What is used to document the validity and source of information?

The concept of documenting the validity and source of information is crucial in both academic and professional settings to ensure credibility and reliability. References serve this purpose by providing a clear path for readers to follow in order to verify the accuracy and authenticity of the information presented.

References typically include detailed information about the original source, such as the author's name, title of the work, publication date, and publisher. This allows others to locate the original source for further research or verification. Using references also helps to prevent plagiarism by giving credit to the original authors or creators of the information.

While citations and footnotes can also be used to indicate sources and provide context within a text, references are specifically aimed at creating a comprehensive list of these sources, thereby reinforcing the foundation of the work presented. Documentation, while related, is a broader term and does not specifically target the source validation aspect as clearly as references do.