Citation is an essential task when creating documents and materials. However, if you do not cite correctly, it may lead to troubles such as copyright infringement. To avoid trouble, you need to understand the difference between quoting and reprinting and how to write sources.
In this article, we will explain the difference between citations and related work, things to keep in mind when quoting, recommended citation sources, and how to write citations for each medium. If you often create documents or materials, or if you want to know how to cite correctly, please refer to this article.
What is a citation?
Quoting refers to inserting text or figures written by someone else into your own text.
Quotations allow you to support or emphasize your arguments, ideas, and logic.
If you do not quote in the correct format, you may infringe on the copyright of a third party, which may lead to trouble, so please be careful of the following points.
I will explain the above in detail.
Clearly different from your own text
You must clearly distinguish between the source of the quotation and your own text. Insert the quotation in a way that is obvious to everyone, and use quotation marks and line breaks to emphasize the source.
If you confuse the quoted text with your own text, it could lead to trouble as plagiarism or plagiarism. If you are not able to separate your own and other people’s texts, you may run afoul of the requirements for quoting copyrighted works.
There is a master-servant relationship
The master-slave relationship refers to the ratio of your own text to the cited text in the entire text. The one with a larger ratio is the “master”, and the one with a smaller ratio is the “subordinate”.
There is no problem as long as your own sentence is the “main” part of the text and the quoted text is the “subordinate” part. Looking at the text as a whole, make sure that there are more sentences from your company than quotations.
If the requirements for a master-servant relationship are not met, it may be considered a copyright violation. Use quotations only as supplements to your own writing.
The source has not been modified
Do not modify the text or figures you quote. When quoting, copy and paste the text or diagrams exactly as they are and clearly indicate the source. If you alter the quoted text or figures, it may be considered fraudulent and may lead to trouble.
Also, one of the quoting methods is “indirect quoting”. Indirect quotations are used by summarizing the original text to the extent that it does not lose its meaning, but to avoid unnecessary trouble, use “direct quotations” that copy the original text as is.
Difference between reference, reference, and reprint
The following words are similar to quotation:
Each has a different meaning, nuance, and usage, so be careful not to confuse them. I will explain it in detail below.
Differences from reference
References are used when you want to compare your own opinion or information with other charts or text that have already been published. The meaning is similar to that of reference, but reference refers to cases where a hint is obtained from something that clearly exists in the form of a diagram or document. In addition, like citations and references, references often specify documents, figures, and tables as the “reference source.”
Differences from reference
Referencing means getting hints for your own thinking from other people’s opinions or documents. It has a similar meaning to reference, but reference is often used more widely.
A reference is used when you develop your own ideas or images based on some information or opinion. References may also specify the name of a document or website as a reference source, but there is less need to distinguish them as strictly as with citations.
Difference from reprint
Reprinting, similar to quoting, refers to inserting text or diagrams written by someone else into your own internal texts. When a document contains a large proportion of other people’s text or figures, the word reprint is used instead of quotation.
Reproduction can easily lead to problems such as copyright infringement and plagiarism, so permission from the author is required.
Please include the source and clearly state that the reprint was made with the permission of the author.
Type of citation
There are two types of citations:
direct quote
A direct quotation is written without changing the source text word for word. Even if there are typos or omissions in the source text, there is a basic rule that prohibits you from changing the content, so please refrain from making any changes.
In addition, direct quotations are written differently depending on whether the quoted text is short or long. For more details, see the section “How to write citations” below.
indirect quotation
On the other hand, indirect quotations are written by summarizing the source text in your own way. Since you will be changing the content of the cited work, you will need to devise ways of expression before and after the quoted part so that you can distinguish between your own text and the quoted text.
In addition, care must be taken to ensure that the content of the work is not conveyed differently than the original intent due to the abridgement. In the case of indirect quotations, you must be very careful, especially if you do not clearly state the source, as it may be treated as plagiarism.
How to write quotations
We will explain how to write citations.
How to write a direct quote
Direct quotations are written differently depending on whether the quoted text is short or long.
