citation
B2Formal/Academic
Definition
Meaning
a formal reference to a published or unpublished source (especially in academic writing); a summons to appear in court; a formal recognition of achievement.
An exact quotation from a text; an instance of being officially mentioned or awarded for merit; the act of citing something.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The word strongly associates with authority, proof, and formal recognition. It can denote both the act of citing and the cited item itself.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Legal usage (a court summons) is more common in US English. In UK law, the more common terms are 'summons' or 'charge'.
Connotations
In both, academic 'citation' is neutral/procedural. 'Citation' for a traffic violation has negative connotations in US English.
Frequency
High frequency in academic contexts globally. The 'traffic citation' sense is high-frequency in US everyday speech.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
citation of + sourcecitation for + achievement/offencecitation from + textcitation in + publicationVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “a citation for bravery”
- “to be in the citations (academic)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare. Might refer to an award for employee safety.
Academic
Primary context. Refers to referencing sources in research.
Everyday
Mainly US: 'He got a citation for speeding.' Also for awards/recognition.
Technical
Used in linguistics for an instance of a word/phrase in use; in library science for bibliographic data.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The author was cited for contempt of court.
- The study cites several recent findings.
American English
- The officer cited him for jaywalking.
- Her paper cites all the relevant precedents.
adverb
British English
- The source was cited correctly.
- He was cited approvingly in the judgement.
American English
- The work is frequently cited.
- She was cited specifically for her leadership.
adjective
British English
- The citation format must follow Harvard style.
- Citation analysis is a key bibliometric tool.
American English
- Please use proper citation style.
- The citation database was updated.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The teacher asked for a citation from the book.
- The police gave him a citation.
- You must include a citation for every fact you use.
- He received a citation for his bravery.
- The article's citation of outdated statistics weakened its argument.
- Her numerous academic citations demonstrate her influence in the field.
- The judge's ruling included a citation of a landmark case from the 19th century.
- Plagiarism software detected several passages without proper citation.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: 'CITE-a-shun' – you CITE it, then you have a CITATION.
Conceptual Metaphor
CITATION IS EVIDENCE / CITATION IS RECOGNITION.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Не путать с 'цитата' (quotation). 'Citation' шире: это и ссылка, и вызов в суд. 'Цитата' – только quotation.
- В академическом контексте 'citation' – это именно ссылка на источник, а не просто 'упоминание'.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'citation' to mean any mention (too broad).
- Confusing 'citation' (the reference) with 'bibliography' (the list).
- Misspelling as 'sitation'.
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'citation' LEAST likely to be used in UK English?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
A citation is a brief in-text marker (e.g., (Smith, 2020)) pointing to a source. A reference is the full bibliographic detail of that source, usually listed at the end of a document.
Yes, the verb is 'to cite'. 'Citation' is the noun form referring to the instance or result of citing.
No. In academia it's neutral. For an achievement (e.g., bravery) it's positive. In US legal contexts (e.g., traffic citation) it's negative, meaning a fine or summons.
Common styles include APA (psychology), MLA (humanities), Chicago (history), and Harvard (various). Each has specific rules for formatting in-text citations and reference lists.
Collections
Part of a collection
Scientific Terminology
C1 · 44 words · Precise vocabulary used in scientific disciplines.
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