When you cite a source and you put an in-text citation at the end of your sentence, the punctuation (usually a period) goes AFTER the final parenthesis in the citation. Your sentence, with citation, should look like this:
“Punctuation keeps sense on the rails” (Truss, 2003).
NOT like this:
“Punctuation keeps sense on the rails.” (Truss, 2003)
Why?
Because, if we’re to apply logic, we realize that the citation is for the sentence, quote, or paraphrased thought in the sentence we’re citing. If you place the citation after the period (instead of the other way around), you’re essentially starting a new sentence with a parenthetical reference, which doesn’t make any sense. Here’s the rule, in visual format:
Placing the parenthetical reference after the punctuation does four very bad things:
- it feels awkward to the reader;
- it doesn’t accurately give credit to the person you’re citing (which is a mild ethical concern);
- it creates confusion, because we’re not always sure what the citation is attached to; and…
- it is just wrong.
Now…there is an exception to this rule.
Most style guides (like APA or MLA) say that if you have a really long quote (like, say, more than 40 words), you should set it up as a block quote. Block quotes are indented quotes, set apart visually from the regular flow and formatting of text. With block quotes, you’ll put the citation AFTER the period. This is totally acceptable logically, of course, because the text is already set aside and we can see that the citation is connected to the block quote. It looks like this:
Block quotes are the only exception to this rule. For all other intents and purposes, when you’re citing someone, PUT THE PARENTHETICAL REFERENCE WITHIN THE SENTENCE, placing the punctuation mark AFTER the last parenthesis!!
That’s the rule. I’m just the messenger 🙂