Which citation to introduce a quotation is correct?

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When introducing a quotation, the citation inside the parentheses should follow a standard author–date–page format that places the author’s surname first, followed by the year of publication, and then the page number, all in that order and separated appropriately by commas.
Option a: 'a. (Smith, 2005, p. 32)' presents the author (Smith), the year (2005), and the page reference ('p. 32') in the correct order and with the proper labeling of the page. This aligns with common citation styles that use a parenthetical citation including a page indicator.
Option b: 'b. (p. 32, Smith, 2005)' places the page number before the author and year, which disrupts the typical author–date–page sequence used in most citation conventions. This ordering can be confusing and is not standard practice.
Option c: 'c. (2005, Smith, p. 32)' starts with the year, then the author, and then the page. While some styles may allow year-first formats in narrative references, in parenthetical citations the conventional order is author, year, page, so this arrangement is not correct for standard parenthetical citations.
In terms of structure, a proper parenthetical citation should clearly identify who is being cited (the author), when it was published (the year), and where the specific information can be found (the page). The other options manipulate the order or labeling in ways that diverge from the typical conventions and could reduce clarity for readers. The layout in option a most closely adheres to the conventional pattern for parenthetical citations when introducing a quotation.

MUF0011 English Unit 1 - Semester 1, 2025 10.1 Course Summary Quiz

Which citation to introduce a quotation is correct?

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