I. Create bibliographic references with the book “in your hands”

Already when you are searching for information for your text, note the details about sources that you intend to use. If you use the citation manager, download the record from a catalogue or database immediately. If you create citations manually, note the basic details about the document, so that later you can arrange them into a bibliographic reference according to the instructions of the given citation style. In the case of online documents, always write down the date on which you accessed the respective document. It may also be useful to save it for later use.

Remember this rule especially for online documents or other sources that are difficult to access (e.g. manuscripts in archives). Online documents in particular may eventually be removed from the internet and therefore very difficult – if not impossible – to find for a second time (the internet Archive does not always retain all data).

II. Use credible sources when citing

Part of scholarly writing is also the ability to work with relevant sources to the given topic. Therefore, use such sources for your work whose authors specialize in the given topic and the quality of which can be verified.

At present, the most easily-accessible source of information is naturally the internet. However, besides quality information you can find there an enormous number of websites that contain information created by the lay public. When drawing on information from the internet, always notice whether the author of the text is known and if he/she is a specialist on the given topic, whether the text is current, written in a scholarly way, and whether it uses citations properly. Also check if this information is in reality not just an advertisement of some commercial entity with its own interests.

III. Do not cite information sources unrelated with your work

Cite only such sources in your text that you really used for your work. On no account should you add anything else just because you want to prove a knowledge of the given field, i.e. do not try to demonstrate what you have read and what you are prepared to discuss by means of your bibliography. Moreover, you never known whether somebody will ask about this or that item of your bibliography, for example, at the state exam, so do not include sources unfamiliar to you.

IV. Comply with the publisher’s instructions

It was already stated above that it is essential for correct citing to familiarize yourself with the citation instructions of the publisher or institution you are writing for. At a university you should always learn whether the faculty has a particular direction for how to cite in theses, essays, etc. Such directions may be found on the websites of the study department or as a part of the instructions for writing bachelor and master theses.

If such directions do not exist, you should ask whether the department or institute for which you are writing the respective text has its own citation instructions. If even here you cannot find any information can be found, you should ask the supervisor of your thesis how to cite (Do so ideally via e-mail, so that you have the answer in writing. Should any reproach from opponents concerning citations arise, you can justify your approach with the instructions provided by your supervisor.).

V. Observe the spelling rules of the given language

Unless the citation style tells you otherwise, you should write the details of bibliographic references in conformance with the spelling rules of the document’s language. This means that even if the titles of English books are in capital letters (e.g. Minimally Invasive Thoracic and CCardiac Surgery: Textbook and Atlas), its bibliographic reference should follow the Czech spelling system (Minimally invasive thoracic and ccardiac ssurgery: textbook and atlas).

However, in the event that the citation style instructs you to copy the title in the exact form, do not follow the above-mentioned rule, i.e. write Minimally Invasive Thoracic and CCardiac Surgery: Textbook and Atlas.

VI. Transliterate all information written in scripts other than the Latin alphabet

In the event that you cite a publication written in another script than the Latin alphabet (e.g. Cyrillic, a logographic system, etc.) transliterate the information, i.e. the individual signs of the original script should be replaced with Latin characters.

Tables with characters for transliteration are readily available on the internet. These usually contain alphabetically ordered signs of the given language and next to them the respective Latin character.

VII. Adhere to a unified form of citation according to the citation style

When citing you should make sure that citations and bibliographic references have a unified form, otherwise it may happen that the cited work cannot be identified. Moreover, deficiencies in formatting can distort the aesthetic quality of the text and rightfully give readers the impression that the author has a careless approach to their text.

VIII. Every source used can be unambiguously identified by citations

It is crucial to give both citations in the text and bibliographic references without error, so that the reader can identify the used source of information correctly.

IX. Include translations of citations from a foreign language in your text

In the event that you need to cite an idea word for word that was published in a foreign language, various approaches may be required by individual citation styles. However, the original version of the citation is commonly included in notes (footnote, a note at the end of a chapter, etc.) or placed in brackets after its translated version. In this way, readers may check themselves, whether the translation did not alter the meaning of the cited idea. The citation referring to the bibliographic reference should be placed into the text itself behind the translated quote.

X. Place information taken from source other than an original one in [ ]

If the work you cite does not contain some of the details of the bibliographic reference which you consider important, you may take it over another document. However, such details must then be placed in square brackets. For example, if a printed book does not have the year of publication in it and you find this information on the website of the publisher, you can include in the bibliographic reference, but you should always place it in square brackets. In this way you show that you cannot guarantee the accuracy of the respective information, because it was not included in the original document, but rather it was found elsewhere.

If you have to take more details for the bibliographic reference, for example when citing manuscripts, place the whole reference in square brackets, unless the respective citation style says otherwise.

For example, if the document does not include information on the place of publishing (Brno) and the publisher (Masaryk University):

If some of the details cannot be found, read the citation instructions carefully to see whether they do specify any approach for this case (e.g. some styles require you to write s.l., i.e. sine loco = without place, in the event that the place of publication is not known).