Subpoena vs. Citation — What's the Difference?

A subpoena (; also subpœna, supenna or subpena) or witness summons is a writ issued by a government agency, most often a court, to compel testimony by a witness or production of evidence under a penalty for failure. There are two common types of subpoenas: subpoena ad testificandum orders a person to testify before the ordering authority or face punishment.

A citation is a reference to a source. More precisely, a citation is an abbreviated alphanumeric expression embedded in the body of an intellectual work that denotes an entry in the bibliographic references section of the work for the purpose of acknowledging the relevance of the works of others to the topic of discussion at the spot where the citation appears.

An order issued under the authority of a court or other governmental body, commanding a person to appear and give testimony or to release certain evidence.

The act of citing.

To serve or summon with such an order.

A quotation of or explicit reference to a source for substantiation, as in a scholarly paper.

A writ requiring a defendant to appear in court to answer a plaintiff's claim.

(Law) A reference to a previous court decision or other authority for a point of law, usually by case title and other information.

(legal) A writ requiring someone to appear in court to give testimony.

An official commendation for meritorious action, especially in military service

(transitive) To summon with a subpoena.

A formal statement of the accomplishments of one being honored with an academic degree.

A writ commanding the attendance in court, as a witness, of the person on whom it is served, under a penalty; the process by which a defendant in equity is commanded to appear and answer the plaintiff's bill.

An official summons, especially one calling for appearance in court.

To serve with a writ of subpœna; to command attendance in court by a legal writ, under a penalty in case of disobedience.

An official summons or notice given to a person to appear.

A writ issued by court authority to compel the attendance of a witness at a judicial proceeding; disobedience may be punishable as a contempt of court

The paper containing such summons or notice.

Serve or summon with a subpoena;

The act of citing a passage from a text, or from another person, using the exact words of the original text or speech and giving credit to the original by referencing.

An entry in a list of sources from which information was taken, typically following a prescribed bibliographical style; a reference.

The passage or words quoted; a quotation.

(lexicography) A quotation with attached bibliographical details demonstrating the use of a particular lexical item in a dictionary, especially a dictionary on historical principles.

Enumeration; mention.

A reference to decided cases, or books of authority, to prove a point in law.

A commendation in recognition of some achievement, or a formal statement of an achievement.

An official summons or notice given to a person to appear; the paper containing such summons or notice.

The act of citing a passage from a book, or from another person, in his own words; also, the passage or words quoted; quotation.

Enumeration; mention; as, a citation of facts.

A reference to decided cases, or books of authority, to prove a point in law.

An official award (as for bravery or service) usually given as formal public statement

(law) the act of citing (as of spoken words or written passages or legal precedents etc.)

A short note recognizing a source of information or of a quoted passage;

A passage or expression that is quoted or cited

A summons that commands the appearance of a party at a proceeding

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