Quellangabe

Quellangabe is the practice of providing information about the sources used in a text. It identifies the origin of ideas, data, and quotations, allowing readers to locate the original works. Quellangaben credit authors, support the credibility of the argument, and help prevent plagiarism, while also showing the research basis for a statement.

In scholarly writing, Quellangaben appear in different forms. They can be placed as in-text citations or in footnotes and are often accompanied by a full bibliographic entry in a Quellenverzeichnis or Literaturverzeichnis. Direct quotations are clearly marked, and paraphrased material is attributed to the original source. Short references within the text (Kurzverweise) point readers to the complete citation.

There are many citation styles, such as APA, MLA, Chicago, and Harvard. German-speaking contexts have historically used standards like DIN 1505-2, but institutions frequently adopt international or house styles, sometimes aligned with ISO 690. For online sources, a Quellangabe should include author, title, date, publisher or site, URL, and, if available, date of access and a DOI or other persistent identifier. Sample formats vary by style: in-text author-date references (Müller, 2020); or a footnote with full details; and a corresponding bibliography entry.

Best practices include using citation management tools like Zotero, JabRef, or EndNote, maintaining consistency, and verifying each reference for accuracy. Quellangaben enable verification, support academic integrity, and facilitate further research. Institutions typically provide guidelines on required elements, order, punctuation, and whether footnotes or parenthetical references should be used.