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citation

sy-TAY-shun /saɪˈteɪʃən/

nounB2TOEFLIELTS

formalacademic

A quotation from or reference to a book, paper, or author, especially in a scholarly work.

Essential for academic integrity and giving credit where it's due. It provides specific details to locate the original source.

The story behind the word. `Citation` comes from the Latin `citare`, meaning 'to summon, call, urge.' In ancient Rome, it was used for summoning someone to court. Later, it evolved to mean 'to call forth' a passage from a text, essentially 'summoning' the original author's words to support your own argument.

Word relationships

reference: Broader term; a citation is a specific type of reference with full source details.
acknowledgment: The act of giving credit; a citation is the specific format for doing so.
quotation: The exact words copied; a citation indicates where those words came from.

Word family

cite (verb): to quote (a passage, book, or author) as evidence for or justification of an argument or statement

Collocations

proper citation
citation style
citation needed
in-text citation

Example sentences

"Every direct quote in your essay must be followed by a proper citation to its source." Academic writing requirements.
"The lawyer included a detailed citation to the previous court ruling to support her argument." Referencing legal precedents.

Memory hook

A `citation` is a `sit`-uation where you `cite` (mention) a source. Cite a source.

When not to use

For general references that don't specifically point to a source (e.g., 'I made a general reference to history' not 'I made a general citation to history').

Fun facts

The term 'citation' can also refer to a summons to appear in court or a commendation for bravery.