Which statement best captures the purpose of a citation when using ideas from another author?

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Citations serve as a map to where an idea came from. They let readers locate the original source to read more, verify the evidence, and understand the context in which the idea was presented. They also give proper credit to the author and support the credibility of your own work. The other options miss the point: concealing the source undermines trust, inflating the bibliography adds weight without providing a path to the source, and a citation doesn’t replace reading the original—it invites readers to seek it out for fuller understanding.