viitetyylin

Viitetyylin, or viitetyyli, refers to the conventions used for citing sources in academic writing. It encompasses rules for in-text citations, the formatting of bibliographic references, and the overall arrangement of source information in a document. The purpose is to credit original ideas, enable readers to locate sources, and support the integrity and verifiability of scholarly work.

In Finland, as in many other countries, several international citation styles are commonly used, often determined by discipline or publisher. The most prevalent are the author–date styles, such as the American Psychological Association (APA) style and the Modern Language Association (MLA) style, which place brief author information in the text and provide full details in a reference list. The Chicago Manual of Style is widely used in humanities, particularly history, while the Vancouver style (numerical system) is common in the health sciences. Some Finnish institutions also adhere to the ISO 690 standard, which provides a general framework for bibliographic references. Universities may designate a “house style” that combines elements from these styles or imposes specific rules for titles, punctuation, and online sources.

Typical features of a viitetyyli include the format of author names, publication year, title capitalization, journal or publisher information, page ranges, and digital identifiers such as DOIs. In-text citations can be parenthetical or numerical, with corresponding entries in a reference list. Proper use of a viitetyyli supports scholarly communication, reduces ambiguity, and aids in academic integrity. Reference-management tools like EndNote, Zotero, and Mendeley help apply the chosen viitetyyli consistently.