A good citation clearly identifies a document or publication and provides adequate information for a reader to seek out that document. Sample citations for different kinds of publications follow, along with tips for finding the material in the library if you don't already have full text. If the library doesn't have the publication, request the material through Interlibrary Loan service, or consult with a reference librarian.
Journal article
Warren, J. R. (2002). Reconsidering the relationship between student employment and academic outcomes: A new theory and better data. Youth and Society, 33, 366-393.
A citation to a journal article should name the author or authors (J. R. Warren in this example), article title ("Reconsidering..."), name of the journal or magazine (Youth and Society), volume number (33), page numbers (366-393), and date (2002). Depending on the publication frequency, pagination, and style used, a more specific date (March 2002) and issue number, e.g. 33(2), may be provided. To check whether Neumann Library has the journal and specific issue needed, perform a journal title search (for youth and society) in the Library Catalog. To check whether the library has full text in a database or directly from the publisher, search for the journal in UHCl Electronic Journals List.
Journal article (cited in a database)
What Urban Students Say About Good Teaching. Corbett, Dick; Wilson, Bruce; Educational Leadership, v60 n1 p18-22 Sep 2002 (EJ653547)
This citation from the ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) database has all of the same elements as the previous example, but in a different order, with author names in full, and with abbreviations for volume, issue number, and page. Clicking on the underlined (hyperlinked) title in the ERIC search results would take you to a more detailed description of the article. Database citations usually include an accession number (EJ653547 in this example). Accession numbers are unique record identifiers within the database (a different number, AN 7386595, is used for this same article in Academic Search Premier database). Accession numbers usually do not help you locate a publication in the library. To find this article, do a journal title search (educational leadership) in the Library Catalog. To check whether the library has full text in a database or directly from the publisher, search for the journal in UHCL Electronic Journals List.
Journal article (retrieved from a subscription database)
Okonski, V. O. (2003). Exercise as a counseling intervention. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 25, 45-56. Retrieved March 25, 2004, from Academic Search Premier database.
When a journal article has been retrieved from a subscription database, you may obtain it from that same database (Academic Search Premier in this example), assuming you have access privileges. If you don't have the record accession number, the best way to retrieve the article usually is to search with the author's last name and distinctive keywords in the article title. If you lack access to the database from which the article was retrieved, do a journal title search (journal of mental health counseling) in the Library Catalog. To check whether the library has full text in another database or directly from the publisher, search for the journal in UHCL Electronic Journals List.
Article in a newspaper
Trejos, N. (2004, March 15). Time may be up for naps in pre-k class. The Washington Post, pp. A1, A9.
Citations to articles in a daily newspaper should include a specific date (month, day, year) and usually include a letter or Roman numeral as a section identifier (A in this example), often as part of the page number(s). Sometimes dates will be abbreviated, only the first page will be noted, and a column number (4) will be provided, e.g., Mr 15, A, 1:4. Search the name of the newspaper (washington post) with a journal title or title search in the Library Catalog. To check whether the library has full text in a database, search for the newspaper in UHCL Electronic Journals List.
Article in a newspaper (cited in a database)
The Washington Post, March 15, 2004 Monday, Final Edition, A Section; A01, 1055 words, Time May Be Up for Naps in Pre-K Class, Nancy Trejos, Washington Post Staff Writer
This example from LexisNexis Academic database has the same elements as the previous example, but with only the first page noted (A01) and with some additional information (edition, length in words, full author name and affiliation). Clicking on the underlined (hyperlinked) newspaper title in the LexisNexis Academic search results would take you to a more detailed description of the article, including full text.
Book
Dembo, M. H. (2000). Motivation and learning strategies for college success: A self-management approach. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Citations to books usually include the name of the publisher and place of publication, as well as author, title, and date. To find this book, do either an author search (dembo m), title search (motivation and learning strategies for college success), or author/title combination search in the Library Catalog.
Chapter, essay, or article in an edited book
Harris, T. (2001). August Wilson's folk traditions. In K. King (Ed.), Modern dramatists: A casebook of major British, Irish, and American playwrights (pp. 369-382). New York: Routledge.
The author and title of the individual chapter, essay, or article should be provided as well as the editor's name and title of the book. The word "in" usually precedes the book information, and page numbers usually are included as well. Search for the title of the book (modern dramatists, not the title of the chapter or essay), or use an author search with the editor's name (king k; not the chapter author) in the Library Catalog.
Doctoral dissertation abstract (cited in a database)
Nina Vance: Founder and Artistic Director of Houston's Alley Theatre, 1947-1980 By: Stanley, Nina Jane; Dissertation Abstracts International, 1991 Apr; 51 (10): 3237A. Indiana U. (dissertation abstract)
This example from MLA International Bibliography database refers to a record from another index (Dissertation Abstracts International, vol. 51, no. 10, April 1991 issue) that cited and summarized a Ph.D. dissertation written by Nina Stanley at Indiana University in 1990. The record in the MLA database refers only to the DAI abstract record and lacks some information (the type of degree conferred and date). For more complete information and a 24-page preview (1997 to present), search the author's name (stanley) or keywords from the dissertation title (nina vance) in Digital Dissertations database. Doctoral dissertations and master's theses usually can be obtained through the library's Interlibrary Loan service or may be purchased from University Microfilms International.
ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) document (cited in a database)
An Evaluation of the Block Schedule in Two High Schools. Griffin, Leslie L.; Nicholson, James W., Jr., 2002 (ED471297)
Clicking on the underlined (hyperlinked) title in this example from ERIC database search results would take you to a more detailed record, which clarifies that this is a conference paper (titled An Evaluation of...) and that it is "available from ERIC." Selected ERIC documents (1993 to present) are available online at http://www.eric.ed.gov. Neumann Library also has the ERIC documents microfiche collection (1966 to 2004, filed by ERIC accession number, i.e., ED471297, in L111 .A4 E7, Microfiche Area).
Paper presented at a conference or symposium
Bederson, B. B. (2001). PhotoMesa: A zoomable image browser using quantum treemaps and bubblemaps. In Proceedings of the 14th annual ACM symposium on user interface software and technology (pp. 71-80). New York: Association for Computing Machinery Press.
A citation to a conference paper should include not only the author, paper title (PhotoMesa...), and page numbers, but the name of the sponsor (ACM), some kind of identifying number (14th), and perhaps a volume number, specific geographical location where the meeting was held, or publisher information (New York: Association of...). Because conference names vary considerably, using a keyword search for significant words from the conference name (symposium user interface software; not the author's name or paper title) usually is the best way to look for such materials in the Library Catalog.
Government document (Internet resource)
U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. (2003, December 18). Antarctica. In The World Factbook 2003. Retrieved March 25, 2004, from http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ay.html .
If the URL (uniform resource locator) address provided in a citation to a free Internet resource returns a file not found error message, you may be able to find a new URL by shortening the address (i.e., http://www.odci.gov/cia) and examining the parent web site or by searching relevant keywords (central intelligence world factbook) on an Internet search engine like Google.
Government document
U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2003). Employee workplace rights (OSHA 3021-08R). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Government documents frequently have a corporate author rather than a personal author and may include a technical report number (OSHA 3021-08R). Using an author search (united states occupational safety and health administration) or a title search (employee workplace rights) in the Library Catalog usually works best when looking for these materials. If needed, you may be able to find additional information in Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (MarciveWeb DOCS) database, or consult a reference librarian.
Legal materials
Citations to court decisions, statutes, and other legal materials have distinct requirements. Consult a specific style guide, a resource such as Bieber's Dictionary of Legal Citations (KF 246 .P73 1997, Reference Desk), or a reference librarian.
