Final answer:
The statement is false; you must cite an author's ideas even if not directly quoting. Proper citation applies to both directly quoted material and paraphrased ideas to avoid plagiarism and give credit to the original source.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement 'You should only cite an author's original idea if you are directly quoting it' is false. Citation in scholarly writing is not limited to direct quotations. When you use an author's original idea in your work, whether you are quoting it directly or paraphrasing, you must provide a citation to the original source. A direct quotation is when you repeat an author's exact words and use quotation marks to denote the beginning and end of the quoted section. However, in cases where you paraphrase, you restate the author's idea in your own words but still acknowledge the source. It is crucial to avoid plagiarism by accurately citing all borrowed ideas, notwithstanding the form they take in your writing.