citation

citation · Not mentioned by Google

Appears in

• ScholarlyArticle

What is it?

A reference to another creative work that the current work cites. In academic writing, citations are the bibliography entries that point to sources, prior research, and related publications. The citation property captures these references as structured data, linking articles to the works they build on.

Why this matters for AEO

AI answer engines trace citation chains to verify claims and rank source credibility. When a user asks "what research supports metformin for type-2 diabetes?", an AI can follow structured citation links to surface the original studies. Articles with machine readable citations are more likely to be treated as authoritative sources in AI generated answers.

What the specs say

Schema.org: CreativeWork or Text. A citation or reference to another creative work, such as another publication, web page, scholarly article, etc. schema.org/citation

Google: Not mentioned. No dedicated Google structured data page exists for ScholarlyArticle.

How to find your value

• Paper's reference list — The numbered bibliography at the end of the article
• DOI metadata — CrossRef API returns structured citation lists
• Google Scholar — "Cited by" section links to referenced works
• Publisher export — BibTeX or RIS export from the article page

Format and code

citation accepts either a nested CreativeWork object or a plain text string.

Nested object (preferred for machine readability):

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "ScholarlyArticle",
  "name": "Transitive Credit and JSON-LD",
  "citation": {
    "@type": "ScholarlyArticle",
    "name": "Referenced Article Title",
    "url": "https://doi.org/10.xxxx/example"
  }
}

Plain text (simpler, still valid):

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "ScholarlyArticle",
  "name": "Example Research Article",
  "citation": "Smith et al. (2019) - Related Study. Journal of Science, 45(2), 112-130."
}

Multiple citations as an array:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "ScholarlyArticle",
  "name": "Review of Current Methods",
  "citation": [
    {
      "@type": "ScholarlyArticle",
      "name": "First Referenced Work",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.xxxx/first"
    },
    "Jones et al. (2020) - Secondary Reference. Nature, 12(1), 45-60."
  ]
}

Webflow implementation

Static pages

Add citations in the JSON-LD block in Page Settings > Custom Code. For a small reference list, use an array of text strings. For key citations, use nested objects with DOI links.

CMS template pages

Store primary citations in a multi-line text CMS field. In the JSON-LD embed, reference this field as the citation value. For complex citation lists, a plain text format works best since Webflow CMS does not support nested JSON structures natively.

In Schema HQ

You can configure a CMS text field to the citation property. For articles with extensive bibliographies, Schema HQ supports array formatting to include multiple citation entries.

Real examples

Journal of Open Research Software (nested object):

{
  "@type": "ScholarlyArticle",
  "citation": {
    "@type": "ScholarlyArticle",
    "name": "Referenced Article Title",
    "url": "https://doi.org/10.xxxx/example"
  }
}

DataCite (plain text):

{
  "@type": "ScholarlyArticle",
  "name": "Example Research Article",
  "citation": "Smith et al. (2019) - Related Study. Journal of Science, 45(2), 112-130."
}

Related fields

• abstract
• pageStart
• pageEnd
• author
• sameAs

FAQ

Should citations be text strings or nested objects?

Use nested CreativeWork objects when you have structured metadata (title, DOI, URL) for the cited work. Use plain text when you only have a formatted bibliography string. Both are valid, but nested objects give machines more to work with.

How many citations should be included?

Include the most important references. There is no schema.org limit, but prioritize citations that establish the paper's foundation. A practical range is 5 to 15 key references rather than the full bibliography of 50+ entries.

Does Google use citation data for ranking?

Google does not have a dedicated rich result for ScholarlyArticle citations. However, structured citation data helps Google Scholar index papers and understand the citation graph, which can influence visibility in academic search.