How to quote a short text directly
If the passage to be quoted is short, enclose it in square brackets (“”).
| Short sentences – direct quotation basic form |
|
① The person in charge said, “Quotation…” (superscript number + second half of superscript brackets). ② Specify the source (superscript number + second half of superscript brackets) Author name.Page name.Website name.Publication year.Page number.URL, (reference date) |
| Short sentences – direct quotation concrete examples |
|
Research on advertising marketing and consumer psychology points out that “advertising is a communication method used to promote sales of products and services.”¹⁾
1) Wakako Usami, Shinichi Sakai. Research on marketing and consumer psychology. Tokyo Kasei Gakuin University. 2006-05-17, p.1 |
How to write a direct quotation from a long text (block quotation)
Quoting a long text directly is called a block quotation. Here, instead of enclosing it in angle brackets, create one line spacing above and below the quotation, and lower the left end by two characters. The basic rule for block quotations is to write the source text as is, so no changes will be made.
| Long text – direct quotation basic form |
|
① According to the investigation report of the person in charge, the following results were obtained. ② Specify the source (superscript number + second half of superscript brackets) Author name.Page name.Website name.Publication year.Page number.URL, (reference date) |
| Long text – direct quotation example |
|
Wakako Usami says the following about the importance of advertising: Advertising plays an important role in corporate marketing activities, and advertising is a communication method used to promote sales of products and services. Marketing through advertising means providing information with value that moves people’s hearts and impresses them. Companies and advertisement senders recognize the importance of not only understanding consumer psychology, but also setting targets and creating added value, and provide information and messages that are easy to understand to senders (consumers). Must do. ¹⁾ Advertising plays an extremely important role as a means of communication.
1) Wakako Usami, Shinichi Sakai. Research on marketing and consumer psychology. Tokyo Kasei Gakuin University. 2006-05-17.p.1 |
How to write indirect quotations
For indirect quotations, summarize the source text in your own way. Quotations should not be enclosed in square brackets, and sentences should be carefully constructed to avoid misrepresenting the author’s intent.
| indirect quotation basic form |
|
① The person in charge said the quotation… (superscript number + the last half of the superscript bracket). ② Specify the source (superscript number + second half of superscript brackets) Author name.Page name.Website name.Publication year.Page number.URL, (reference date) |
| Indirect quotation example |
|
Research on advertising marketing and consumer psychology points out that advertising is a communication method used to promote sales of products and services.
1) Wakako Usami, Shinichi Sakai. Research on marketing and consumer psychology. Tokyo Kasei Gakuin University. 2006-05-17.p.1 |
How to write citations on the web
We will explain how to write citations on the web.
Clearly separate the quoted text from your own text
The text you are quoting from and your own text must be clearly separated so that anyone can tell the difference. Particularly in indirect quotations, where you summarize the contents of a work in your own way, if you don’t make a clear distinction, it may be interpreted as plagiarism and cause trouble.
In addition to angle brackets, there are other ways to make it easier to understand, such as using double quotation marks (= “”) or color-coding only quoted sentences.
Use quotation marks
For example, some
WordPress
and free blogging services allow you to use quotation marks. In WordPress, you can turn a text into a quote simply by selecting the text and clicking the “Quote” icon from “Add Block” on the editor screen.
Also, even if there is no quotation icon, you can use the “blockquote tag = <blockquote> ~ </blockquote>” to make it a quotation. By using the “blockquote tag”, you can not only visually see it, but also let crawlers know that it is a quote.
How to write when quoting images
When quoting an image, write the source of the image such as “Source: 〇〇〇〇 or “Reference: 〇〇〇〇 below the quoted image. Specifically, it is written as follows.
| How to write when quoting an image Basic form |
| Source: Page title + link site name (source URL) |
| Examples of how to quote images |
|
Source: What is a citation? Explanation of the difference between reference, reference, and reprint, their meaning, and how to write MarkeTRUNK (https://www..co.jp/mk/column/52371) |
We also use the “blockquote tag” to notify crawlers that the image is a quoted image.
How to cite a book
When citing a book, you cannot post
a link
, so be sure to clearly state the author’s name, book title, publisher, etc. Specifically, it is written as follows.
| Basic form of how to quote a book |
| Author name. Book title. Edition display, publisher, year of publication, total number of pages or page number of cited part, (series name, number of series). |
| Examples of how to cite a book |
|
■When writing the total number of pages Natsume Soseki. I am a cat. Kadokawa Shoten, 1998, 578p. ■When writing the page number of a quotation Natsume Soseki. I am a cat. Kadokawa Shoten, 1998, p.1 |
How to quote SNS posts
If you want to quote a post on SNS, you can easily do so by using the embedding feature. The SNS embedding feature is a feature that allows users to paste user content posted on SNS onto websites, blogs, etc.
