A bibliographic citation is a reference to a book, article, web page, or other published item. Citations of both types should supply sufficient detail to identify the item uniquely.[1] Different citation systems and styles are used in scientific citation, legal citation, prior art, and the humanities.
A citation number, used in some systems,
is a number or symbol added inline and usually in
superscript, to refer readers to a footnote or endnote that
cites the source. In other citation systems, an
inline parenthetical reference is used rather than a
citation number, with limited information such as the author's
last name, year of publication, and page number referenced; a
full identification of the source will then appear in an
appended bibliography.
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