Citation vs Quotation
In any written text, whether it is original or inspired by any previous work, there is often mention of another piece of text to support a view point or to prove a point. There are two ways of doing this. They are known as citation and quotation. Though these are similar terms serving the same purpose, they are not identical and it is wrong to use these words interchangeably. This article will explain the differences between these two concepts to remove any doubts from the minds of readers.
Quotation
If you are writing about something and wish to bolster your point of view, you can refer to an earlier text that is well known or is considered otherwise authentic. While quoting someone else, what is necessary is that you use the same words and apply quotation marks in the beginning and at the end. Thus in essence you are repeating what has been said or written earlier to prove your point of view. In quotation, you have to repeat verbatim and not paraphrase. Thus you are reproducing the view point word by word and emphasize it also by the use of quotation marks. Here are a few examples of the use of the word quote.
My brother has a habit of quoting famous people.
The teacher asked students to quote a few lines from the poem in the exam.
Among those famous, Shakespeare is quoted most often.
Citation
Citation is another way of using written text from a source to bolster your view point. But unlike quotation, citation does not require you to reproduce the entire text. You can write it in your own words and there is no need to use quotation marks even. You merely use what a reputed writer has written earlier as you wish to add weight to what you are saying. Citation makes use of view points of those who are considered to be authority in the field you are writing upon. For example, if you are writing something about motion and wish to authenticate your view point, you can easily cite Newton’s laws of motion. Similarly, if writing something on psychoanalysis, you can easily cite the work of Freud to bolster your view point or add weight to it. When using the word citation while speaking, here is how to go about.
The speaker cited the high rate of automobile accidents to add weight to his theory.
Attorney cited earlier judgments to convince the jury about the innocence of his client.
Helen cited the works of great authors in her essay.
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In brief: Citation vs Quotation • Citation and quotation are two ways to refer to earlier works to bolster one’s point of view • Quotation requires you reproduce entire text along with quotation marks. On the other had, you are at liberty to paraphrase the text in your own words and there is no need to make use of quotation marks. • Citation is general where you casually refer to an earlier view point. On the other hand, quotation is specific and requires reproduction of the actual text.
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