Meaning & use
loc. cit.
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Meaning
abbreviationformalspecialist
Used in a note to refer again to the exact page or passage cited just before.
Grammar: Stands alone in a footnote or reference list; it is not used in running text.
Patterns
- loc. cit.
- see loc. cit.
The same argument appears in Smith, loc. cit.
For the full quotation, see Jones 1998, p. 45; loc. cit. for the following page.
Older papers often use loc. cit. instead of repeating a full reference.
Common combinations
- see loc. cit.
- For the earlier discussion, see loc. cit.
- as in loc. cit.
- The figures are given as in loc. cit.
- Smith, loc. cit.
- The point is made again in Smith, loc. cit.
Synonyms and how they differ
- ibid.
- Also points back to a previous source, but ibid. refers to the same work generally, while loc. cit. points to the same exact passage.
Commonly confused: loc. cit. or ibid.? loc. cit. or op. cit.?
loc. cit. vs ibid.
Both are Latin reference abbreviations; ibid. means 'in the same work', loc. cit. means 'in the place already cited'.
loc. cit. vs op. cit.
op. cit. refers to a work cited earlier but not immediately before; loc. cit. points to the precise passage just cited.
Practice
In a footnote, which abbreviation points back to the exact passage just cited?
Choose one answer.
loc. cit. means the same place or passage was cited just before. ibid. refers to the same work but not necessarily the same passage, op. cit. refers to a work cited earlier, and et al. means 'and others' for authors.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “loc. cit.”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.