5. Which citation in the example below is correct?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

To determine the correct citation, we need to apply standard citation rules for multiple parenthetical citations within the same set of parentheses.
Option 1: 'Recent studies (Johnson, 2023; Lindley, 2020) show that there is a strong correlation between education level and the ability for upward mobility.' This arrangement uses a semicolon to separate two sources and places the sources in alphabetical order by the first author's last name (Johnson before Lindley). It also preserves the year formatting after each author, which is consistent with common citation styles.
Option 2: 'Recent studies (Lindley, 2020, Johnson, 2023) show that there is a strong correlation between education level and the ability for upward mobility.' Here, the sources are not separated by a semicolon but by a comma, which is typically incorrect for distinguishing separate sources within the same parentheses. Additionally, the order is Lindley followed by Johnson, which is not alphabetical since Johnson should come before Lindley.
In many style guides (e.g., APA), multiple parenthetical citations should be separated by semicolons, and the entries should be alphabetized by the surname of the first author within the parentheses. Applying this rule, Johnson comes before Lindley, so 'Johnson, 2023; Lindley, 2020' is the proper order and punctuation.
Therefore, Option 1 is correct because it uses a semicolon to separate sources and lists them in alphabetical order by author, which aligns with standard citation conventions. Option 2 is incorrect due to both the comma separation (instead of a semicolon) and the non-alphabetical order of authors within the parentheses.

_CAES1001_INTEGRITY_1_2025 Task 6.2 Using accurate in-text citations and referencing format

5. Which citation in the example below is correct?

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