* Citations are brief notations within the text of your paper that indicate the source of information or ideas. They direct the reader to the full bibliographic information provided in the references section. They typically include the author's last name and year of publication (e.g., Smith, 2023) or a number corresponding to an entry in the bibliography. The *style* of citation (e.g., MLA, APA, Chicago) dictates the precise format.
* References (or bibliography or works cited) is a complete list at the end of your paper that provides all the bibliographic details for every source cited in your work. This allows readers to easily locate and verify the sources you used. This list is formatted according to a specific citation style.
In short: Citations are in-text signals pointing to the source, while references are the complete source information listed at the end. Citations tell *what* you used, and references tell *where* to find it.