There are certain texts that you do not cite the usual way. The Bible and
the Qur'an for example, even though you may have problems with the
deuterocanonical texts, but still you go on citing, e.g., Sirach 33:25. Or
you may want to specify the version: e.g., KJV. Similarly for fathers of
the church: Thomas Aquinas ST IIa.IIae.77 (Summa Theologiae, Secunda,
secundae partis, article 77) or a reference to Migne's (the God's
plagiarizer)patrologia graeca (PG) or latina (PL) vol. and coll. for other
fathers of the church. In the references you may wish to specify if you
used the original and which edition (e.g., the Leonine) or which
translation (e.g., of the Fathers of the English Dominican Province)

In ancient Greek or Roman texts there are standard citation modes e.g.,
(Arist. EN1140a2 ; Pol.1254a5)
which means Nicomachean Ethics and Politics and then Bekker page column
line, even though you are not using Bekker's (1831) text of the Corpus
Aristotelicum.  If there is no Bekker line (e.g., the Constitution of
Athens), you give a page reference to the book you used. If you think that
the text is suspect you may add (ps.)-Arist. In the references you just
give the text you used e.g.,

Aristotle (1926) Nicomachean Ethics, with an English translation by H.
Rackham, Heinemann, London (Loeb classical library).

Since each philologist makes different judgements about the text
interpreting the codices used, citing the text you used (or the
translation thereof) is important.  You may even use different dates for
texts or translations for the same author if you are commenting on the
different texts or translations. Thus, the references might include the
following:

Aristotle (1497), Aristoteles, Ethica ad Nicomachum; Johanne Argyropylo
interprete.  Johannes Higman & Wolfgangus Hopyl, Paris
Aristotle (ca.1496-1500) Ethica ad Nicomachum, Henrico Krosbein
interprete, cum commentis Martini Magistri et Johannis Buridani. Andreas
Bocard pro Johanne Petit, Paris
Aristotle (1629), Guilielmo Du Val Aristotelis Opera Omnia quae extant,
graece & latine, veterum ac recentiorum interpretum. Typis Regiis, apud
Societatem Graecarum Editionum, Lutetiae Parisiorum (Paris)
Aristotle (1894), Aristotelis Ethica Nicomachea. Bywater I (ed).
Clarendon, Oxford
Aristotle (1926) Nicomachean Ethics. Rackham H (ed, transl). Heinemann,
London
Aristotle (1980) Nicomachean Ethics. Ross WD (transl), Ackrill JL, Urmson
JO (revis. transl.). Oxford World Classics, Oxford
Aristotle (2000) Nicomachean Ethics. Crisp R (ed, transl). Cambridge
University Press, Cambridge

Context would provide how much information you are prepared to give. E.g.,

Hutcheson, F. (1726/1897) An Inquiry Concerning the Original of our Ideas
of Virtue or Moral Good, in L.A. Selby-Bigge (ed), British Moralists,
being Selections from Writers principally of the Eighteenth Century,
Clarendon Press, Oxford, vol. 1, pp. 67-177.

The first edition was 1725 and Shelby-Bigge used the second 1726 edition.
Do you write (1725/1726/1897)?.

In many cases you have standard variorum editions Glasgow for Smith,
Sraffa for Ricardo. You may write 1776/1976, 1817/1951.  But would you
write "see the chapter on machinery (1817/1951)"?

With Malthus Essay on Population later editions may contain different
versions. You should make clear the one you used.  Texts appear and
disappear from editions: Walras on Wicksteed, Malthus on Nature's table,
Coleridge on opium and political economy.  I think a reasonable practice
is to use a good variorum edition and provide the date of the first
publication and the date of the variorum edition, e.g.,

Say, J.-B. (1803/2006) Traité d’économie politique, variorum edition of
the six editions by C. Mouchot in J.-B. Say, Œuvres Complètes, vol. 1,
Economica, Paris.

It all depends on context and good scholarship.

A book which I found very useful on the matter is Umberto Eco's _Come si
fa una tesi di laurea_, Milan, Bompiani, 1977.  There is, however, no
English translation but there are in Greek, German, Spanish, Portuguese,
Russian, Danish, Slovenian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Czech,
Dutch and Finnish.

Nicholas Theocarakis