Have you ever noticed how people and publications attribute where they get their information from in every day life? In real life, you're not going to include a formal citation in a blog post, a social media post, or an email to your cousin. However, you might link to a news article backing up a claim you make in that email.
We call these informal citations, or "blog style" citations.
Really, something as simple as a link to an article in an email is an informal citation.
Informal citations allow everyone to cite their sources in less formal forms of writing, like blog posts, emails, news articles, and webpages. Informal citations are how everyday creators of information acknowledge ownership, attribute quotes, check facts, and learn more. The beauty of informal citations is that they force you to think about how your sources fit, and actually say why you're sharing them. (Those are skills that you also need in order to write more formal research papers!!)
"'Forever 21 is a powerful retail brand with incredible consumer reach and a wealth of untapped potential,' Jamie Salter, CEO of ABG, said in a statement. Forever 21 currently has 593 stores globally."
Source: NPR
Explanation: In the text of their news article, NPR is citing and linking readers to where CEO Salter said the quote.
Screenshot source: Reddit
Explanation: Redditor matts41 cited their data-gathering methodology in the image.
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