Here are 10 words and phrases you should know about citations and references in academic writing.

Academic Writing Vocabulary for Citations and Referencing

A citation is a general term for referring to the source of information, ideas, or quotes that you use in your work. Citations can be written, as in academic papers, or oral, as in presentations.

An in-text citation is a brief reference within a text that directs the reader to the full source details in the reference list. It usually includes the author’s last name and the publication year, or a number.

An integral citation is when the author's name is part of the sentence in a text, allowing focus to be on who did the research being referred to.

A non-integral citation is when the author's name is not part of the sentence structure and is either placed in parentheses, or is a number, at the end of the sentence or clause.

A quote is a direct, word-for-word repetition of someone else's words. Quotes are enclosed in quotation marks and must be attributed to the original source.

Paraphrasing is the process of restating someone else's ideas or information in your own words while maintaining the original meaning. It still requires citation to the original source.

A reference includes the author’s name, publication date, title of the work, and publication details to allow someone to locate the original source of information.

Plagiarism is the act of using someone else's work, ideas, or words without proper attribution or citation, passing them off as your own. It is considered a serious academic and ethical violation.

A reference list is a list of all the references cited in a text, placed at the end of the document. The format and organization of a reference list depend on the citation style being used (e.g., APA, MLA).

A source is any material or content that provides information, ideas, data, or evidence that you use in your work. Sources can include books, articles, websites, interviews, videos and others.