Viitataan

Viitataan is the present passive form of the Finnish verb viitata, meaning to refer, cite, or mention. In its passive form, the agent performing the action is not specified, and the focus is on the act of referring or citing itself. Viitataan is used when something is being referred to or cited in general or in formal language.

In academic and official texts, viitataan sources, studies, or statements. Examples: "Tässä kappaleessa viitataan useaan aikaisempaan tutkimukseen." "Lähteeseen viitataan seuraavassa luvussa." The passive voice creates a sense of objectivity and allows the writer to omit the agent if it is not needed, concentrating on the reference rather than who made it.

Grammatical notes: Viitataan is the present passive of viitata. It does not inflect for person or number; the subject of the sentence determines the broader sense of what is being referred to. It can be used with various cases to express what is being referred to, for example "lähteeseen viitataan" or "useisiin tutkimuksiin viitataan," depending on what is cited.

Related terms and usage: viite (reference, citation), viittaus (citation or reference), and the active form viittaa, which explicitly names the agent performing the referral. Viitata is commonly used in scholarly writing and formal communication to indicate sources without naming authors directly.