Quellennachweis

Quellennachweis is a citation that identifies sources used in a text, allowing readers to verify statements, credit authors, and locate the original works. It is a fundamental part of scholarly practice and helps prevent plagiarism by distinguishing the author’s ideas from those of others.

A Quellennachweis typically appears as an in-text citation, footnote or endnote, and as a bibliographic entry in a references list. It should provide enough information for identification, including author(s), title, edition if relevant, year of publication, place of publication, and publisher, with page numbers for quoted or specific material. For online sources, a stable URL or DOI is usually required. The exact format depends on the chosen citation style and institutional guidelines.

In German-language contexts, Quellennachweise are often presented together with a Literaturverzeichnis or Bibliografie. The in-text portion may use footnotes or parenthetical references, while the bibliography collects complete entries for all cited works. International styles such as APA, MLA, and Chicago are also used in German scholarship, sometimes adapted to institutional house rules. Standards like ISO 690 and DIN 1505 provide general principles for bibliographic references, but actual formatting is typically guided by field norms and university requirements.

Common examples include citations for books, articles, and online sources: a book entry might include author, title, edition, place, publisher, year, and pages; a journal article includes author, article title, journal name, volume, issue, year, pages, and DOI; a web source includes author, title, URL, and access date. The Quellennachweis thus serializes information needed to locate and verify cited material while distinguishing quotation from paraphrase.