Siteeraukset

Siteeraukset, the Finnish term for citations, refer to the systematic attribution of ideas, facts, and quotations to their original authors or sources. In academic writing, scholarly publishing, and legal documentation, siteeraukset are essential for establishing credibility, enabling verification of information, and preventing plagiarism. The concept traces back to ancient scholarly practices, but modern siteeraukset evolved alongside the development of citation styles and information science in the 20th century.

Finnish academia commonly uses a handful of citation frameworks, the most prevalent being APA (American Psychological Association), Chicago, Harvard (author–date), and Turku system (for Finnish sources). Each style prescribes distinct rules for in‑text references, parenthetical citations, footnotes, and bibliography formatting. For instance, the Turku system integrates native Finnish references by allowing specific order of author, title, publisher, and year, while the APA style requires the author and year in parentheses. In journalism, Finnish newspapers often employ minimalistic citation practices, relying on inline tags or footnotes to credit sources.

Beyond textual references, siteeraukset also encompass digital object identifiers (DOIs), URLs, and persistent identifiers (PIDs) to facilitate electronic retrieval. Institutional repositories and university libraries offer guidelines and citation generators to assist authors in meeting local and international standards. Digital scholarship has introduced citation linkages using tools such as CrossRef, enabling automated metadata harvesting and interlinking of scientific publications. National policy frameworks, such as Finland’s law on research integrity, mandate proper siteeraukset for publicly funded research to promote transparency and accountability.