iqtibos

Iqtibas (Arabic: اقتباس) is a term used in Arabic, Urdu, Persian, and Turkish to denote quotation, excerpt, or citation. It refers to the act of quoting text from another author or source, and to the text that is quoted. Iqtibas covers both direct quotations (verbatim repetition of the original wording) and indirect quotations (paraphrase or summary), as well as partial quotations or interpolations within a larger passage.

In literary and rhetorical contexts, iqtibas is a conventional device used to illustrate an argument, establish authority, or contrast viewpoints by citing authorities or texts. In Arabic rhetoric, Persian literary tradition, and their modern varieties, it remains a common scholarly and stylistic technique.

In contemporary practice, iqtibas requires accurate attribution and faithful transcription of the source. Ethical use involves avoiding misquotation or misattribution, clearly indicating the source, and providing sufficient bibliographic details such as author, title, publication date, and, where relevant, page numbers. Formatting conventions for iqtibas vary by style guide (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.), including whether to use quotation marks, block quotes, and how to handle translations.

In multilingual contexts, the term iqtibas is used similarly across languages, with local spellings such as Urdu اقتباس, Turkish iktibas, and Persian اقتباس.