Citing Sources

Abstract

In academic books and journal articles, and often in other material, authors frequently refer the reader to the source of some information or idea. Most commonly, this is described as a reference. Technically, the source is the material to which reference is made (usually a journal article or a book), and referring the reader to the source is the reference. However, the terms “reference” and “source” are often used interchangeably and, for practical purposes, they may be regarded as being synonymous. To confuse matters further, referring to a source in this way is usually referred to as citing a source. Sometimes, therefore, referring to a source is described as a citation.