In a literature review, cite each source with your chosen style, using clear in-text credits that match a complete reference list.
Strong citation keeps readers oriented. It shows where ideas come from, how claims are backed, and who said what. Pick a single style, use it and map each claim to a source.
Citing Papers In A Literature Review: The Core Moves
Good reviews weave sources into a narrative. That means naming authors, signaling dates or pages, and balancing summary with short quotes. Follow these moves:
- Choose a style early and set its rules in your editor or reference manager.
- Plan your outline so each claim has at least one source beside it.
- Use signal phrases to introduce ideas, then add a parenthetical when needed.
- Capture page or section numbers when you quote or paraphrase closely.
- Build a reference entry the same day you cite a work to avoid gaps.
- Run a final pass to align every in-text credit with a reference entry.
Citation Styles At A Glance
| Style | In-Text Pattern | Reference Basics |
|---|---|---|
| APA (author-date) | (Author, Year) or Author (Year) | Author. (Year). Title. Journal/Publisher. DOI or URL if available. |
| MLA (author-page) | (Author Page) or Author states … (Page) | Author. Title. Container, vol., no., Year, pages. DOI/URL when needed. |
| Chicago Author-Date | (Author Year, Page) | Author. Year. Title. Place: Publisher. DOI/URL for online works. |
Choose And Set Your Citation Style
Many programs prefer APA for social and health fields, MLA for language and arts, and Chicago for history or mixed audiences. Confirm with your guide or journal, then stick with it. For APA rules on author-date credits, see the APA author-date overview. For Chicago’s author-date samples, review the Chicago quick guide.
APA 7 Basics
Use author and year in the text. Add page or paragraph numbers for quotes. Two authors are joined with “&” inside parentheses and “and” in prose. Three or more authors become “et al.” from the first citation. List works in the reference list by author, year, title, and source, finishing with a DOI link when one exists.
Quick Patterns You Can Copy (APA)
Narrative: Nguyen (2022) reports …; Parenthetical: (Nguyen, 2022, p. 31). Two studies at once: (Nguyen, 2022; Patel, 2021). Group author first mention: (World Health Organization [WHO], 2020), later: (WHO, 2020).
MLA 9 Basics
Use author and page. If you name the author in the sentence, place only the page in parentheses. Works Cited entries include the title, container, version, numbers, publisher, date, and location. MLA favors stable URLs or DOIs when online.
Chicago Author-Date Basics
Use author and year in the text and add page numbers for quotes. The reference list includes author, year, title, and publisher or journal. For websites or online articles, supply a DOI or a stable link. Notes-bibliography is common in some fields, yet author-date keeps the flow tidy in science writing.
Blend Sources Smoothly With Signal Phrases
Signal phrases keep the prose readable. They cue the reader that evidence is coming and reduce clumps of parentheses. Mix them with parenthetical credits so your voice stays present.
Reliable Signal Verbs
Use verbs that match intent: “reports,” “finds,” “argues,” “concludes,” “questions,” “notes,” “corroborates.” Keep the tone neutral. If two sources agree, couple them with a semicolon inside one set of brackets in APA or Chicago, or place back-to-back credits in MLA.
When To Quote
Quote short, striking wording that would lose power if paraphrased. Keep quotes under forty words in APA and Chicago author-date, with block formatting above that length. In MLA, use a block for prose longer than four lines. Add page numbers to help readers verify the line you used.
When To Paraphrase
Paraphrasing lets you compress methods or results while keeping the meaning. Keep the wording fresh and distinct from the source. Add an in-text credit right after the paraphrase. When you join two or more studies in one sentence, place both credits in the same set of brackets for APA or Chicago author-date. In MLA, separate them with a semicolon.
Handle Multiple Authors And Groups
Two authors? Cite both names every time. Three or more? Use the first author plus “et al.” in APA; in MLA, list all names in the Works Cited but keep in-text short with “et al.” as needed. Group authors, such as agencies or associations, can be written out the first time with an acronym in brackets, then use the acronym later if your style allows.
Same author, different years: pair each year with the name so readers can split the sources. Same author and same year: add “a,” “b,” “c” after the year on both the in-text credit and the reference entry. Authors with the same surname: include initials in your in-text credits to avoid mix-ups in APA and Chicago; in MLA, keep the full names clear in the Works Cited.
