Skip to main content
2 of 3
edited title
Drew
  • 1.5k
  • 8
  • 18

Is it acceptable to use the citation references like [1] or [Joh] as nouns in mathematical writing?

I have seen this enough times that I thought it was common practice, but I recently saw someone on a website about writing tips (can't find the link now) say that this was not good. I am hoping to get opinions from people who review or make publication decisions about whether this is viewed negatively.

Examples:

In [3], the authors prove that...

Our theorem generalizes the results in [ABH], showing that...

I kind of like it---it seems clear and succinct. On the other hand, I can see how someone could object to it.

Hope this is on topic for MO.

Drew
  • 1.5k
  • 8
  • 18