Attribution
Naming the source of a specific idea, phrase, method, or dataset so a reader knows what is yours and what is borrowed.
Attribution is the purpose citation serves. The reference-list entry is bookkeeping; the attribution is the claim that this idea came from here. Both matter, and only one of them is visible in your prose.
It is also a licensing obligation. Creative Commons BY licences require attribution as a condition of reuse, which is a separate requirement from the academic one — you may need both a citation and a licence notice for a reused figure.
See also
PlagiarismPresenting someone else's words, ideas, data, or structure as your own, whether deliberately or through careless citation.Creative Commons licenceA family of standard licences by which a rightsholder grants reuse rights in advance, on stated conditions.CopyrightThe legal right controlling copying and reuse of a creative work, which is separate from the academic duty to cite.Signal phraseThe words that introduce borrowed material and name its source, such as “As Larsen argues,” or “According to the 2023 review.”