diff --git a/src/Cite.php b/src/Cite.php
index f5e41613b..5a89d6263 100644
--- a/src/Cite.php
+++ b/src/Cite.php
@@ -513,9 +513,9 @@ class Cite {
 		$s = '';
 		foreach ( $this->referenceStack->getGroups() as $group ) {
 			if ( $group === self::DEFAULT_GROUP || $isSectionPreview ) {
-				$s .= "\n" . $this->formatReferences( $parser, $group );
+				$s .= $this->formatReferences( $parser, $group );
 			} else {
-				$s .= "\n<br />" . $this->errorReporter->halfParsed(
+				$s .= '<br />' . $this->errorReporter->halfParsed(
 					$parser,
 					'cite_error_group_refs_without_references',
 					Sanitizer::safeEncodeAttribute( $group )
@@ -532,13 +532,13 @@ class Cite {
 				) . $s;
 			}
 			// provide a preview of references in its own section
-			$s = "\n" . Html::rawElement(
+			$s = Html::rawElement(
 				'div',
 				[ 'class' => 'mw-ext-cite-cite_section_preview_references' ],
 				$s
 			);
 		}
-		return $s;
+		return $s !== '' ? "\n" . $s : '';
 	}
 
 	/**
diff --git a/tests/phpunit/CiteIntegrationTest.php b/tests/phpunit/CiteIntegrationTest.php
index aadfdcdf7..a6bb08e9d 100644
--- a/tests/phpunit/CiteIntegrationTest.php
+++ b/tests/phpunit/CiteIntegrationTest.php
@@ -68,14 +68,14 @@ class CiteIntegrationTest extends \MediaWikiIntegrationTestCase {
 			'Default group' => [
 				[ '' => [ [ 'name' => 'a' ] ] ],
 				false,
-				"\n" . '<references />'
+				"\n<references />"
 			],
 			'Default group in preview' => [
 				[ '' => [ [ 'name' => 'a' ] ] ],
 				true,
 				"\n" . '<div class="mw-ext-cite-cite_section_preview_references">' .
 				'<h2 id="mw-ext-cite-cite_section_preview_references_header">' .
-				'(cite_section_preview_references)</h2>' . "\n" . '<references /></div>'
+				'(cite_section_preview_references)</h2><references /></div>'
 			],
 			'Named group' => [
 				[ 'foo' => [ [ 'name' => 'a' ] ] ],
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ class CiteIntegrationTest extends \MediaWikiIntegrationTestCase {
 				true,
 				"\n" . '<div class="mw-ext-cite-cite_section_preview_references">' .
 				'<h2 id="mw-ext-cite-cite_section_preview_references_header">' .
-				'(cite_section_preview_references)</h2>' . "\n" . '<references /></div>'
+				'(cite_section_preview_references)</h2><references /></div>'
 			]
 		];
 	}