Citation and quoting are the two most important words used in dissertations or thesis which shows that the student or the researcher has done proper work and also made clear that there is no plagiarism. However there is confusion in using these two words in proper way. A citation is something which is used where you have a particular idea of other person. A quotation is used when you are using the same words used by some other author. In simpler terms citation is used when you use your own words and you quote when you use words of someone else and both requires to name the original author. A quotation must be carefully used as it appears in the original text. If the quote requires some changes it can be done using the square brackets for the words which are not in the original passage or text. If the quote requires a substantial change then it is better to cite it rather than buying difficulties.

Failing to do any one of these while using others work leads to plagiarism finally leading to rejection of the report. A quote is used to prove or support a point while a citation is used as an example or proof. Never use many quotes that will over weigh your own analysis and make sure that you quote at least once or twice to support your point or idea. Also do not use back to back quotes and make sure you have your own analysis and presentation in between. Citation always requires a format and there are different formats being followed by different universities or journals. Different citation styles include American Psychological Association (APA) style used for Education, Psychology, and Science works, Modern Language Association (MLA) style used for literature, arts, and humanities, Chicago/Turabian style which is used by used by Business, History, and the Fine Arts people.