"Quotation" and "citation"

[kaliban]

Hi guys,

I have a problem finding the difference between "to quote" ("quotation") and "to cite" ("citation"). There has to be some, huh? :)

In my academic research I've come across "quotations" far more often than "citations".

[Tdol]

I use citation to mean the act of ackowledging a source used in writing.

[twostep]

In US citation is used in legal terms while quotation is used in communication.

[kaliban]

Thank you for the replies.

Well, I suppose that in most cases you can use either of them without changing the meaning of a sentence. Can you think of a situation in which one couldn't be used synonymously instead of the other? And what about British English?

[DavyBCN]

Thank you for the replies.
Well, I suppose that in most cases you can use either of them without changing the meaning of a sentence. Can you think of a situation in which one couldn't be used synonymously instead of the other? And what about British English?

As a native British speaker (and teacher of English) citation is an American English word which is rarely used in my home country. I agree that quotation is often used just to quote the words, while citation is a more accurate word to use when you name the person or reference you are quoting.

Citation's other meaning - in the legal sense - is hardly ever used in the UK. I cannot think of an exact British English equivalenet, probably because of the differeing legal systems. Remember also that quotation is used as a noun when someone gives you the price of something.