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citation

sy-TAY-shun /saɪˈteɪʃən/

nounB2GRETOEFLIELTS

academicformal

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

It's the formal act of acknowledging the source of information or ideas, crucial for academic integrity and avoiding plagiarism.

The story behind the word. The word 'citation' comes from the Latin 'citatio,' meaning 'a summoning, a calling.' This is derived from 'citare,' meaning 'to rouse, excite, summon, call.' In a legal sense, it meant to summon someone to court. In academic terms, when you 'cite' a source, you are 'calling forth' or 'summoning' the original author's words or ideas to support your own, giving them due credit.

Word relationships

reference: A general term for a source of information, often used interchangeably with citation in academic contexts.
acknowledgment: An act of recognizing or admitting, broader than a specific citation.
quotation: A group of words taken from a text or speech and repeated by someone other than the original author or speaker.

Commonly confused with

plagiarism: A 'citation' is the act of giving credit to a source, while 'plagiarism' is the act of using someone else's work without proper citation.

Word family

cite (verb): to quote (a passage, book, or author) as evidence for or justification of an argument or statement, especially in a scholarly work
citable (adjective): able to be cited

Collocations

proper citation
academic citation
citation style
add a citation
citation count

Example sentences

"Every direct quote and paraphrased idea required a proper citation to avoid accusations of plagiarism." A student writing a research paper.
"The number of times a paper is cited by other scholars is often used as a metric of its influence within a field." A researcher evaluating the impact of a paper.

Memory hook

To 'SITE' a source, you need a 'CITATION'. Site Source

When not to use

While 'citation' can also mean a summons to appear in court or an official commendation, in academic contexts, it almost exclusively refers to referencing sources. Avoid using it in a legal or military sense unless the context is very clear.

Fun facts

The legal meaning of 'citation' (a summons or a ticket) predates its academic usage in English.