Place Citations For Flow And Clarity
Most short parentheticals sit before the period. If the sentence ends with a quoted passage, place the citation after the quote and before the closing punctuation in MLA, or after the quote and before the period in APA and Chicago. If a paragraph uses one source across several lines, you still need recurring cues; a single credit at the end can leave readers guessing about which lines rely on which study.
Build A Clean Reference List
Match every in-text credit to one full entry. Check author order, punctuation, title case rules, and italics. Use DOIs where available and prefer the https://doi.org/ format. For articles ahead of print, include the advance online date or the early view flag your style requests. For preprints, name the server, the version if given, and the DOI or link.
Reference List Mini-Models
| Source Type | In-Text Sample | Reference Model |
|---|---|---|
| Journal article | (Lopez, 2023, p. 15) | Lopez, A. (2023). Title of article. Journal Name, 12(3), 1–20. https://doi.org/xx.xxxx/xxxxx |
| Book | (Chen, 2021) | Chen, R. (2021). Book title: Subtitle. City, ST: Publisher. |
| Web page | (Rivera, 2024) | Rivera, J. (2024). Title of page. Site Name. URL |
Work With Quotations, Pages, And Sections
Short quotes fit inside your lines with quotation marks and a page or paragraph marker. In APA, use “p.” and “pp.” for pages and “para.” for unnumbered web sections when needed. In Chicago author-date, place a comma before the page. In MLA, place only the page number after the author name in the citation. When sources have no page numbers, cite a chapter, section, table, or figure if the style supports that cue.
Combine And Compare Sources Without Clutter
Literature reviews often compare outcomes or methods across several studies. Group studies that point the same way, then contrast them with one set that differs. Keep each cluster to two or three sources so credits stay slim. Use a mix of narrative and parenthetical forms to avoid a string of brackets that breaks the rhythm.
Handle Sources With No Author Or Date
No author? Use the title in place of the name in both in-text and the reference entry per your style. For APA, title case appears in the in-text credit; sentence case in the reference list. No date? Use “n.d.” in APA and Chicago author-date. In MLA, rely on page numbers and a Works Cited entry that gives the most stable details you can find.
Secondary Citations And Classic Works
Try to read and cite the original study. If you must cite a finding you only saw in a later paper, many styles allow a secondary credit that names both works. Label it clearly so readers see the chain. Classic works or sacred texts often use book, chapter, verse, or line numbers in place of pages; follow the style’s native format.
Keep Citations Consistent With A Manager
Tools such as Zotero, EndNote, or Mendeley save time and prevent drift in style. Store full metadata, attach PDFs, and tag main themes. Insert citations while you write, then refresh the reference list with one click. Even with a manager, scan every entry for caps, spacing, and DOIs before you hand in the review.
Cross-Referencing And Synthesis Lines
Readers value tight synthesis. Lead with the shared point, then link sources that support it. After that, bring in a counterpoint. Name the authors in the prose when they are central to the story, and keep parentheticals for quick backing. When three or more studies agree, pick two for the sentence and move the rest to the next line where they add a fresh detail.
When methods differ, flag that contrast in the signal phrase and show how it shapes the takeaway. Sample move: “Using a cohort design, Park (2021) reports …; using a lab task, Singh (2022) finds … .” That kind of pairing lets readers see why results diverge without long detours.
Common Formatting Mistakes To Avoid
- Dangling citations that lack a matching reference entry.
- Reference entries missing DOIs for articles that have them.
- Page numbers missing from direct quotes.
- Mixing sentence case and title case inside one list.
- Using ampersands in prose where the style asks for “and.”
- Alphabetizing by first name instead of last name.
- Using long naked URLs when a DOI is available.
Final Checks Before You Submit
- Every claim that draws on a source carries an in-text credit.
- Each in-text credit matches one full entry in the list.
- Names, years, pages, and titles match across both places.
- Quotation marks, block offsets, and punctuation follow the style rules.
- DOIs use the https://doi.org/ format; long URLs work and are stable.
- Signal phrases keep the prose smooth; parentheses stay light.
- The list is alphabetized (or ordered as your style requests) and clean.