Citation vs. Attribution
Even though they share characteristics, citations, and attributions play different roles and appear in different places. A strong textbook will show the reader where information and ideas that do not originate with the open textbook author come from. This should be done for both restricted and open works through citations and attribution statements.
Use this as an opportunity to show students by example how a scholar respects and shares information from other sources.
Citation
A citation allows authors to provide the source of any quotations, ideas, and information that they include in their own work based on the copyrighted works of other authors. Excluding resource citations in your own work places you at risk of plagiarizing. Plagiarizing is the act of passing another individual’s ideas or work as your own.
Citation is a common and long-time practice among scholars used to indicate where a resource is from and who the author is. Unlike an attribution, citation is typically used for copyrighted works with restricted rights or “all rights reserved.” In other words, it is used in works for which broad permissions have not been granted.
As a scholar and potential author of an open textbook, we assume that you are familiar with the rules around citation. However, the article Warning: When You Must Cite from the Yale Center for Teaching and Learning provides some guidance about how, what, and the amount of work that can be cited.
Attribution
Attribution is the cornerstone condition when using a resource or text released with an open-copyright license. This legal requirement states that users must attribute — give credit — to the creator of the work.
An attribution statement is used to provide credit to the original creator; its purpose is similar to a citation. Best practice says that the statement should include the title of the work, name of the creator, and license type (with links to each). When using text from another open educational resource, be clear in your attribution statement what section of your textbook contains this information.
Differences
Citation and attribution serve different purposes. The following table summarizes the differences between citations and attributions.
| Citation | Attribution |
|---|---|
| Academic and legal purposes (plagiarism and copyright infringement). | Legal purposes (e.g., rules of Creative Commons licences). |
| The rights of the copy (meaning copyright) are NOT shared with the general public by the copyright holder. | Copyright IS shared with the general public by the copyright holder by marking the work with an open-copyright licence. |
| Protects an author who wants to refer to a restricted work by another author. | Author of an open work has given advanced permissions to use their work. |
| Used to quote or paraphrase a limited portion of a restricted work. | Used to quote (or paraphrase) all or a portion of an openly licensed work. |
| Can paraphrase, but cannot change work without permission. | Author has give advanced permission to change work. |
| Many citation styles are available: APA, Chicago, MLA. | Attribution statement styles are still emerging, but there are some defined best practices. |
| A reference list of cited resources are typically placed at the end of the book. | Attribution statements are found on the same page as the resource. |
For more information please see the Adapted from “Citation vs. Attribution” from Self-Publishing Guide by Lauri M. Aesoph is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
