Citando

Citando is the gerund form of the verb citar in Portuguese and Spanish, meaning the act of quoting or citing a source. The root verb citar comes from Latin citare, meaning to summon, name, or mention. In both languages, citando is used to indicate that someone is referring to another author’s words or ideas, often to support a claim, attribute a statement, or introduce paraphrase or direct quotation.

In academic and journalistic writing, citando serves as a connective device to foreground source material. It commonly accompanies bibliographic references or follows a clause that names the source, for example: “Citando estudios recientes, alega que…” or “Citando a autores como…” Direct quotations may be enclosed in quotation marks, while paraphrased information can be introduced with citando to signal attribution without a verbatim excerpt.

Differences between Portuguese and Spanish usage are subtle and mostly stylistic. In both languages, the past participle citado corresponds to “cited” in English, while citando marks ongoing quoting activity. The term is neutral and widely used across formal and informal registers.

Related concepts include citar, citación, cita textual, and bibliographic citation formats such as APA, MLA, or Chicago, which govern how quoted material is presented and referenced. Citando thus functions as a linguistic and rhetorical tool for linking statements to external sources while maintaining clear attribution.