The procedure for embedding on SNS is basically the same for all services. Select “Embed” from the menu button and select “Copy embed code” to register it to the clipboard. All you have to do is paste it where you want to quote it.
5 points to keep in mind when quoting
To avoid trouble when quoting, please note the following points.
I will explain in detail.
Clearly distinguish between your own text and cited texts
In order to make it clear that your company’s text is different from the quoted text, the quoted text must be clearly distinguishable from anyone’s point of view. When quoting, use quotation marks (such as “” or “”), use line breaks or borders, or italicize text to clearly separate it from your own text.
Also, be sure to add footnotes to the quoted text and specify the literature/website you cited based on the citation format.
Check to see if there is any copyright infringement
Other people’s documents and diagrams are copyrighted. Therefore, if you quote it without permission, it may be considered a copyright infringement, and in the worst case, it could lead to a lawsuit. Depending on the purpose of use of your company’s documents, there may be cases of copyright infringement, so be careful whether the use falls within the scope of the author’s expectations and whether it is used for an appropriate purpose.
Don’t just use quotations
If you quote the entire document, even if you clearly indicate the source, it will be treated as a reprint. If you reprint it, there is a risk that it will be considered fraudulent, and it may lead to troubles such as lawsuits.
Also, if you do not indicate the source, it will be considered plagiarism. When quoting, cut out only the necessary parts, and make sure that it is obvious to everyone that the work is from someone else’s documents or diagrams.
Don’t “pull grandchildren”
Reproduction refers to the secondary use of documents and charts cited in the source media. In other words, it is a state in which something that was originally cited is further quoted.
If you use second-order references, the information may become unreliable, or you may end up quoting the original text incorrectly, which will not have a positive effect on the creator of the text or materials.
Therefore, if the source is clearly indicated, please cite the original text. If a source is not listed for information where accuracy is important, such as numbers or data, you can avoid trouble by using information that has some level of credibility, such as government statistics or papers. .
Please state the source information as is.
When quoting documents or figures, be sure to include accurate source information. When listing sources, it is necessary to check that there are no mistakes in the names of books/authors, website URLs, etc.
Also, when quoting from a long document such as an essay, writing in the format indicated by the source will increase your professionalism.
Recommended sources
The following media are useful as citation sources:
I will explain in detail.
information on the internet
[How to write sources]
Author name. Website name. URL, (date accessed).
Information on the Internet, including websites, can be easily cited by copying and pasting, which is very convenient.
On the other hand, there is a lot of unreliable information that has not been verified as factual, and there is a risk of quoting incorrect information. When quoting information from the Internet, check whether the source is reliable and who the author is.
Nowadays, there is a lot of reliable information such as data published by government offices and databases of papers and newspapers. Limit your search to highly accurate information such as information published by public institutions or universities or PDFs, rather than information from summary sites.
books
[How to write sources]
Author name. Book title. Edition display, publisher, year of publication, total number of pages (relevant pages), (series name, number of series).
Books are a medium that is often used as a citation source because information can be easily accessed through libraries. It is more reliable than information on the Internet, but if the book is too old, the information may be incorrect. When citing books, be sure to include the source and the year the first edition was published.
paper
[How to write sources]
Author name. Article title. Magazine name. Publication year, volume number (issue number), and relevant pages.
Papers have a high degree of credibility as a citation source, so they are suitable if you want to make more accurate citations.
When citing a paper, it is best to include not only the paper title and author name, but also the journal name, publisher (society name), and relevant page.
Also, when citing English papers, be sure to write the citation in italics.
newspaper
[How to write sources]
Article title. Newspaper name. Publication date, morning edition/evening edition, edition, and relevant pages.
Newspapers, along with articles, are highly reliable media. In addition to paper newspapers, there are also online newspapers and databases, so change the notation of the source to suit the medium. In addition, one of the unique ways of writing sources for newspapers is to specify whether the paper is a morning edition or an evening edition. Don’t forget to write it down along with the date.
summary
In this article, we explained the difference between quotations and other phrases, points to be careful about when quoting, recommended sources of quotation, and how to write citations for each medium. Quotations allow you to supplement or emphasize your own ideas and arguments.
On the other hand, if you do not cite correctly, it may be considered unauthorized citation, plagiarism, or plagiarism, which can lead to trouble. When quoting, keep the balance of the entire document in mind, and pay attention to the writing style and format of the source.