Meaning & use
attribution
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Meaning
nouncountable or uncountableformal
The act of naming the source, author, or cause of a quote, image, result, or action.
Grammar: Uncountable for the general practice; an attribution means one specific act of assigning credit or cause.
Patterns
- proper attribution
- attribution to a source
- give attribution
The article was rejected for missing attribution for two diagrams.
Proper attribution protects writers and lets readers check the evidence.
Common combinations
- proper attribution
- Every photograph requires proper attribution.
- give attribution
- Please give attribution to the translator as well as the author.
- lack of attribution
- The lack of attribution made the quote look invented.
- attribution of the quote
- The attribution of the quote changed after researchers found the notebook.
- image attribution
- The blog placed image attribution beneath each picture.
Synonyms and how they differ
- credit
- Credit is the everyday acknowledgment of a person’s work; attribution is the formal act of identifying a source or cause.
- citation
- Citation is a precise written reference in academic work; attribution can be broader and less formatted.
- ascription
- Ascription is a formal assigning of authorship or cause, less common and narrower than attribution.
- acknowledgment
- Acknowledgment thanks people or sources; attribution identifies exactly who is responsible.
Word family
- attribute verb
- To credit something to a source or cause: attribute the delay to weather.
- attribute noun
- A quality or feature belonging to someone or something.
- attributable adjective
- Able to be explained as caused by a particular thing or person.
Commonly confused: attribution or contribution?
attribution vs contribution
A contribution is something added or given; attribution is the act of saying where a quote, work, or result comes from.
Practice
The paper was returned because two diagrams lacked ___, so readers could not find their original source.
Choose one answer.
The sentence concerns crediting a source, which is attribution. Attrition means gradual wearing down or loss, auction is a sale, and attention is focus.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “attribution”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.