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citation

sy-TAY-shun /saɪˈteɪʃən/

nounB2TOEFLIELTSSATGRE

academic

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

Serves as explicitly recorded proof crediting original creators while validating academic research claims.

The story behind the word. From Latin 'citare', meaning 'to call forth' or 'summon as a witness'. In academic writing, a citation 'summons' the original author to testify to the truth of your claim.

Word relationships

attribution: Attribution acknowledges authorship broadly, whereas citation follows a specific bibliographic format.
reference: Reference points readers to a source material generally, while citation specifically marks a quoted or used fact.

omission: Omission is leaving out necessary source credits.

Commonly confused with

recitation: Recitation is repeating poetry or text aloud from memory, while citation is citing a formal reference in writing.

Word family

cite (verb): To quote or refer to as authority.

Collocations

provide a citation
citation style
proper citation
citation index

Idioms & expressions

give credit where credit is due

Example sentences

"Every direct quote in your research paper must be followed by an exact parenthetical citation." Academic Writing
"The professor's paper received over five hundred citations in leading scientific journals." Scholarly Publishing

Memory hook

CITE a site where you found the information to make a valid CITATION. Summoning an author as witness

When not to use

Do not use for informal verbal praise unless referring to a military/official award citation.

Fun facts

In academic research, a paper's impact is measured by its 'citation count' — how many future papers call upon it.