Citat

Citat is the repetition of someone else's exact words or a passage from their writing or speech. It is used to present authority, preserve original nuance, or analyze source material. Citations come in two main forms: direct quotation, where the words are copied verbatim; and indirect quotation, or paraphrase, where the content is restated in the writer's own words.

Direct quotations are usually enclosed in quotation marks or other language-specific punctuation. They should faithfully reproduce the wording, punctuation, and capitalization of the original, with any omissions indicated by ellipses and clarifications by brackets. If the quotation includes material not in the source, brackets may indicate additions or changes.

Indirect quotations do not use quotation marks and instead rewrite the original meaning in the writer's own words. They should still accurately reflect the source and may require a citation to the original work.

Attribution is essential: a citat should be clearly attributed to the source with bibliographic details sufficient to locate the original text. In academic writing, quotation and citation styles (for example APA, MLA, Chicago) specify how to format quotes, how to handle long quotations (block quotes), and how to include page numbers or timestamps.

Typography varies by language: many languages use double quotation marks, others use single marks or guillemets. In Swedish and related languages, the term citat also covers the punctuation used to mark quoted text, known as citattecken.