clause. Keep one consistent system across the entire review.
What To Cite Inside A Review
Cite research findings, definitions coined by a specific source, measures or instruments from prior work, datasets you reuse, codebases you adapt, and any figure or table derived from someone else’s outputs. Paraphrases still need a source. Direct quotes are rare in reviews, yet if you use one, include a locator such as a page range or section tag if the style requires it.
What Not To Cite
Skip mentions for common knowledge: laws of motion in an intro physics survey, the DNA double helix in a general genetics overview, or “p-values report tail probabilities” in a basic methods recap. When in doubt, ask: would a reasonably informed reader need a source to accept this sentence? If yes, cite it. If no, move on.
How In-Text Markers Work
Author–date systems place the marker right where the idea appears: one study (Lee, 2022) reports a stronger effect in older adults. If you name the author in the sentence, keep the year in parentheses: Lee (2022) reports the same pattern. Page numbers appear for quotes or pinpoint claims when your rulebook calls for them: Lee (2022, p. 45).
How The End List Works
Each in-text pointer maps to one full entry. Entries share a consistent order and punctuation. For APA, the standard entry includes author names, year, title sentence-case, periodical title, volume(issue), pages, and a DOI or URL when applicable. MLA uses title case for article titles and puts the container (journal, book) next, followed by volume, issue, year, and page span. Chicago varies by system. When the venue supplies a DOI, include it.
Citation Density And Flow
Readers skim for patterns. Group related sources: three to five that all tested a similar question or used a shared method. Open with a theme sentence. Follow with evidence lines, each with a marker. Close the paragraph with your synthesis sentence. Avoid long strings of brackets or parentheses. If a cluster grows beyond a clean line, split the idea across two lines with sub-themes.
Quoting Versus Paraphrasing
In a review, paraphrasing dominates. Your job is to compress findings across papers into short, readable lines. Quote only when a paper coins a term, defines a construct, or states a claim whose wording itself matters. When you quote, copy exactly, add quotation marks, and include a locator. For everything else, paraphrase and cite.
Signal Phrases That Keep Readers Oriented
Short, plain cues keep the thread clear: “Prior work shows…,” “Several teams report…,” “A mixed pattern appears in…,” “Evidence is thin for….” Tie each cue to markers. Avoid sweeping claims without sources. Place contrasts and agreements where they help the thread, and keep sentences short.
Where To Find The Exact Rules
If your course, journal, or thesis guide requires APA, follow the author–date method and standard entry order in the official guide. A concise, trusted summary is available at Purdue OWL’s page on in-text citations (APA). For structure, framing, and section flow, the UNC Writing Center’s guide to literature reviews lays out the essentials. These two resources cover most cases you’ll meet in a standard review.
Systematic Reviews And Reporting Standards
Some projects move beyond a narrative survey and adopt structured methods: protocol registration, comprehensive search strings, screening flow diagrams, and risk-of-bias tools. When you work at that level, follow an established reporting standard. In biomedicine, PRISMA 2020 sets the template for transparent reporting across identification, screening, inclusion, and synthesis. Journals expect clear citations for every included study and a full record of how you found and filtered them. You can read the open-access statement in the BMJ and apply the checklist during drafting.
Ethics: Avoiding Patchwriting And Over-citation
Patchwriting—swapping a few words around a source sentence—counts as poor practice. Aim for fresh sentences that compress the idea in your voice, then cite. On the flip side, don’t attach a cluster of markers to every minor phrase. Place markers where ideas begin and where they pivot. If one paragraph summarizes a single study, a marker in the topic sentence may cover the whole line; add locators for quotes or precise statistics.
Managing Sources Without Losing Your Thread
Build a living spreadsheet or reference manager group for your topic. Track author, year, method, sample, key result, and limitations in fields you can sort. Tag recurring themes. During writing, draft with the reference manager open so you can insert markers as you go. That habit prevents back-tracking later and keeps the end list in sync with the text.
Common Style Friction And Fixes
Multiple works, same author and year. Add letters after the year (2021a, 2021b) and mirror that in the end list.
Three or more authors. Many author–date styles shorten to the first author plus “et al.” after the first mention; check limits for the first citation line.
No page numbers. Use a paragraph number or section label if your rulebook allows it.
Preprints and datasets. Include the platform and a persistent link if available. Note the version when the platform tracks versions.
Placement: Where Citations Appear Most
You’ll place markers in five hotspots:
- Claim lines that summarize a result or effect.
- Method notes describing measures, instruments, or code you adopt.
- Definitions that belong to a specific author or group.
- Figures and tables reproduced or adapted from prior work.
- Limitations that trace to issues raised by earlier teams.
Second Table: When You Must Cite
Use this quick screen during editing.
| Situation | Cite? | What To Include |
|---|---|---|
| Reporting a prior result | Yes | Author–year and locator if needed |
| Defining a specialized term | Yes | Source that coined or formalized it |
| Stating common knowledge | No | None |
| Quoting exact wording | Yes | Marker with page or section |
| Describing your opinion | Only if built on sources | Markers for the supporting works |
| Adapting a figure or table | Yes | Credit line and marker |
Credit Lines For Figures And Tables
When you reproduce or adapt a visual, add a short credit under the item and include a full entry in the end list. Many venues also ask for permissions details. For open-license content, include the license name and link.
Reference Managers That Save Time
Zotero, EndNote, Mendeley, and similar tools insert markers and build the end list as you write. Pick one, add the journal or school style, and keep your database tidy. Clean metadata once. That single pass pays off across the whole project.
Editing Pass For Citation Quality
Run one pass just for source quality. Confirm that every marker has a twin in the end list, and every end entry appears somewhere in the text. Scan for missing years, broken DOIs, and mismatched author initials. Then run a pass for balance: no orphan studies, no over-reliance on a single lab, and fresh sources where the field moved recently.
Template Paragraphs You Can Reuse
Theme setup: “Recent work on X reports mixed estimates of Y across clinical and community samples (A, B, C).”
Agreement: “Across designs, results converge on a small positive effect (A; B; C).”
Tension: “Two groups report null findings under preregistered designs (D; E), which narrows the claim from earlier open-label trials.”
Gap: “No study to date links long-term outcomes to the early-stage proxy; a preregistered cohort study remains open.”
Common Questions, Straight Answers
Do I need page numbers? Use them for quotes and pinpoint claims when your style calls for a locator.
Can I cite a review inside my review? Yes, when you credit a synthesis claim or background line. Still trace core results to original studies when possible.
What about preprints? Many fields accept them. Mark them clearly and include version or date. If the paper later appears in a journal, update the entry.
Style Guides Worth Bookmarking
For nuts-and-bolts rules, use authoritative guides. Purdue OWL’s APA style hub walks through author–date markers and full entries. For citation skills across multiple styles, UNC’s page on citing sources covers what to cite and how to cite across formats. If your project follows a systematic template, read the PRISMA 2021 update in the BMJ before drafting the methods and flow diagram.
Final Pass: Make Your Synthesis Readable
Keep paragraphs tight. Open with a theme sentence, present the evidence with clean markers, and end with one line that pushes the thread forward. Keep your style consistent, your entries complete, and your claims tied to clear sources. With that, your review gives readers a map they can use the moment they land on the page.