noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', transitive verb
secondhand citation; citing a source without checking the original
Refers to the practice of quoting or citing a source that one has not directly consulted, relying instead on another work's citation. Often used in academic or critical contexts to point out unreliable referencing.
彼の論文は孫引きが多くて、信頼性に欠ける。
His paper has many secondhand citations and lacks reliability.
孫引きを避けるために、必ず原典にあたるようにしている。
To avoid secondhand citations, I always make sure to consult the original source.