Citations

A citation is a formal reference to a source used in a document. It serves to credit the original author, support claims with evidence, and enable readers to locate the source for further study. Citations help establish the reliability of the work, provide context, and guard against plagiarism.

Citations appear in several forms. In-text citations or signal phrases reference sources within the main body of the text, while footnotes or endnotes provide additional notes at the bottom of a page or at the end of a document. Full bibliographic entries appear in a reference list or bibliography. Typical citation data include author names, work title, source or publication venue, date, and location details such as page numbers, volume/issue, or a digital identifier like a DOI or URL.

Styles: Various disciplines use citation styles such as APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, or Vancouver. They differ in formatting and the order of elements, but share the goal of clear attribution and retrievability. Some styles emphasize author and date; others rely on numbered references.

Purpose and use: In academic writing, citations substantiate arguments and direct readers to sources. In journalism, they attribute quotes and facts. In legal writing, they reference statutes, cases, and regulations. In encyclopedic or collaborative work, citations support verification and transparency.

Best practices: Cite primary sources when possible, distinguish direct quotes from paraphrase, verify accuracy of bibliographic details, and provide persistent access information like DOIs or stable URLs. If quoting, use quotation marks and include page numbers when available.

Ethics: Proper citation prevents plagiarism and respects intellectual property, while inadequate or missing citations can undermine credibility and result in disciplinary or legal consequences.