In DITA, citations and references can be implemented using elements specifically designed for this purpose. DITA provides structured and organized ways to cite sources, such as books or articles. DITA uses elements like <cite>, <citation>, and <citegroup> to handle citations and references.

<cite> Element:

The <cite> element is used within the content to mark a specific reference. For example, to cite a book title inline with text, <cite> can be used to indicate that it’s a reference.

    DITA is a widely used documentation framework for structured content. It's discussed in more detail in the book <cite>Structured Writing: Rhetoric and Process</cite>

<citation> Element:

The <citation> element is used to represent a citation or reference to a source, such as a book, article, or website. It typically includes metadata for the source, like the author’s name, publication date, title, and other relevant information.

    Here's a citation to a book about DITA: 
    <citation>
        <title>Structured Writing: Rhetoric and Process</title>
        <author>John Carroll</author>
        <pubdate>2015</pubdate>
        <source>ACM</source>
    </citation>

<citegroup> Element:

The <citegroup> element is used to group multiple citations together. For example, all the references used in a single topic can be grouped.

<citegroup>
    <citation>
        <title>Introduction to DITA</title>
        <author>Jane Doe</author>
        <pubdate>2020</pubdate>
        <source>Technical Documentation Journal</source>
    </citation>
    <citation>
        <title>Best Practices in Structured Authoring</title>
        <author>Robert Smith</author>
        <pubdate>2019</pubdate>
        <source>XML World</source>
    </citation>
</citegroup>

Example:

Here’s an example of how citations and references are used within a DITA topic:

<topic id="topic_citations">
    <title>Understanding DITA</title>
    

        DITA is a widely used documentation framework for structured content <citegroup>.
            <citation>
                <title>The DITA Style Guide</title>
                <author>Marcia Riefer Johnston</author>
                <pubdate>2018</pubdate>
                <source>XML Press</source>
            </citation>
            <citation>
                <title>Learning DITA</title>
                <author>XYZ Publications</author>
                <pubdate>2020</pubdate>
                <source>XYZ Publishing</source>
            </citation>
        </citegroup>.
    
</topic>

This example demonstrates how sources can be cited using and elements within a DITA topic, making it clear which sources the content references.